《Earth’s Doom Starts with… Me?》 Chapter 1: New earth (1) Chapter 1: New earth (1) [Time left until earth''s doom: 3 years] "...Huh?" I blinked my eyes a few times, staring at the semi-transparent blue screen floating in front of me. "Don''t move." My head turns towards the source of that smooth-sounding voice. Instead of a person, I''m greeted by... swords? Several people with worn-out armors are standing with their swords pointed towards me. Quite shocking, I thought. Is this a dream? Or was I kidnapped and brought to a role-ying cafe? "You." The same voice called for me, this time I could see iting from a woman standing right in the middle of the armored soldiers. Her blonde hair, tied into a ponytail, fell gracefully onto her shoulders. Her clear blue eyes stared intensely into mine. "Who are you? Why are you here?" She asked, while still keeping eyes on my every movements. "...Where am I?" I managed to let out a small question. "You are in the Vanguard''s raiding territory, a few kilometers north from the gate." She answered. Vanguad? Raid? What gate? My mind begins to process the sudden influx of new information. Am I not in Korea? Did I die? Is this a dream or is this real? Wait. Korea? That''s right. Something''s weird here. How can she understand what I say? Is she a foreigner living in Korea? "Miss, how do you understand what I said? Do you perhaps know Korean?" I asked. "What do you mean, how? You''re speaking human tongue, are you not?" She asked back. Silence followed. I still don''t quite get what she meant by that. We shouldn''t be able tomunicate because ofnguage barrier... Unless of course, she knows Korean. "Young miss, let me reiterate it for you. If you don''t answer my questions in 5 seconds, or if your answer is unsatisfying to me, you''ll die." The woman suddenly drew her sword. "Excuse me??" I looked around in confusion. What the hell is going on here? "I''ll start counting. Five..." She took a step forward. "Four." She steadied her grip on her sword. "Three--" "I''m Yoo Chaerin!" I shouted. "And why are you here, Miss Chaerin? Are you a human? Where did youe from? You''re certainly not from our squad." She said as she pointed her sword at my neck. Now, looking as I have no information whatsoever, and I''m at a disadvantage, I should not act reckless. Therefore, I''m going for the safest route, which is-- "...I don''t remember." I let out my best shaky voice, and blinked a few times to wet my eyes. "I don''t remember anything, Miss... When I woke up, I only remember my name..." I said as I look up to her with my best teary puppy eyes. Yes, I''m gonna pretend I''m a weak, harmless stranger who lost her memories. That way they would probably leave me alone and won''t question my behaviors. Please believe me, please believe me... The blonde woman just stood there, her sword''s edge is still hugging my neck tightly until it drew a bit of blood. Crap, is she not buying it? I''ll have to try again. "It''s okay... I understand why you guys are suspicious of me... After all, I might be a threat. However, as a civilian, a little bit of me hoped that I could depend on you guys... I guess I was wrong. Go ahead, kill me. I''m unarmed and I won''t resist..." I said looking away, while mustering up more fake tears. Please fucking don''t. Don''t kill me. If I die at least I don''t want it to be this painful and weird. At this rate my fake tears might as well be real ones. Guilty conscience, please do your magic! "...You," she said, her eyes scanning me from top to bottom, "follow me closely. We''ll take you to the headmaster after this raid." She lowered her weapon. "Dmitri, watch over her and make sure she doesn''t do anything weird." "Yes, general!" A huge, well-built man stepped forward towards me. He takes off his helmet and revealed a soft, big smile, contrasting his tall and muscly body. "Nice to meet you, Miss Cherry! I''m Dmitri, your newly appointed friend!" "My name is Yoo Chaerin..." "Oh, sorry, I''m bad at names. My apologies, Miss Chaerin," he said while smiling nervously, "anyway, don''t worry too much. General Jeanne maye off as rude, but she''s just looking out for us." So her name is Jeanne, and this smiley big dude here is Dmitri. Both are foreign-sounding names to me. Moreover, I''ve never seen a terrain that is so... barren like this. I think it''s safe to assume that I''m most probably not in Korea anymore. "Sir Dmitri, I''m sorry but could you brief me on what''s going on right now? I really have no memory whatsoever..." I said while looking at the ground, trying to look as pitiable as I can. "Ahh, Miss Chaerin would probably be scared, right? It''s okay, we''re the good guys!" Dmitri said while giving me a thumbs up, "you see, we are the nation''s Vanguard. We have the duty to protect our people. Right now we are on a raid, which is like an outing to scout for supplies, kill monsters, and hopefully finding a way to advance the main mission." "Huh? Monsters? Main mission?" I raised my eyebrows. "Yes, did all of your memory really get wiped out? It must be hard for you..." He looked at me with a worried frown. No, not at all, actually. But thank you for worrying. "So, since around a hundred years ago, a dragon descended upon this world. No one really knows how and what happened after that, but I heard a lot of people died, and monsters suddenly appeared..." He paused for a moment as we walk along with the squad, "and then the survivors somehow rebuilt civilization, although they say it looks pretty different from what this world used to be." Dmitri said as heughed. Huh. The details are extremely vague. Is he purposely keeping information, or do people really not know the details? "I see, thank you for exining, Sir Dmitri." I said, offering my best smile. "Ah, you can just call me Dmitri." He smiled as wide as usual. "And you can just call me Chaerin." I reciprocated his smile. We walk side by side for a while, while countless thoughts and spections run through my mind. Now that I think about it, it''s getting pretty cold here. I thought this is mid-July? It should be pretty hot in Korea right now... "Dmitri, do you perhaps have some nkets I can borrow?" "Ah, you can have my coat," he wrapped his big coat on my body, "haha, this looks so big on you, Chaerin! Anyway, if you need--" "Formation!" The sudden shout alerted everybody, and with that everyone scattered around and assumed their own positions, including Dmitri who ran to the foremost of the squad. "Ice orcs! Two in front and one on the right!" Jeanne shouted, "tanks, charge forward and mages, cast your buff on the tanks!" As soon as Jeanne ordered it, the soldiers all followed suit. It looks majestic, honestly, if I''m not in the verge of dying by ice orcs. Right now I''m too busy observing the ice orcs to marvel at their perfect teamwork. ...So they are the reason it got so cold here. "Bows and sword users, attack! Ice orcs are strong against spells, so we have to strike it down while the mages are buffing our tanks!" With that, Jeanne leapt forward, lunging attacks at the ice orcs. I hid myself among the mages, the safest ce to be. After observing for quite a while, I discovered something strange. If I focus, I could see some kind of auras around them and the monsters. When they attack, the aura gets stronger and they sh. "Dude... Is this some kind of magic world? I feel like I''m in a video game... All that''s missing is some quests." I whispered to myself [Ting!] ...What? [Opening quest window] [Quest: defeat one monster] [Rewards: 5 stat points, beginner bag, random item box] Whaaaaaaaat? I stared with wide eyes at the pop-up message in front of me. This time, instead of the color blue, a red screen appeared in front of me. ...Was it because I said the word quest? "...Stat." worth a try, I guess. [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 15] [Intelligence: 5] [Agility: 10] [Physique: 10] "Wow, this is shocking..." I quickly turned my attention to the ice orcs and Jeanne fighting. Could I perhaps...? [Stat points: (Jeanne Chevalier)] [Strength: 35] [Intelligence: 20] [Agility: 30] [Physique: 25] Of course the general would have high stat... Very highpared to mine, actually. Even though back in Korea I would be considered pretty strong, I''m nothingpared to her. "Fighting, general." I quietly cheered as I feel respect crawling into my chest. Now for the ice orc... [Stat points: (Ice Orc, rank 8)] [Strength: 50] [Intelligence: 20] [Agility: 20] [Physique: 50] [Special buff: King Orc''s blessing (increased resistance against spell-type attacks)] Oh a new info. So this huge ugly walking log is basically super strong and resistant to spells. Just as Jeanne said earlier. Its stats are higher than Jeanne''s but with teamwork, this should be okay... right? I look over at the battlefield, and not even a single ice orc has fallen. They do look beaten-up, though. On the other hand, many of the soldiers are forced to retreat to the backline, getting healed up by mages. Among them, Jeanne is still holding up against an ice orc, and is starting to get the upper hand. She had sliced its legs and made it stagger, during which she took her chance to leap upwards and give it a big slice wound across its chest and abdomen. I sighed with relief, and then noticed something. Wait, if mages can heal, then perhaps there''s also some skill system? "Skill window." [Skill: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Fighting dirty: increases all stats by 3 when facing a stronger opponent] [Eagle''s eye: reveals enemy''s weak points if requirements are met (must only be a monster-type enemy, must know it''s stats, must look at enemy''s eyes)] [Blessing from the God of ********: allows user to ess quest system] Hmm... my first skill is luckily very useful. An increase of 3 points each can be my saving grace. The second one is also very good, albeit pretty risky. I have to get quite close to the enemy to be able to properly look into its eyes, and who knows, there must be some monsters whose stats are hidden to me. Also, the requirements made it clear that I can''t use this against humans. The third one, however, is the most intriguing one. The name is censored, and it implies that it''s the reason this whole quest, stat, skill thing are essible to me. Nevertheless, no use in wondering right now. I need to focus on what I have and what I can do. ''THUD!'' The body of an ice orc copsed, full of sword wounds. Jeanne emerged on top of it with ragged breathing. As expected from the general, she''s so strong. I looked at her in awe as mages approached her and began healing her. When suddenly, her head turned to the left, followed by a shout, "Dmitri! Behind you!" My eyes immediately flew to where Jeanne was shouting at. There, an ice orc is holding up its club right above Dmitri. ''ROAR!'' "Oh no." Dmitri looked up with his broken shield. ''THUD'' Chapter 2: New earth (2) Chapter 2: New earth (2) "Dmitri, focus!" I leapt towards him and tackled his bear-like body to the side. ''THUD'' The club meets the hard ground and left a mark there. We barely managed to avoid it. "Chae--" "Why didn''t you dodge, you idiot!" I said, still rolling on the ground with him. "Ah, I...Thank--" "Sorry, no time to chat. It''s getting ready to attack again." I stood up and just then I noticed how huge that ice orc is. It''s probably around 5 meters tall with huge muscles. Darn it. I was thinking of sneaking a kill toplete my quest, but I didn''t intend to face off againts this muscle head. Oh well, now that it''se down to this, I''m gonna need to use my head. "Dmitri, let me borrow your shield!" I snatched his shield and threw it towards the ice orc. ''ROAR!'' Of course, it has no damage, but it''s okay, since it is now agitated and looking towards me. Yes, that''s right. Look at me you protein head. Let me look into your eyes. [Enemy: Ice Orc, rank 8] [Weakness: the mark on its forehead] Got it. Now I just need to bring it down. I snatched a sword from a nearby soldier and and soon as I dashed forward, the sword glowed bright blue. "Huh?" I was confused but right now, I focused all my strength to sh its achilles tendons. ''ROAR!'' Ugh, it''s not letting me go behind its back. ''sh!'' Suddenly, Dmitri shed its right leg. "I''ll get its attention!" he said, while his red aura suddenly rose up. Perhaps he''s using a skill that attracts aggression? Good job, Dmitri! "Thank you!" I slide between its legs, and shed its left leg, then right leg. With a loud roar, the ice orc had been brought to its knees. Without wasting any time, I stabbed my sword from the back of its head, all the way through its forehead mark. [You havepleted your quest] [5 stat points have been gained] [Acquired beginner bag] [Acquired random item box] Nice. So it''s real. I should think before using those rewards. Dmitri approached me with a worried look. "Chaerin! I''m so sorry, are you okay?" "Yes, I''m okay. Thank you for helping me." I smiled. "You have blood on your face..." he said as he used his thumb to wipe off the orc blood on my left cheek. "Ah, th-thank you." ''THUD'' Thest ice orc fell down, and Jeanne came up to us. "You. You said your name was Chaerin?" she asked, sheathing her sword back. "Yes, uh... Nice to meet you?" "I must thank you for helping us. It was an embarassing disy from our side." Jeanne bowed. "No, no... I was only lucky, and it''s actually thanks to everyone that we survived, so thank you very much." I bowed back at her. "However, there was... something rather peculiar in the way you handled that ice orc." "Pardon?" "I hope you don''t mind ourpany a bit longer than nned." Jeanne said without missing a beat. "Well, I don''t have a choice do I?" I said while smiling sarcastically. "You catch on fast. I like you." Jeanne''s lips formed an amused smile. She walked back and started to gather the soldiers, including Dmitri, and brief them. Well, I guess at least I won''t be harmed until I meet the headmaster she was talking about. It''s not bad to be under their protection until they finish deciding on whether or not I''m an ally. Basically, I''m their prisoner now, huh? [Ding!] Right as I was about to think about the headmaster, a new red window popped up. [Quest: pick an alliance] [Reward: 100 gold] Hmm a new quest. So they do have a money system. I wonder what I can buy with that. Anyway, I also haven''t figured out what alliance means here. And how many alliances there since I was told to ''pick'', not join. "Miss Chaerin, please don''tg behind." "Ah, sorry, Miss Jeanne!" For now, let''s follow this squad. As we walked along the ins, I chatted a bit more with Dmitri since he was tasked to watch me closely, again. Jeanne sure is a very careful person. I admire her decision-making skill honestly. Suddenly, the person in question moved from the front of the squad towards where me and Dmitri is standing. "Miss Chaerin, how are you feeling?" "Very confused, but other than that I''m grateful for the Vanguards for keeping mepany." I replied, kinda honestly. "Sorry to bother you right after that fight, you must be tired. But can I inquire a few matters?" Now she''s walking alongside me and Dmitri as we march onwards. "Sure, though I''m not sure if I can help much since I don''t remember much..." "Good. I''ll be direct then. What is your personal mission?" "Personal mission?" I tilted my head slightly. "Yes, everyone has one, don''t they?" Jeanne narrowed her eyes slightly, "try opening your mission window." What? She knows about windows? Does everyone have the same system as me? I need to check. Let''s check my mission window first. [Main mission: collect 3 serpent souls] [Reward: ???] [Personal mission: find *****] [Reward: ???] It''s censored. This is a surprise. So there are 2 types of mission. Main and personal. And furthermore, it seems different than my quest window. These are blue. And sure enough, when I tried to open my quest window, it was open on a separate window. Hmm... So to summarize, I have a quest window that they don''t know about, and also have a main and personal mission that presumably everyone has? Jeanne observed me as I was lost in thought. Her eyes studied my expression carefully and she opened her mouth, "...Can you tell me what your personal mission is?" "Uh, I''d like to tell you, but I can''t..." I should be careful on my words here. I don''t know yet if it''s safe to tell her my personal mission is censored. And even if it''s not, I don''t think it''s a good idea to spill my info just like that. "Alright then, is there anything else you see on your mission window?" She asked. From the corner of my eyes, I can see her hand slowly moved to grip the hilt of her sword. She''s ready to strike. I understand what she meant by ''everyone has one''. That simply means if I don''t have a mission, that means I''m not one of them. Not a human. And she''s preparing to deal with me if that''s the case. "Yeah, there''s this main mission thing, it says to find 3 serpent souls?" No choice there, I have to speak or else I''ll have to say goodbye to my miserable life. Probably not a bad idea to be struck down by a beauty, though. "I see," her hand released her grip from the bloody sword, full of orc blood, "that''s true. That''s our main mission. I suppose Miss Chaerin doesn''t have a recollection regarding that?" she smiled a little. I let out a soft relieved sigh. "Actually, yes... Do you mind exining it, perhaps?" I said, a bit embarassed. "Well, to make matters simple, humans were given main missions. Everyone''s main mission is the same. We have been trying hard to clear those missions to advance," she started exining, "and as for personal missions, everyone''s is different. It''s usuallypleted faster than the main missions, though. For example, in a few months or years." "That long? Then how long do the main missions take?" My eyes widen upon hearing that. "Well, it depends, but it typicallysts at least years." Jeanne replied. I look at her with a dumbfounded expression, still trying to process everything. "We have been trying our best on this main mission for around 3 years now, haven''t we, Sir Dmitri?" Jeanne nced at Dmitri. "Exactly. It''s pretty hard, but we''ve collected two souls so far. Not bad, eh?" he said with his usual carefree smile. "Well... what about the personal missions then? Why does it take that much time? What are they based on if everyone''s is different?" I asked. "It''s because each mission is often either abstract, or takes a lot of effort toplete too. We are still unsure about what it''s based upon. That''s what we are trying to find out, too." Jeanne replied, looking into the distance. Somehow I see a sh of loneliness in her clear blue eyes. "Yeah, but when it''spleted, we usually get some reward, like a new skill or even some food." Dmitri chirped in. So skills do exist in this world, too. And it''s safe to assume that most people, if not all, can use some type of skill. "That makes me curious, what are your personal missions?" I asked while trying to sound casual. "This is a bit embarassing, but mine is along the lines of improving one thing I''ve been struggling with, hahahahah." Dmitri said with a shy smile while scratching the back of his head. "That''s not embarassing, I admire you for working hard to improve yourself, Dmitri." I smiled. He may look like a bear, but he sometimes remind me of a teddy bear. I chuckled a bit, and Jeanne replied to my question earlier, "well, I''m afraid I can''t tell you for now. I''m sure Miss Chaerin understands, don''t you?" Jeanne smiled at me. Well, I thought as much. She''s too smart to give out info to a suspicious stranger, especially since I also was unwilling to share my info. Good thinking on her part. "Yeah, that''s a great choice. I respect you." I said earnestly with a little smile. "Dmitri, you shouldn''t give out your personal info that carelessly. I don''t mean to offend you, Miss Chaerin, but we as Vanguards have to be very careful for the sake of the people." "No offense taken. I agree with your view." We walked a bit more until we came across a huge dome-shaped barrier. It''s so wide that I can''t quite see the entire dome shape. Beneath the semi-transparent barrier stood a massive wall towering over 30 meters high. It might be way more than that, I''m not quite sure as it''s hard to estimate the height from here. The squad moved closer until we''re in front of a bridge. I see they made a moat for extra precaution. Right at the end of the bridge, I can see the barrier separating us. "This is our nation. We call it Alistair, hoping this nation could be a safe haven for us. Those monster can''te inside the barrier, but we humans cane and go as we please," Jeanne exined while she urged both me and Dmitri to follow her to the front of the squad, "as you can see, we still built a moat and a wall just in case a breach happens again." "Again? So there''s been a breach before?" I asked, slightly surprised. Instead of answering, Jeanne motioned me toe forward. I now stand face-to-face with the barrier. I took a quick nce towards Jeanne, and sure enough, her eyes are still fixed on me. "Go on, Miss Chaerin, you can go in first. I''ve told those guards inside the barrier that you''re with us." I saw the guards ced in front of the gate, just a few meters from where I''m standing. They don''t look threatening, but I can see they''re alert. She wants to test me if I can pass this barrier. If something happens and I''m not proved human, I''m sandwiched. Damn, she''s very careful. I feel like I''m doing those are-you-a-robot tests everytime. I know I''m a human, but I mean what if, you know? Kudos to her on being extra careful though. I took a deep breath and reached my hand out towards the barrier. --- Note: Alistair generally means ''defender of men'' Thank you very much for reading! Do let me know what you think and a critic or feedback is always very wee, thank you! :) Chapter 3: New earth (3) Chapter 3: New earth (3) Right as Chaerin''s calloused finger was about to touch the boundary between men and monster, her vision dimmed and her legs lost their strength. ''THUD'' Just before her limp body meets the ground, a tall, muscr man caught her body. His dark and scarred arms supported her body. He turned around towards Jeanne, and his deep ck eyes red at her. "General Jeanne, what do you think you''re doing?" "General Owen, I thought you''re off-duty today?" She answered, a bit flustered. "A soldier of the Vanguard is never truly off-duty, Jeanne. The lives of our men are in a constant threat," he shifted his gaze towards Chaerin''s unconscious face, her eyes closed and her smooth ck hair sprawled ross her small face, "exin this." "Yes sir. Our squad found her a few kilometers north from the gate, she was unconscious and she imed to have lost her memories. Though, we have our suspicions on her, hence why I thought of testing her." Jeanne bowed a little with her right hand formed in a fist in front of her chest. "You did well in suspecting her, I myself sensed a weird mana flow from her," he paused, "however, general, you did bad in letting her roam around freely. If she''s an enemy, you may lost some of your soldiers. You of all people should know this well." He said with a stern voice. Jeanne said nothing and bit her lips upon hearing those words. "Next time, neutralize your suspects and hostages once you gain all information you can get from them," he nced at Chaerin once more, e, I''ve neutralized her for you this time. Exin everything to the headmaster." Owen said as he turned around and passed the barrier with Chaerin in his arms. "Yes sir. I apologize for my rash judgment." Jeanne said as she followed his footsteps. ------------- I opened my eyes in a new ce, for the second time today. Seriously, what''s up with me and my consciousness? Someone definitely hit me in the back of my head earlier. That bastard. "You''re awake." A deep and slightly hoarse voice came from the man standing in front of me. He wore a white shirt with a few upper buttons undone and a pair of ck pants. His outfit is different from the soldiers I met earlier. Who is he? "Not much of a talker, are you?" he said, crossing his arms. "Well, what do you want me to say?" I groaned. "Miss Chaerin, meet general Owen, he''s the second general in our Vanguard." Jeanne suddenly interrupted. "Miss Jeanne? I thought you''re a general too?" I said looking visibly confused. "That is correct. I am the fifth general and he is the second," Jeanne replied, "now, we need you to wait patiently here." "...Sure, but do we really have to do it this way?" I looked down at the chains shackling me to a wooden chair. Even my hands are chained behind my back. I feel like the dumb main character from a horror movie when she got kidnapped by the murderer. "I apologize for our rudeness, Miss Chaerin. I hope you understand that we must take safety precautions before we are certain of... things." Jeanne said with a straight face, but I can see that she''s also a bit ufortable with this. "We mean you might be our enemy," Owen pitched in, "and we are prepared to deal with you if that''s the case." Damn, I want to be mad, but from their perspective, it''s totally true. Why do they have to be so smart and not act like viins in the movies where they stupidly let the protagonist go? ''Creak'' Everyone turned their attention as they hear the sound of a door being opened. A very old man with bald head and white beard greeted us with a smile. He looks very fragile and pretty small, perhaps because his posture is hunched forward. Behind him followed a red haired man with a stoic face, sses framing his deep brown eyes. I stared at his unusually colored hair for a bit. He wore a suit while the old man was dressed in a casual robe. "Greetings, headmaster." Jeanne and Owen bowed simultaneously. He grinned from ear to ear, "ho ho! Long time no see, Jeanne, Owen!" the old man said with a chirpy tone. He is the headmaster? He is very... old. Are his legs okay? "This must be the youngdy you''ve told me about, right Jeanne?" the headmaster looked at me with mysterious eyes. "Yes, headmaster." "Ah, okay then! Sorry, sorry, Owen and Jeanne are quite energetic you see? Please forgive them for being rough on you." He said whileughing. "...I think you''re way more energetic." I replied. "Ho ho! Don''t worry, I won''t hurt you. You see, I just want to have a small talk with you. This old man can get lonely sometimes~" he motioned his finger and the man in the suit unshackled me. "Uh, thank you..." I stood up and rubbed my right wrist upon the release, "...why did you unshackle me?" "Ho ho ho! I believe conversing while being chained won''t be toofortable for you." He sat down on a couch while the suited man handed him some whisky, "do you want some?" "Thanks, but I don''t drink." "Alright, miss Chaerin. Let me be direct," the atmosphere suddenly tensed up and I got goosebumps, "simply speaking, you have no worth for us." "Pardon me?" "Well, let me break it down for you. It''s simple, really. You, an unknown person who ims to have no memories suddenly showed up. Not only that, but you have an irregr mana flow and you even managed to kill one injured ice orc," he started, "although it was injured and you got help from your friend, but ice orcs are quite powerful for average humans, you see." I listened to his words in silence and gulped nervously. "If you''re a threat to us, that means you''re dangerous towards average human beings, which means you''re a danger to our citizens." he continued. "And if I''m not a threat?" "If you''re not a threat, and if you''re an ally, well frankly speaking we don''t need your help. Humanity right now is strong enough." His gaze felt cold. "Are you going to throw a fellow human under the bus?" "Are you asking me to choose you over the safety of millions of civilians? And that is assuming you''re not a threat." Damn it. He''s not making a room for me to convince him. I have to think of something. "Headmaster, what are you nning on doing?" Jeanne suddenly asked, looking visibly disturbed. "Jeanne, you''re a smart girl. So I''m sure you know there is very little reason to believe her. If we make a misjudgement based on feelings, we might put our people in danger," the headmaster said without shifting his nce from me. "I--" "Jeanne, it''s enough." Owen tapped her shoulder and stopped her. "...I''m sorry. I know that, it''s just... If she truly is a normal human, isn''t it our duty to protect her?" she bit her bottom lip. "Who says we''re killing her?" the headmaster unexpectedly said with a small chuckle. I looked up. Is there a shred of hope? Is this where the god of isekai blesses me with luck? Am I even in an isekai if I''m still on earth? I don''t know, just please give me some luck! "We are going to study her mana flow and interrogate her. After that we kill her. Tee hee!" Oh my god you senile old man. "Wait!" I shouted. All eyes turned on me. I have no choice, let''s just go for it. "You''re wrong about one thing." I started talking, while trying my best to look and sound confident even though my heart is beating like crazy and I''m having cold sweat. "Oho? Do entertain me." the old man stroked his beard. "I do have a use for you guys," I smirked, "and it''s a use that only I have." "Ho ho, don''t be too confident, youngdy. Or are you so desperate that you resort to meaningless lies?" he said whileughing. "I have useful informations that only I know and only I can get." "How do we know that you''re telling the truth?" the old man raised his right eyebrow in amusement. "Try me. You''ll be the judge." I said while staring at him straight in the eyes. Chapter 4: New earth (4) Chapter 4: New earth (4) "Try me. You''ll be the judge." I said while staring at him straight in the eyes. He squinted his eyes and studied my face,"...What do you know that we don''t?" Hoo boy. I need to focus now, I can''t mess this up. I opened my lips, "the earth will face its doom in exactly 3 years from now." His eyes twitched a little. Then silence followed. A silence so unbearable that I can hear my own heartbeat. Then a chuckle broke the silence. "Ho ho. Earth, huh? It''s been a long time since I''ve heard that word being said." he stroked his beard. What does he mean by that? Why does he act like earth is something very alien? Is he really going crazy? Did he forget his pills? "Youngdy, tell me how do you know this." He smiled at me, menacingly. "...Actually, I''m a prophet," I paused, "when I woke up, I really did not have any recollection, but the only things I knew were my name and the fact that the earth''s doom ising in 3 years." Everyone looks visibly confused. I would be too, if I was in their shoes. "Also, ever since someone hit me earlier," I nced at Owen who looked away from me, "when I woke up I got another message." "Let''s hear it." The old man looked interested. "Nope." I smiled. "What!?" Jeanne and Owen both shouted in shock. "Yeah, nope. Not gonna tell you. If I tell you right now, I won''t really be useful anymore, right? Tee hee." Take that you senile old man. "Ho ho ho! I like your spirit," heughed, "you do know that we can force that information out of you, right?" his eyes glimmered red. "You won''t." I replied. "Are you sure about that?" "Yep. Because I have crucial information that you need, and I will get more as time passes by. If you torture me now or kill me now, you might lose out on important infos that will help you save this earth and everyone you care about." I hope he buys my story. Silence followed again. This time a bit longer than before. Until the old man raised his finger and... ''THUD!'' I fell face-first onto the ground, with crushing pressure on top of me. The air around me suddenly felt different. It felt heavy, dark, and almost... deadly. "Ughh..!" It was so intense that I can''t even look up, and I was having trouble speaking and breathing. "I''ve made my decision. You are to live and enroll in our Vanguard. I will have Owen monitor you at all times," he smiled at me while I was busy trying to breathe, "we will give you a chance. Do know that you''re not in the clear yet. And if you ever prove to be a threat..." His smile got bigger and twisted, "I can erase you in less that a second." The heavy force got lifted and I coughed loudly, struggling to suck in air to fill up my lungs. "Miss Chaerin! Are you alright?" Jeanne rushed to my side and helped me sit up. "Jeanne, don''t get swayed by your emotions. Owen, I trust you will make the right decision, that''s why I''m leaving her to you." the old man grinned widely and finished a whole bottle of whisky. How can he drink that much and still be healthy at that age? And so snarky too, that old man. "Well, see ya! I''ve got matters to attend to!" He said cheerfully and he pranced out of the room, followed with the man in a suit. I red at the two of them when Jeanne suddenly asked, "was that true, Miss Chaerin? Are you really a prophet?" she rubbed my back as I still try to stabilize my breathing. "Well, I''m not sure if I should call myself a prophet... But that message wasn''t a lie." "I see... Well, that matter can be discussedter on. Right now, we should focus on helping you get ustomed to this ce," she smiled, "honestly, I myself am pretty sure that you''re a human just like us." That was unexpected. She was the one doing double or triple authentication on me earlier... "I did have my doubts... And I can''t say I''m 100% sure too, but you did save one of my men. And I would like to think that someone who risked her life to save another, who''s a stranger to her, might be worth trusting." she smiled. It struck my heart a little bit upon hearing that. I know she doesn''t fully trust me, but hearing someone saying that they are willing to trust me despite the risk... It feels new and... warm. "Yes, general Jeanne is correct, you did save one of our men. For that I must thank you," Owen said to me while squatting in front of me, "you will me under my care from now on. Don''t hate me, I''m just doing my job." he smiled for the first time at me. "I''ll be in your care." I smiled back. ...Now I kinda feel bad for lying about that information. There''s no such thing as ''extra message''. I know jackshit about the earth''s future. I don''t even know much about my current situation. "Oh yeah, should I hit you once more so that you can remember another info?" Owen asked. "Don''t you dare." ----- The door creaked open as an old man with a beard walked in. Once he''s inside the dimly lit room, the door behind him was closed by a man with a suit. "...Do you believe what she said, headmaster?" the man asked with an unreadable expression. "Not really," the old man walked towards a huge painting on the side of the wall, "she may be lying, but... She has piqued my interest." "What do you mean by that, sir?" The headmaster said nothing and raised his hand. Suddenly, the painting''s eyes glowed and the old man walked inside the painting, revealing a hidden tunnel. "Gabriel, how long has it been since we''ve heard the word ''earth'' being used?" The old manughed a bit as he walked down the dark tunnel. "...It has indeed been a while." Gabriel raised his sses. "Correct. Ever since ''that day'', our ancestors have tried to bury the name ''earth'', for it is not as it used to be now. Far different, I daresay," he continued, "that is why we refer to our nation''s name, Alistair, instead of saying ''earth''. Maybe because they don''t want to admit that ''earth'' has changed for the worse, or maybe because they think the world outside of the barrier is no longer ''earth''." They walked in silence for a bit more until they stumbled upon a big room. "Whichever one it is, I don''t care. I just want to make sure ''this'' world is safe. Because for me, ''this earth'' is more real than the ''past earth''," he smiled, "anyway, I think that girl do know something that we don''t, but we shouldn''t carelessly believe every message of her." "Very well, sir." The man bowed his head. "Now, Gabriel. Prepare an attack force to get thest remaining serpent soul. It is time." ----- I grumbled as I sat myself among the soldiers sitting on the bench. It has been around 30 minutes now since I was forced to follow general Owen to the training ground. The Vanguard''s training ground is actually quite big and open. It even has rows of stone benches for spectators to watch, although they make my butt hurt. "Jeanne told me it should be his day off, why did that workaholic old man insist on training his soldiers?" I sighed as I feel my stomach starts to growl. "Hahahah! General Owen is very passionate about his duty. I think he was quite shocked that our group encountered ice orcs in ourst raid, those are quite rare. Oh, and he''s on his thirties, I don''t think he''s an old man yet!" Dmitriughed while he sat next to me. I wonder how this beary dude can always be so rxed... "I understand. I am also very passionate in my duty." "What is your duty, Chae?" "Being captured. I haven''t even had a lunch break yet from my ''duty'' since I woke up. Very passionate." I said sarcastically andughed. "Haha, you''re right actually! Wanna grab some meal? The canteen is still open at this hour." He offered. My eyes lit up, "yes! Let''s go! Now!" Oh, what I would give for some unhealthy, juicy fried chicken. Hopefully they also got iced tea. "Then let''s--" "NO." General Owen appeared behind them. "Ge-general Owen..." Oops. "I''ve told you before, Miss Chaerin. Always ask me permission before you go anywhere." He said with his arms crossed. "Well, will you give me permission?" I looked up. "No. You can''t go." "And that is exactly why I didn''t ask," I sighed, "I don''t even have any business here, I''ve been sitting here watching you train your soldiers for 30 minutes. Those 30 minutes could''ve been spent eating fried chicken thighs. Tsk tsk." I shook my head. "Fine. I''ll give you business." "Eh? Uwoahh!?" ''THUD!'' That old man threw me to the training ground. I quickly regained my footing, and stared at him in a mix of bewilderment and disbelief. "You-- what are you---" "Everyone, clear the field." General Owen instructed the soldiers as they scattered around. They walked towards the benches while whispering to each other, someughing, and some look concerned. "Kim Minjun! Come up here!" Oh, a Korean name. It''s the first one I''ve heard sinceing here. "Yessir~" An easygoing voice came from a tall young man with a ck hair and dark brown eyes, just like mine. General Owen handed him a spear, and Kim Minjun whistled, "thanks, sir!" "Yoo Chaerin, Kim Minjun, you have one round to fight." Owen stepped back. "EXCUSE ME?" I turned my head towards Owen and gave him a murderous look. "Rx, newbie. It''s just a daily sparring. Take it easy on me, will you?" Kim Minjun grinned from ear to ear. Great. This guy is also nuts. "The rules are as usual. Yoo Chaerin, since you are new, I''ll exin the rules. Anything goes, just no killing, and fight until one of you gives up or until I stop the fight. Oh and for you, Yoo Chaerin, you''re not allowed to tap out." Owen returned my re. I quickly turned to look at Kim Minjun who was standing a few meters in front of me while he stretched his legs. [Stat points: (Kim Minjun)] [Strength: 18] [Intelligence: 10] [Agility: 15] [Physique: 15] He finished his stretching and smiled widely at me, "by the way, nice to meet you~" "Your battle starts... now!" Owen raised his hand. ...I''m dead. Chapter 5: Elias (1) Chapter 5: Elias (1) ''BOOM!'' "UWAAH!" I screamed while I ran around as fast as I could. "You''re crazy! This is unfair!" I nearly dodged a me projectile and burned my right shoulder. This madman suddenly summoned me projectile thingies just one second after our sparring session started. He''s using magic on someone who can''t do magic like me? I leapt to my side and rolled on the ground, avoiding another me projectile, "''take it easy'' my ass! You''re going all out on me!" "Aw, don''t be mad, newbie. This is me being easy on you~" he lifted his spear up and crouched down in a stance that reminded me like a tiger that''s about to leap towards its prey, "or do you want me toe hunt you down myself?" Eep! I swallowed down my shriek and stood up, running some more. This is bad. I have to think a way out of this. Stat window! [Stat points: (Kim Minjun)] [Strength: 18] [Intelligence: 10] [Agility: 15] [Physique: 15] His intelligence point is the lowest, yet he decided to use magic on me. Ideally, I would like to finish this off before he can go melee on me... I picked up a huge rock nearby and hurled it at him with as much force as I could muster. As soon as I threw it, the rock had a faint reddish aura around it. ''Crack!'' the rock broke upon meeting his fist. This guy really just punched a rock and broke it to pieces... "Hey, so your element is fire, too. Just like me," he grinned mischievously at me, "c''mon, you can''t just throw rocks at me all day." Could that faint reddish aura be my magic? So red is fire, huh... Kind of a bad matchup here I''d say, if only my luck gave me water element... "Tsk, we''ll see about that, you sly fox!" well, no point in wishing for luck now. I hurled another rock at him, this time way bigger than before. ''Boom!'' Sure enough, the rock broke again upon hitting his right fist, but this time I hid behind the rock and leapt forward as soon as he shattered it. "You--" he was caught by surprise as I grabbed his right hand and... "YEOWCH!!" I bit him hard. Until it drew blood. "Argh!" He leapt back with a surprised face, "you--you bit me!? Who the hell bites people!?" He pressed down on his wound with his left palm. "And who the hell bombards people with me projectiles!?" I wipe his blood off of my lips. [Skill: ''Fighting dirty'' is activated. Your stats are increased by 3 points each] [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 18] [Intelligence: 8] [Agility: 13] [Physique: 13] Oh? So this skill works for people, too. And it seems that it only activates upon first contact with enemy? Great. Now I have something to work with. "Hahah... Hahahahah! Good, good! I like your style of fighting," heughed maniacally, e, entertain me more." His eyes glimmered red. This is bad. Even though my strength is now of equal value, but my physique is stillckingpared to him. I still can''t win in a hand-to-handbat. Moreover, even though I''m not a stranger to fighting, I''m sure he''s a more experiencedbatant than I am. Stats alone can''t bring me to victory. I took a deep breath and started to focus on my body. My soul. My mana. I sensed my mana flowing from the core of my soul to my fingertips. To every inch of my body. Surprisingly, it felt almost natural. Like I was born wih this ability. It felt...fortable. I can do this. I have to control my magic. "...Hey you! Kim Minjun!" I called out to him. "Don''t waste time with useless chatter, newbie. Come." He beckoned me to take the first move. I smirked, "let''s have a duel." His eyebrows tilted upwards, "oho? A duel? What kind of duel?" "It''s simple," I took a stance and held out my hand. A me appeared on my hand, "your me or my me, let''s see which is stronger." "Hah! Do you seriously think your little spark canpare to my me?" he burst outughing. "Basic rule of fighting, don''t underestimate your enemy." I smiled. He red at me for a while. He''s probably thinking about it because magic is not his strongest point. He tried to hide his physical prowess by only using magic earlier, too bad you can''t fool my stat window. That being said, I thought he''s just a simple hot-headed maniac who would agree to any challenges thrown at him. Turns out his head still works. "Let''s do it this way then. You and I both fire at the same time at each other. The one whoes out unscathed wins." He threw away his spear to the side and clenched his fists. I can feel his aura rising. "Fine by me." I concentrate on my mana as I feel it getting stronger. He chuckled a bit, his smile getting more confident as both of our auras rose. If I can feel his aura, then he should be able to feel mine. He must''ve realized that my magic is weakerpared to him. He pulled back his arms in preparation to shoot. I pulled my arms back in session. Not yet. me starts to form and gather around our palms. His me brighter than mine. Not yet. His posture hunched forward as he gets ready to shoot his huge ball of me. Now! [5 Stat points have been used] [Intelligence: 8 --> 13] ''BOOM!'' Fire burst out from both of our hands. His me started very strongly, pushing me back a bit. "Hahahaha! As I thought, a newbie is a newbie! I was worried for nothing!" Kim Minjunughed when he saw me struggling. I paid no attention to his words and focused on concentrating my mana flow as my me slowly got stronger. It''s strange. I feel like my me is a part of my body... A part of my soul. ''FWOOSH-BOOM!'' Suddenly, my me overwhelmed his and engulfed him entirely, painting the training ground bright yellow. Thank god I refrained from hastily allocating my rewarded stat points earlier. "Kkh--! Argh!" I can hear his painful groan as I stopped my fire and ran towards the spear he threw earlier. No, I can''t stop here. He is not a man who can go down with that. The smoke slowly dissipates and an injured Kim Minjun appeared with burnt-out clothes. He spat out blood from his mouth and his re was fixated on me. "Tsk, you... What cheap trick did you do earlier?" His gaze on me felt different. I can sense rage in his eyes. I gripped my newly picked up spear tighter, "just ept your loss." "Not yet," his aura rose, this time the air around him got heavier, and I could feel my chest tighten, "I haven''t lost yet. I can still fight." His stance changed, crouching low again like earlier, as if ready to pounce on me. His muscles tightened and his veins were visible. "I can... still fight..." His expression got dark and his eyes looked empty, as if he were insane. The yful Kim Minjun earlier was nowhere to be seen. It''s almost as if something took control over him. I gulped. He took a step forward. I took a step backwards. He slowly crept up towards me. I backed against a wall. As he got closer to where I''m standing, I can see his face more clearly. His eyes looked dangerously empty, and his mind is clearly not in the right ce right now. "Wait, you--" ''BANG!'' I narrowly missed his punch whichnded centimeters away from my face. My hand trembled as I deflected his punch with my spear. What is this strength? This is definitely not a level 18 strength! My strength stat is also 18 now and my hand trembled just by deflecting his punch. Without giving me time to regain my bnce, heunched a kick to the side of my stomach. I instinctively tried to block it with my spear, and I seeded-- ''CRACK!'' I thought I seeded. I was wrong. The spear broke in two. His kick connected perfectly to my right nk and I can feel my bones crying. I didn''t know which of the two made that cracking sound. "Argh--!" I groaned as my body gotunched a few meters before hitting the hard, dirty ground. This bastard has really lost his mind. I can''t possibly win against him, I have to run away! No way I''m risking my life for a mere ''sparring'' session! These guys need to be taught basicmon sense! "Back off, you lunatic!" I fired as much me projectiles as I could towards him, leaving him inside a cloud of smoke. "Hey! Owen! Do something about him! He''s gone crazy!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I ran to gain some distance between me and him. "..." No response came from Owen. He stood still near the benches while observing everything that has been unfolding. Dmitri came running beside Owen and tapped his shoulder, "general Owen! Don''t you think it''s enough? Let''s stop them before it gets worse!" "..." Again, no response from Owen. He just peeked at Dmitri''s worried face, and focused his eyes once more towards the training ground. "General! This has gone beyond our normal sparring session!" Dmitri started to panic. "Who said this is a normal sparring session?" "...Eh?" The cloud of smoke has disappearedpletely as it revealed a crouching figure none other than Kim Minjun, totally unscathed except for the wounds he got earlier from the me duel. Damn it. My magic didn''t work on him either. I literally have no way out of this... I peeked from my hiding spot behind one of the rubbles a bit far from him. Luckily, it seemed like he hadn''t noticed me yet. Should I just make a run for it towards the benches? No no, that would endanger other soldiers... But should I care? No. They put me in this situation anyway. I felt annoyed as I looked around and see them just sitting there, having fun watching. "Those bastards, let''s see how you will react when I go there and bring this insane guy with me." I gripped my spear tightly and grabbed a nearby pebble. I threw the pebble as far as I could and as soon as he noticed the pebble, I sprinted towards the opposite direction. 30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters... Just as I was about to reach the benches, my hair got pulled back by a strong grip. "Ack!" My body got tossed backwards and my I hit my back on the ground. He then lifted me by the neck, my face facing his. I grasped his wrist and struggled to get his fingers off me but his grip just got stronger. "L-let go... Of me..!" mes burst from my hand and scorched his hand. "Kuh--!" I groaned. But him? His face didn''t even twitch. His creepy gaze were still focused on my face, even though my mes were roasting his wrist... Wait... His wrist was fine? What the hell is he made of? At this rate I too will go crazy! "Chaerin!" Dmitri shouted from the benches, but Owen stopped him before he could get closer. "Soldier Dmitri! I order you to stay back!" I concentrated my mana to my right leg that''s hanging in the air. "I hope you don''t want kids." ''BAM!'' I kicked hisher regions as hard as I could, with mana fully concentrated on my kick. A resounding "oof" could be heard around the training ground. He staggered and his grip on my neck loosened. I quickly used this momentum to grab his hair and bumped our head. "Ouch!" I flinched from the sudden pain, but I didn''t stop there. I pped his right ear instantly after we bumped heads, causing him to lose his bnce. As he fell down, I quickly locked his arms behind him and pressed him down. "Stay down! Bad!" I nced at Dmitri, and saw him sigh in relief upon seeing that, while Owen''s face remain stoic as always. Suddenly, they look... horizontal? "...Eh?" It was a grave mistake to look away from my opponent. I should''ve known better. In one swift motion, he flipped our position and now I''m the oneying underneath him. My eyes met his cold gaze as he sat on top of me. I felt shivers run down my spine. He pinned my legs down and used his left hand to lock both of my wrists on top of my head. He hadpletely subdued my movements. Crap. I saw a shineing from above, which belongs to a dagger held by his right hand. "No no no no--" He raised his arm slowly, and then with a single, swift strike, the dagger came down upon my neck. ''STAB'' Chapter 6: Elias (2) Chapter 6: Elias (2) ''Drip.'' I can feel blood trickling down my neck, to my shoulder, then finally on the ground. ''Drip.'' The faint sound of my blood dripping tickled my ears. "It''s enough. Stop right now." I heard a familiar-sounding voicee from a figure in front of me, between myself and that monster. It was Owen. He gripped the arm holding the dagger that drew blood from my neck and held Kim Minjun back so he wouldn''t move. "Urgh..." Kim Minjun groaned as he struggled to dig his dagger deeper into my neck, which heeded no result despite his effort as Owen tightly kept him at bay. I can breathe. I''m alive. I moved my hand slowly to my neck and my fingertips met the warmth of my blood. Did the dagger prate deep? Or did it not? I can''t tell as my adrenaline rushed, making me unable to register pain yet. "Chaerin!" Dmitri rushed over to us and crouched down next to me, "don''t worry! The healer is here! You''re in good hands!" I stayed still and kept my eyes on Kim Minjun. I grabbed his dagger-wielding hand tight and pushed it away from my neck. "I''ll take it from here," Owen knocked the back of Kim Minjun''s neck and knocked him out. He then plopped thetter''s body over his shoulder and walked away. "Kang Hayun, please heal her. And Dmitri, you keep an eye on her while I''m gone," Owen said as he walked, when suddenly he turned his head towards me, "wee to the Vanguard, newbie." That damn old man. ''Ding!'' [You havepleted your quest] [Acquired 100 gold] [Quest: find a lodging] [Reward: random item box, 2 stat points] ...So now I''m admitted in an ''alliance'' huh. Didn''t even get a chance to pick one myself. Also, what a weird quest I got this time? As his back went further away from us, I can see another person running towards us. "Wait-- cough! Cough! Akh--" I coughed loudly and gasped for air, filling my lungs with much-needed air that I didn''t realize I forgot to take in. Dmitri sat me up and leaned my helpless body on his, "Chaerin, don''t speak yet!" Before I could answer, another voice came from my right side, this one sounding more timid and soft, "E-excuse me, please bear with me for a bit." I could barely make out her face from my blurred vision, but I can feel a warm, calming power enveloping my body. My surroundings emitted a soft green glow, and bit by bit, my body began to feel more... full of life? "I''m sorry, please don''t think too badly of him..." said the soft-spoken voice. As my vision was starting to return to its normal state, I saw a worried young girl averting her gaze from me. Her hands were emitting the very same soft green glow around me. "...Are you his friend?" I spoke, this time with much more ease as my wounds began to heal. "Oh, I''m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Kang Hayun, and I, uh... I guess I''m his childhood friend... Maybe?" The girl fumbled with her words. She seemed unsure of her own word choice. I looked at her with a questioning expression, and she immediately focused her gaze on my wound to avoid my gaze. "...I don''t know what''s going on between you two, but it seems like you guys get along well?" I said as I rxed my body into Dmitri''s hands. I could get used to being healed. It kinda felt like sleeping on a soft, newly washed bedsheet after a long day of work. My god do I miss my bed. "That''s true, Hayun has always been close with Minjun," Dmitri said to me, "they both entered the Vanguard at the same time, quite young too!" She blushed upon hearing Dmitri''s voice. Is she just shy or...? I sighed, "if you''re close with him, of course he treats you nicely. It''s natural that you''d think good of him. But as for me? Look at how he treated me." I smiled weakly at her. "T-that... I... I''m sorry..." she looked down and clenched her fists. "I''m kidding. He''s just not in his right mind, I suppose," I faintlyughed, "after all, I get to be healed up now, don''t I?" "Ah, that... I''m really sorry..." "You don''t need to apologize for something that you didn''t do," I patted her soft, ck hair, "thank you for healing me." She blushed and nodded lightly, and continued healing me while I let out a long sigh. "Haaa... I can''t believe that old man just sacrificed me to a satanic spawn," I looked up at Dmitri, "sorry, your coat is now ruined..." His eyes trailed to the piece of garment barely hanging around my shoulder, "ah! The robe from our raid earlier!" Dmitri didn''t look the slightest bit concerned, instead, while wearing his signature wide smile, he said, "don''t worry! I''ll get you a new one soon, okay?" ...He missed my point. "No, I mean... I''ll just... I''ll give you a new robe once I get my hands on some money..." I rubbed my head. "It''s done." Kang Hayun finished her spell and the glowy-green-thingy dissipates. She truly is a great healer, my body feels light and my energy is back. "Umm... How do you feel?" She asked me as she fidgeted with her fingers. "I feel like I''m ready tond another blow on that bastard''s peepeepoopoo." "Wh-what!?" Her whole face went red as she was taken aback by my words. She''s very cute. "I forgave him, but that doesn''t mean I don''t want to make him regret almost killing me." She stared at me with her mouth wide open as I chuckled, e." "...Come where?" she looked up at me. "To the cafeteria, of course. Are you going to skip dinner?" ------- "Quite amusing, eh, Owen?" "Call me general Owen." The referred manid down Kim Minjun''s unconscious body on a bed. "Don''t be like that, we''re close friends!" A young man next to him with spiky white hair poked Owen''s cheek while pouting. "We are colleagues, general Zhang," He paid no attention to him and strapped the unconscious Kim Minjun to the bed, "what is the first general doing here? You''re usually always busy somewhere." "Aw, did you miss me? No need to be shy~" the white-haired man took out a cherry-vored lollipop and popped it into his mouth, "after all, we''ll be closely working together soon~" "What do you mean?" "You''ll understand soon," he turned his attention to Kim Minjun''s body and observed his wounds, "that girl, is she on your team?" Owen nced at him, "no. She''s under my watch but she''s still unfit to be included in the roster." "Eh~ I think it''s fineee," Zhang pouted, "little cubs need to understand danger before they learn to hunt, you know?" His eyes glimmered dangerously as he grinned from ear to ear. "She will die before she learns how to properly use magic. She''ll be a hindrance to us on the battlefield." Owen crossed his arms. Zhang smiled, "indeed, the cub is still not capable of controlling her magic properly. It was so... rough and amateurish," he paused, "but, you also saw it, didn''t you?" "..." The older man said nothing, still crossing his arms. "Her eyes," Zhang motioned two fingers towards his eyes, "she never looked away from her opponent''s attacks." Chills crept into Owen''s body as he felt himself getting goosebumps. "She only looked away when she''s not being attacked, Owen. Even when the dagger was centimeters away from her face, she never closed her eyes." Zhang burst outughing creepily, which didn''t help Owen''s goosebumps. "She is unfit for raids, and that is final," Owen stated firmly, "I shouldn''t have let you spectate." "Owen, those are the eyes of a hunter, not the eyes of a prey." The white-haired man brought his palm to his face, still grinning wide. "First general Zhang, this matter is none of your business." Owen''s voice was filled with rage. "Why are you so hesitant about letting the cub loose?" "I''m just doing my job. Don''t get in my way." Owen red at him. Zhang stared at him in silence for a while, his eyes looking deep into Owen''s. Suddenly, he smiled, "okay, see you soon then!" He tapped Owen on the shoulder, and then leaned in close to whisper in his ear, "be careful, unattended cubs might get stolen." "What--" "Bye-bye!" Zhang smiled brightly and strutted out of the door, closing it with a m and leaving Owen with a dumbfounded look on his face. -------- The cafeteria was bustling with people. Some were busy eating, others were cooking or ying around, and the air was filled with chatter andughter. Therge room didn''t feel thatrge anymore, even with plenty of windows, now that everyone were gathered here. While others were eating heartily, I... "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined." I stared into nothingness while I mourn my dinner. "Haha! It does taste a bit weird, but the taste grows on you!" Dmitriughed while chomping down his third chicken leg in front of me. "The only thing growing on me is pain." I replied with a straight face. How can their food be so nd? Did they even season it? It tasted worse than cardboard! I got goosebumps just thinking that this will be my meal for the next foreseeable future... "Um... Do you want some hot chocte?" Kang Hayun offered me while looking at me pitifully. "Yes! Yes, I would like some hot chocte..." It doesn''t matter if the hot chocte is also tasteless, at least I won''t have to torture my tongue any longer. Hayun nodded and poured me some hot chocte from her bottle. Seeing as it stayed hot, I guess insted bottles exist in this ce. I said a little thank you and gulped it down instantly. "Th-this...!" "Oh no, does it not suit your taste? I-I''m sorry..." Hayun panicked. "Kang Hayun!" I grabbed her hands. "Eep!" "You''re my savior!" Tears formed in the corner of my eyes. "E-eh?" She looked flustered, unable toprehend what is happening right now. "Your hot chocte tasted godly! You''ve saved my miserable dinner! How did you make it? Was it by magic?" I was genuinely touched by how great that chocte was. It was smooth, silky, not too sweet, and I can taste the chocte very clearly. It was a splendid experience. "Oh, I... I just love to cook and bake sometimes... So hot chocte is not a big deal..." Hayun looked down while smiling, she looked shy but obviously happy. Thank god I brought her along. Honestly, I didn''t invite her just to y buddy-buddy. I was going to pry on how to use healing magic. But this? This is a surprise to be sure, but a wee one. "You''re really talented, you know. You sure it wasn''t by magic?" My eyes twinkled, still thinking about that hot chocte. Maybe I can cook my own food with magic? Then my culinary life won''t be so bad! "Hahah! Magic usually can''t do that, Chaerin!" Dmitriughed at me. I pouted, "well, how would I know..." Damn, there goes my culinary magic n. "Oh, that''s right. Chaerin, you''re still unfamiliar with the magic system here, aren''t you?" Dmitri turned his gaze towards me. "Yes...To be honest, I myself am not really sure what was happening earlier..." I stroked my head. Dmitriughed, "haha! It''s okay! You lost your memory, so it''s fine! We''ll exin it to you." Oh yeah, I was ying the ''lost-my-memory'' narrative. I almost forgot. "Thank you very much." "But, you were pretty skilled in fighting. I wonder, was it muscle memory or something?" Dmitri asked, catching me off-guard. "Oh, I... Thank you? Probably, haha? Anyway, what were you saying about magic?" I quickly asked, changing the topic. Dmitri opened his mouth and started to exin, "okay, first off, there are two ways to ssify magic. By its ''magic type'', and by its ''elements''." Chapter 7: Elias (3) Chapter 7: Elias (3) Dmitri opened his mouth and started to exin, "okay, first off, there are two ways to ssify magic. By its ''magic type'', and by its ''elements''." "Uh-huh." I nodded, paying full attention to him. He held up one finger, "the first one, the type. There are three types of magic. Agio, schafio, and monad." Wait. I''ve heard this somewhere... My head throbbed as I faintly remembered a pair of plump, slightly reddish lips uttering the exact same words. Dmitri pointed at himself, "Mine is the second one, schafio! Basically, it''s the power to make something out of nothing. Pretty convenient, but it''s also the mostmon type, hahah!" He rubbed the back of his head. "So you can make anything? Isn''t that a bit too powerful?" I asked. "No, of course not. Each person who has this type of magic usually can only make one thing. And that one thing is decided the moment they were born," he exined, "for example, I can create barriers, that''s why I usually y tank, haha!" "Another example is general Jeanne. She doesn''t show her magic too often, but she can summon steel." He continued. "Steel? That''s unexpected." I kinda want to see it. "Her magic has evolved a lot, though. She can now summon steel weapons, like swords and spears. It''s impressive, truly!" He exined with twinkling eyes. "What? Hey, that''s amazing!" My eyes also twinkled, "so magic can evolve?" "Yep, it takes a lot of effort, though. We call it the awakening, and we aren''t sure yet on how to trigger it, haha." "Have you experienced it before, Dmitri?" My head tilted slightly to the side. "No, not yet. I will someday, though!" He chuckled, and then continued on saying, "anyway, let me tell you about the first type, the Agio." Schafio, Agio... I''ve definitely heard those names before... I rubbed my temples, and the image of the same pair of lips from earlier came to mind again. ''Agio, the power to transform some parts of one''s body into another creature''s,'' said the little boy in my mind. "Agio, the power to transform your body part into another creature''s body part! That''s the strongest type, and I personally think it''s very cool, don''t you agree, Chae?" Dmitri asked me with excitement. "What?" I blurted out, shocked at what I just heard. Did I hear that correctly? "I... Yes..." I stared at him wide-eyed, unable to properly respond. He literally just exined the same thing as what the person in my memory exined. Could I possibly... "Kim Minjun, who you met earlier, is one of the examples I suppose..." Dmitri brought his fingers to his chin, "though he''s an unusual case. Usually, one would be able to transform their hands into a wolf''s ws, for example. Or some can transform their eyes into an owl''s eyes and develop night vision." He turned to Hayun, as if waiting for her to speak. Hayun noticed this, and immediately said, "um, yes... Minjun''s case is pretty unusual. He can''t transform his body into another, but..." she paused for a moment, "sometimes, his beast-like instinct kicks in and overrides his brain." Oh, so that''s why he went bonkers. He probably sensed danger when he got burned by my mes, and suddenly lost control... Now it''s hard for me to hold a grudge against him. It''s not like he chose to be born like that. Is there perhaps a way for him to control his power, though? "I see... It isn''t really his choice to be like that," I said to Hayun, "I''m d he got someone like you by his side so he''s not alone. I hope he can ovee his magic someday." I smiled reassuringly. Hayun looked surprised for a bit, then her expression softened and a smile formed on her face, "yes. I hope so too." "Dmitri, what''s thest one?" I turned to Dmitri. Dmitri gulped down his second box of strawberry-vored milk and said, "the monad? That''s the rarest one, and the vaguest one by far." "...Where did you even get those milk..." "I always carry milk boxes! Do you want some, Chae?" He offered me one. "No, that''s alright, thank you. Now where were you?" I leaned in closer to him. "Monad is basically the unssified type. It can range from being utterly useless to very convenient or very powerful," he started, "for example, the baker in front of our camp has the ability to fill donuts without puncturing them." "That is... Unexpected... Good for him?" I was unsure of what to say about that. Pretty shocking. "Or like, the ability to perfectly draw a circle. Oh, one of my acquaintances has the ability to fly!" Dmitri smiled wide. "Flying? Hey, that''s a great ability to have!" "But only one meter above the ground. Haha!" He beamed. "I feel like I''ve been tricked..." "But there are those that are really blessed, too." Hayun said, earning our attention. "I''ve heard rumors that someone in our Vanguard has the ability to control someone''s mind. And they said they found someone who canmunicate with ghosts." She said with a serious look on her face. "I thought it was just a rumor, but it''d be fun if it was true!" Dmitri said, "that reminds me, Hayun, you''re also a monad-type, aren''t you?" "Yes, I have the ability to heal, but it''s not a big deal... A lot of people have healing power." She fidgeted with her fingers. "But you''re one of the best here! You haven''t even experienced your awakening yet, but--" "Attention!! All soldiers, gather in the courtyard at once! I repeat, all soldiers, gather in the courtyard at once!" Everyone''s head turned towards the speaker in the middle of the cafeteria. Suddenly, everyone stopped eating and goofing around, and started to pack their stuff and left for the courtyard one by one. "...I guess we have to continue our conversationter. C''mon, Chae, Hayun, let''s go!" Dmitri said and we nodded in unison. I stood up, collected our garbage and threw them into the nearest trash can, and started piling up our empty tes. "...What are you doing, Chaerin?" Hayun asked me as she blinked her eyes a few times. Adorable. "I''m cleaning up. Where''s the sink?" I looked around for any nearby sink. None in sight. They both looked at me with a confused look... Do people usually not clean up after they eat here? ...Is this culture shock I''m experiencing? -------- "Attention, soldiers!" A man standing on a podium yelled into a megaphone. Me, Dmitri, and Hayun squeezed ourselves into the front rows among the soldiers gathered in the courtyard. Dmitri''s bear-like built sure is useful at times like these. "Hey, what is happening? Is this like your curfew notice or...?" I asked Dmitri who''s standing next to me. "I also don''t know, Chae. I think they''re about to make an announcement?" He answered, not fully sure of what is happening, too. "The headmaster has officially requested a raid to get thest serpent soul! We are now going to assemble an attack force!" The man with the megaphone bellowed. "It''s finally time?" Hayun looked shocked. "It''s been quite a while since ourst attempt, true." Dmitri continued. "First general Zhang Feng and second general Owen Williams will now exin!" And with that, 2 people stepped onto the podium. One is general Owen, and one is a new face to me. He has white, silvery hair and an unsettling smile. His posture is rxed, contrasting Owen''s upright posture. The megaphone-man stepped back and handed the podium to the aforementioned men. "Soldiers! We will be straightforward! There will be a team of two participating in this raid. The first will be led by me, and we will advance straight through the serpent''sir in 3 days! The second one will be general Zhang''s team. Those will be our main attack force. They will sneak inside and kill the serpent while we deal with the serpent''s army, is that clear?" General Owen''s voice resounded in the whole courtyard. "Hey, is this mandatory? If it is, I would like to be in general Zhang''s team rather than general Owen''s team, honestly. Being in the distraction team doesn''t sound very safe to me..." I clenched my fist. "No, only a select few will participate in raids like these, because we still need to protect our nation." Dmitri answered. "I will personally select the people on my team!" General Owen stated, and started calling a few names. Those who are called stepped forward one by one. I counted only around 50-ish at best. That is much lower than I thought. I assumed it would be like an army in the movies, "hey, Dmitri, why are there only a few people?" I asked. "Haha! General Owen is known to always bring only a few people on his raids. He used to say things like there''s no room for amateurs on the battlefield. I think he just wants to minimize possible casualties," Dmitri exined, "ah, but that only works because general Owen is very strong, though." "Hmm. I like this side of him." I crossed my arms. I looked at Owen when suddenly our eyes met. He red at me and I looked away as fast as I could, but I could still feel his gaze pricking my back. What is this? Did I do something to irritate him? Gosh, I feel like a kid who got caught eating stolen candies. "...Kang Hayun, Kim Minjun. That is all." Owen finished his rollcall. "Eh? Hayun, you''re picked!" I turned towards Hayun. "Yes. It''s okay, I''m prepared for this." She smiled at me and stepped forward with confidence. "Wow, Hayun is braver than I thought. Kudos to her." I said to Dmitri while looking at Hayun''s back. "Indeed. Haha! Do you also want to get picked, Chae?" "Nope. I don''t want to intervene in other''s business. I have my own stuff I n to do here. I can''t die yet by charging into a serpent''sir without being able to do magic. I''d just contribute to the casualty headcount at best. Haha," I replied, "do you want to get picked, Dmitri?" "No, I prefer staying here, protecting our citizens, haha!" "I see you''re very fond of people." I smiled at him. His smile really was contagious. "Yes, our citizens are very good people. I''ll introduce you to them when we get the chance to!" He replied with the same warm smile, as always. "Looking forward to it. You owe me a tour of the city." "Ahem! Hello~" A yful voice suddenly caught our attention. It was general Zhang''s voice. "Because Owen has already finished assembling his team, I guess it''s my turn now, right? Hehe~" The tall man said as Owen''s team started to gather on one side of the podium. "Hmm... How will I decide my members..." He wondered as he stroked his chin. I stared at his fluffy, but spiky, white hair. It''s pretty. He has a Chinese name and his face is handsome like those Chinese actors I often saw on TV, but his hair is white. Pretty rare, even in the whole world I''d say. Did he paint his hair? As I wondered about his very unusually-colored hair, he suddenly turned his head and met my eyes. He stared at me for a bit, and suddenly I sensed a murderous aura for a fraction of a second. "What was that?" I whispered and I widened my stance. My eyes are glued on him. I''m very sure it came from him, but why? Does he see me as a threat? I took a step back, and general Zhang smiled eerily. "I have decided on my selection method." Zhang said. He took a nearby soldier''s sword, and drew a straight line on the ground, then threw the sword back at the soldier. He then took a few steps back and sat on the ground, cross-legged. "Anyone who can pass this line maye with me." Chapter 8: Elias (4) Chapter 8: Elias (4) "Anyone who can pass this line maye with me." General Zhang smirked, observing each one of us from where he sat. I looked around and saw the nervous faces of the soldiers. They started to murmur between themselves, looking reluctant to step forward. "I guess nobody likes going on raids?" I whispered to Dmitri. "No... Most of us feel honored to go on raids, as it''s our duty and our citizens depend on us, but..." Dmitri whispered back, stealing a nce at the white-haired man, "the problem is him. General Zhang has a... Unique understanding of teamwork." "Huh?" I looked at Dmitri with a confused face. Is that a fancy way to say ''douchebag''? "Ah~ this is no fun if no one wants toe..." General Zhang sighed. Everyone stopped murmuring and I gulped nervously. What is he going to do now? "How about this... In addition to being a member of my team, I would also give you 1 million chroma." Suddenly, audible gasps can be heard from everywhere in the vicinity. "I-I''ll go!" One soldier shouted, and he picked up his sword and shield while he took a stance. "Me too!" Another soldier not far from him chimed in. "Let''s go! We just need to cross it a little!" And another one joined the cause. "Hey Dmitri, is 1 million chroma a lot?" I asked. "Yes. You can buy a small house with that..." Dmitri looked nervous as he gripped his sword tighter. His breathing got heavier and he seemed focused on general Zhang. "...Dmitri, you--" "Charge!!" The men charged forward at the signal. They had risen in number. I counted probably around 10-ish people? General Zhang just sat there with a smile, totally defenseless. He had no weapon or armor whatsoever. He doesn''t even seem ready to fight. What is he-- ''Ssh.'' Did I just hear a sshing sound? ''Thud!'' Everyone, including me, gasped loudly as all the soldiers who charged earlier were nowying on the ground. At first nce, they seemed unharmed. But for some reason, they''ve stopped moving. "What was that!? Dmitri, did you see that!?" I took a step back as I felt the tension rose. "Yes... How did he manage tounch his attack at that speed..." Dmitri stared at general Zhang, eyes wide open upon seeing the sight. General Zhang just sat there, popping a new cherry-vored lollipop into his mouth, "nice try~ next one please~" "What was that attack!?" I tugged at Dmitri''s arm, motioned him to retreat to the back lines. "It was general Zhang''s magic... ''Electric eel,''" he maintained his position, "he can morph his body into water and move freely, and his element is electro. A perfectbination." Dmitri gulped. I see. So in that short amount of time, he managed to hit them with electric-charged water until they''re unconscious. And without moving an inch from where he was seated, too. This man is dangerous. Every cell in my body is telling me to back away. I observed him, and opened his status window. [Stat points: (Zhang Feng)] [Strength: 60] [Intelligence: 80] [Agility: 75] [Physique: 50] I gasped. That high? This is not even a fair fight! "Dmitri, this is bad, we shouldn''t--" "I will go, Chae." "Wait--!" I reached out towards him. "AARGH!" Just before I finished my sentence and just before he lunged forward, another scream echoed through the courtyard. Another soldier had fallen to general Zhang''s ruthless attacks. "C''mon, this is boring... You guys are weaker than I thought. Hmm, how troublesome..." He scratched the back of his head, "I''ll give myself another handicap. I won''t attack unless you''re 1 meter off from the line. I won''t even go all out on you. Pinky promise~" He grinned from ear to ear. "Dmitri, wait! You can''t charge mindlessly! You''ve seen what happened to those soldiers!" I grabbed his arm, preventing him to go forward. "I... I''m sorry, Chae, but I really need to cross that line. I have my... reason." Dmitri looked down. I stared at his troubled face, and bit my lip, "... All I mean is, we should think of a strategy first, okay? I''ll help you." "Really? Thank you, Chae!" His face instantly lit up. Ugh, why did I ever agree to that unreasonable request? I me his puppy-eyes. "L-let''s try attacking him all at once!" A soldier suddenly shouted, gaining the attention of other interested soldiers. "Yeah, let''s try a coordinated attack!" A reply came from another. "Dmitri, let''s retreat to the back lines now. We need a solid n to win." I said to Dmitri, and he nodded. We walked to the back lines and observed those soldiers trying to attack with magic from various directions. General Zhang really kept his promise. He only attacked those who came into the one-meter-zone from the line. He didn''t even attack the mages and archers who attacked from long range. "Should we also attack from afar?" Dmitri suggested. "Not a bad idea, but probably not the best," I answered, "the objective is not to defeat him, but to cross the line. If we only attack from afar, we won''t ever cross that line." "Then how do we--" "General Zhang! What is going on right now?" A familiar-sounding voice reached my ears. A tall woman with a ponytail whose face I remember vividly walked towards the man who was sitting on the ground. How could I forget the first face I saw since I woke up? "Ah, Jean-jean! What''s up?" Zhang greeted happily, waving his arm in the air. "Don''t y games with me. I came to deliver a message from the headmaster, but what is this?" Jeanne asked him. "Ah, careful! You''re almost inside my one-meter-zone!" Zhang held out his two arms, making a ''stop'' sign. Jeanne looked around at the bodies of the unconscious soldiers and winced slightly. She pulled out her sword and pointed it towards Zhang. "You''re harming our soldiers. Stop this." "Now, now, chill out~ I only made them unconscious, that''s all!" He shrugged his shoulders. Jeanne''s eyes peeked at the bodies, and sure enough, the man wasn''t lying. But she still wouldn''t lower her sword. "Don''t misunderstand me, Jean-jean... I just don''t want to bring deadweight into my party," he said, suddenly his expression turned serious, "I don''t mind if you force me to bring 100 soldiers, but I won''t be responsible for their lives." His creepy grin faded, and his eyes became stern. Jeanne didn''t reply. For a moment, the whole courtyard seemed to stand still. Nobody moved or talked. "...I understand." Jeanne lowered her sword. "Aww, I knew you''d understand me, Jean-jean~" "Then allow me to participate." ''CLANG!'' "Whoa! Careful!" Dmitri grabbed my head and ducked with me. Jeanne''s sword shed with Zhang''s electric-charged sword made of water. The sparks from the electrical charge flew everywhere. "Haha! Good, Jean-jean! I like your enthusiasm!" Zhang''s maniacal grin came back on, and he struck continuously, producing more ''ng!'' sounds and pushing Jeanne back. "Ugh...!" Jeanne put her weight on her strike, and Zhang''s water sword flew away. She instantly took this opportunity to summon three floating swords, one on his right, one on his left, and thest one on his back. With Jeanne in front of him, there''s nowhere to run from her attack. ''BOOM!'' The swords struck, and a cloud of dust obstructed our view. She withdrew her floating swords and stepped forward to cross the line. Just as her foot was about to cross the line, her stomach was hit by something. Hard. ''THUD!'' "Ack--!!" Her body flew backward a few meters and crashed into the ground. Zhang emerged from the cloud of dust unscathed. It was him who had kicked her. "General Jeanne!" I and Dmitri quickly ran up to her and caught her body. She immediately got back up to her feet, and wiped the blood trickling down her lips. "Are you okay, general Jeanne?" I asked. "I''m okay. I was just careless," she replied, "now let me go, I still have to fight." "Wait, general Jeanne! I have an idea!" I stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "What is it?" "...Can you make me a shovel?" "Huh?" -------- I gripped my newly-made shovel. It was surprisingly pretty light, even though it''s a bit longer than a usual shovel. Is this the effect of general Jeanne''s magic? Awesome. "Are you sure this is gonna work?" Jeanne asked me. "Not really, but we can''t really beat him in a direct fight..." I dug my shovel to the ground. Great. At least the ground here is suitable for digging. "Let''s try it then." Jeanne and Dmitri started running. Jeanne went to the left side, while Dmitri went to the right side. While they go around to his backside, I took my shovel with me, charging into the frontline, joining the other soldiers who were trying to break through his one-meter-zone. Zhang noticed me moving towards him among the soldiers, and a smile immediately donned his face, "little cub, you''re here!" I coated my shovel with fire, and swung it as hard as I could towards his head. He dodged my shovel by turning his upper body into water and splitting into two before closing in again. I stepped back, and he hummed mockingly at me, "hee~ I expected more from you~" I said nothing andunched fire projectiles towards his head. "Hey, little cub, you know that didn''t work, right?" He split his upper body again. But this time, I ducked and stabbed my shovel in his feet. "I''m disappointed," his feet turned into water, rendering my attack useless and my shovel stuck on the ground, "is this the extent of your capability?" ''STAB!'' "What?" A single spear pierced his right shoulder from behind. Blood dripped. He turned around, and Jeanne was standing behind him a few meters away. "Ha! So this has been your petty n all along?" Electricity began to spark around him, "too bad, it''s a veryme trick." Zhang turned his arm into water arrows, charged them with electricity, and threw them towards Jeanne. ''Pang!'' His arrows hit a translucent blue barrier. It was Dmitri''s barrier. "You said you wouldn''t attack unless I''m inside your one-meter-zone?" Jeanne smirked. "...Ck. My bad, my hand slipped~" Zhang rubbed the back of his head. Suddenly, the air around us swirled at a tremendous speed. Jeanne had used her wind element magic to create a gust of wind. His watery body fluttered a little, unable to maintain a stable form. I swung my shovel from behind him while faced Jeanne. He noticed my attack and immediately split his body into two. "Why do you guys love attacking from behind so much? It gets old~" He said, now facing me. "Don''t take your eyes off me!" Jeanne''s gust of wind became stronger, and Zhang''s watery body started to flutter even more. ''ng!'' Dmitri appeared from the right side, and his sword shed with Zhang''s sword. "I''ll take you on, general Zhang!" Dmitri shouted as they both exchanged shes of swords. Normally, Dmitri wouldn''t stand a chance. But at this moment where Zhang''s body is split and being stormed by Jeanne''s wind, he might be able to hold on for a moment. Thank god general Zhang was just ying around. If he were really fighting, we''d already been dead in less than a minute. "Over here!" I shouted and attacked him alongside Dmitri. He turned around, and hit my stomach hard. I dropped to the ground. ''Thud!'' "Little cub, you shouldn''t announce your attacks, it''s counter-productive, you know?" He stepped on my unmoving body on the ground. He left me on the ground and started to focus on Dmitri even though his body was split into many smaller parts. Dmitri held on using his barrier as much as he could, while Jeanne focused her attack on her wind, trying to scatter his body. "Hahaha! Jeanne! Don''t just stand there! Fight me!" Now that I no longer interest him, he turned his full attention on Jeanne. "As you wish." Jeanne leapt forward and started attacking him alongside Dmitri. Their swords shed and sparks flew. His watery body kept on changing forms and splitting, confusing the duo even further. Perfect. He thought I was unconscious. This is going along nicely. I slowly, very slowly dragged my body towards the shovel I had nted on the ground near the line earlier. I nced at general Zhang, whose attention was still fully focused on Jeanne and Dmitri. Finally, I gripped my shovel and slowly stood up. I looked at the line, it was a bit over 1 meter away. He shouldn''t be able to attack me even if I get noticed, right? I extended my shovel and dug a small portion of the ground which the line was drawn on, without ever passing the one-meter-zone. Suddenly, Zhang turned around, alerted by the noise I made. "Little cub! You''re still conscious?" Zhang was about to attack when Jeanne put up a wind wall between us. "Don''t forget your one-meter rule." Jeanne said. "You--!" "You''re right, general Zhang. Announcing my attack is counter-productive. I usually don''t do that." I said to him. Yes, it was just to make him hit me and pretend I was unconscious. I needed to sneakily steal this small piece of line. I immediately lift up my shovel, with the little bit of ground that had a portion of the line on it, and put it outside his one-meter-zone. ''Tap.'' I stomped my feet on the small piece of line I''ve dug up. "I''ve passed the line." Chapter 9: Elias (5) Chapter 9: Elias (5) "I''ve passed the line." "Little cub, you..." General Zhang stared at me with a dumbfounded face. His shocked face soon turned into a grin. "Hahaha! You really did it, didn''t you? Hahahah!" He startedughing uncontrobly. I stepped back a bit, getting goosebumps from hearing hisugh. Dmitri and Jeanne came and stood beside me. "Good, good! I''ll include you in my team~" General Zhang crept up to me until we were just about one meter apart. I did not step back and extended my hand towards him. "What''s this? A handshake? Little cub, you''re so cute~" General Zhang hummed. I smiled from ear-to-ear. "Pay up." -------- "Ugh, I can''t believe that clown tricked me!" I stomped my feet while walking with Dmitri and Owen. "It''s okay, Chae. We tried our best. He did say he will keep his promise, right? Let''s trust general Zhang!" Dmitri said, trying tofort me, and probably himself, too. Earlier, general Zhang had postponed his payment. He said he will only pay up if I join his team andplete the main mission. "He didn''t even give us half for advanced payment, that slippery eel." If this were Korea, I''d have made that man sign a contract with me. Too bad this world doesn''t even season their food, much less having a properwyer, I assume. "Can''t be helped. He''s a general. Haha!" Dmitri replied. "That''s an abuse of power. How can you be so epting? I thought you needed the money?" I crossed my arms while I huffed. We had agreed earlier that the money would be split between me, him, and Jeanne... That is, if we do get some. "Well... There''s still a chance he would pay up once we return, right? And if not, I''ll just find another way!" Dmitriughed like usual. I sighed, he''s way too kind for his own good. I turned towards Owen. "Owen, are you really going to let me get taken by that eel? Aren''t you supposed to be like, my guardian? I might die in the raid, you know?" I poked Owen''s arm. "The headmaster had already agreed. Prepare yourself, we are going to depart in 3 days." Owen replied to me. I sighed, "you really love that old drunk, huh?" That eel better pay me up after this is all over, "anyway, what was Jeanne''s message?" "She will being with general Zhang''s team to monitor him." Owen answered. Before I was able to respond, our steps came to a halt in front of a gate. It wasn''t big, just around our height. Beyond that gate lies a small front yard that belongs to the big building just across from it. I gazed at the building. It looked around 5 stories tall, although not too wide. "We''ve arrived at the dormitory." Owen announced. "Wow for an army, this ce is quite nice." I smiled. Do I finally get to sleep? And probably a bath? "The inside is quite cramped, though! We have around 4-6 people in one room to maximize space." Dmitri exined. Oh no, rip privacy. "You''ll be staying in a different room. Don''t forget your identity is still a blur to us." Owen stated as he pushed open the gate. Oh yay, privacy! We stepped into the dormitory together and opened the front door of the building. The inside wasn''t so bad. It kinda feels like being inside a medieval-ish building, but with electricity. We passed the front desk woman who smiled and bowed at us, and passed the bustling soldiers going around doing their businesses. "It''s mixed here, huh?" I inquired. "No, no. The boys'' dorm is located on the left side while the girls'' is on our right side. This living room ismonce so people often gather here." Dmitri exined to me. "Dmitri, go back into your room. I''ll escort Chae to hers." Owen said to Dmitri. "Alright! Bye, Chae! Let''s meet again tomorrow!" Dmitri waved his hand at us and turned around. "Bye, Dmitri. Good night. And thank you for keeping mepany." I waved back at him. "Haha, that''s what friends are for! Good night, Chae!" I stared at his retreating back. He''s very trusting, isn''t he? This is the first day we''ve met and yet he already thinks of me as a friend... He''s very pure at heart, that bear. I''ll have to properly thank himter. -------- "This will be your room until a further arrangement is made." Owen opened a door, revealing a small room, and turned on the light switch. "Wow... This ce is quite nice." I stared at the room around me with delight. It really is small, just around 3x4 meters, barely enough for a bed, a desk, a small closet, and a small trash bin. "This is the fifth floor. The kitchens are located on the first and fourth floor. There are three bathrooms on each floor. Use them whenever you need to." Owen exined to me. I ran my fingers through the warm white bedsheet. It wasn''t an exquisite, soft bed. On the contrary, it was pretty rough and hard. But it''s perfect. It was just like back in Korea. I smiled, reminiscing my struggling times. "And take this." Owen threw a bag at me. "What is this?" I asked, wondering as I caught the bag. It''s pretty heavy. "Those are... Woman''s stuff that Jeanne brought for you." Owen exined with a stoic face. "Woman''s stuff?" I tilted my eyebrows in confusion. "Don''t ask me." I shrugged and nced at the bag. So Jeanne brought all of these for me? That''s very kind of her... Even though we just met... I hugged the bag closer to my chest. "Tomorrow, gather at the training ground at 6 in the morning. Do not bete. Do you have anything else to ask?" Owen asked me. "Nope." I answered, still hugging the bag tight. "Good. I''ll take my leave then." He turned his back and walked out of the door. "Owen." I called out to him. "What is it?" He turned his head towards me. "Thank you." I smiled at him. He ignored me and left for the stairs. I guess he''ll be going back to his dorm now? Oh well. I closed the door and locked it. ''Ding!'' [You havepleted your quest] [Acquired random item box, 2 stat points] [Quest: find your weapon] [Reward: poor enhancement stone, 2 stat points] ...Again? These quests are kind of weird. It''s like they''re pushing me towards something. I mean, don''t quests usually involve fighting a monster or saving someone? I sighed, and plopped the bag down on my desk. Well, now''s not the time for that. I got to take a bath and then I''ll have to check my rewards and find out more about my ''quest'' ability. But now... Where do I find clothes and toiletries? -------- "Phuwaa!" I stretched my arms in delight. Bathing after a long day sure is the best! Thank god Jeanne brought me that bag. Turns out it contained a few pieces of clothing for me to use,plete with toiletries and even ab. I have to see Jeanne tomorrow and express my gratitude. I stared at the new ''bracelet'' on my wrist. Jeanne had left me this thing with a small note on it. Apparently, one of the Vanguard''s top craftsmen had made this magic tracker-bracelet thingy for me. She said it''s mandatory, a direct order from the headmaster. Well, I''m not fond of wearing this suspicious bracelet, but what if this was a test? Like if I don''t wear this I''d get struck by lightning or something? There''s no way they''d just hand this thing to me and not confirm if I wear it or not. I sat down on my bed, my hair still damp because there was no hairdryer around. "Inventory." A window popped up in front of me, with the title ''inventory''. So it exists. I checked out my inventory, and turns out there''s quite a lot inside. There are 2 random item boxes and the beginner bag from the quest rewards earlier... But what are these? [Ice Orc''s helmet (equip: helmet)] [An ice orc''s worn-out helmet. They say it enhances stupidity. +5 physique, -5 intelligence] [Ice Orc''s ne (equip: essory)] [A ne made from an ice orc''s mana core. A bit ugly, but hey. +5 intelligence] What the hell is up with these descriptions? I reached out my hand and it went through the floating screen. I made a grabbing motion, and pulled out the ne. "Wow, it''s real..." [Would you like to equip the item ''Ice Orc''s ne''?] "Yes." Suddenly, the ne vanished and reappeared around my neck. I got up and opened my closet to look at the mirror attached to its inner door. "Ew. It''s physically real. I kinda expected these equips to be like those in online games, where they''re just equipped but are still unable to be seen," I touched the ne that emanated a blue-ish glow, "at least it''s useful..." I got back on my bed and examined the orc''s helmet. It''s too big for me to wear, and it''s super ugly. Thank god the stats also suck, so I won''t feel bad for selling itter... At least I know two things now. One, is that drops are automatically collected, and two, the equips don''t morph their size to match the owner. Pretty realistic. Also, they''re cosmetically horrible. Now for the beginner bag. I opened it and it contained 3 things. A grade-E skill book, 500 golds, and apass. Not sure what thepass is for, but it''s definitely not a normal one. As for this skill book, however... [Would you like to use the item ''Grade-E skill book''?] "Yes, please." A soft glow appeared, and suddenly I was faced with a long list of skills. "I see... So I presume this item lets me pick one low-ranked skill for my choice? Let''s see..." My eyes scanned the skills one by one very carefully. Unfortunately, there aren''t any descriptions for the skills. Just their names. "Slime cooking? Fast writing? Charming Chandler?" Some of the skills are absolutely absurd, some of them are barely useful for survival, and some of them just pped a random name on themselves. "C''mon, is there anything that''s kinda useful here..." I continued scrolling, until I stumbled upon a certain skill. "Animal''s beloved?" I was about to continue scrolling, until suddenly a certain dark-haired boy appeared on my mind again. ''I love animals,'' the little boy said to the little girl, ''they make me feel a bit less lonely.'' I rubbed my head. Why did that memorye up? It''s been so long since Ist saw him, anyway... I hesitated for a moment, before finally clicking on that skill. [Acquired skill: Animal''s Beloved (passive)] [Effect: Increases animal''s affection towards you] "Haa... At least I hope this skill enables me to summon animals," I sighed, "...probably not." I stared at the two ck boxes in front of me. Now all that''s left in my inventory to check are these random item boxes. "Hmm... I could open them now, or I could wait and see if there''s some kind of trick to it. Perhaps there''s a way to obtain better items? Maybe if my stats rise or if I meet some requirements, the item would also be better?" I wondered for a while, before deciding not to open it yet. There are still a lot of things uncovered, and it''d be a waste if I identally use up precious resources. As long as it''s not urgent, I should hold off on spending resources. Now all that''s left is... "Status window." [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 15] [Intelligence: 10 (+5)] [Agility: 10] [Physique: 10] [Avable stat points: 2] "Hmm... To use or not to use, that is the question." I muttered to myself, weighing my options. At first nce, investing in strength might be tempting. Or if I want to focus on magic, maybe intelligence would be the best option, but... "Invest 2 points in physique." [Physique: 10 --> 12] There would be no point if I die first. In games, I would definitely go for intelligence to quickly rack up magic power and acquire skills. But, in real life with no spawn system and no guaranteed healer or healing item, I must prioritize my safety first over greedily increasing my magic. There''s no point in being strong if you can get one-hit-KO''d. Especially when you might need to fight alone one day. I sighed and tucked myself into my thin nket. My body curled up, satisfied with thefort after such a long day. "It''s cold..." I pulled the nket closer. "Where are you, Elias?" I closed my eyes slowly, as my consciousness began to drift away. Chapter 10: Elias (6) Chapter 10: Elias (6) "Eli, your face!" I ran towards the teen in front of me. His face was bruised and scratched. His lips had turned from pink to blue. He had this deep emptiness in his eyes. My hand touched his cheek carefully, trying to not inflict more pain upon him, "Eli... This looks bad." He put his hand over mine and pressed his cheek deeper into my palm. His smile turned upwards, weak, but it''s there, "it''s okay, Chae. Some monsters got me when I wasn''t paying attention, that''s all." "Eli..." I bit my lips, "do you want to talk about it? Or do you want me to just apany you today?" He smiled at me, "how about you tell me your day?" "Same old. Our army is still marching towards the next location. My colonel''s not going easy on me." I smiled back at him. "Would you turn around for me, Chae?" He inquired. His eyes looked at me softly. "...Yes." I let go of his hand, and turned my back towards him. Even without exining, I knew what he wanted to see. I lift my shirt up a bit, revealing a section of my back, full of whip marks. "...Did he punish you again?" Eli''s reached out to touch my scar, but stopped right before his fingers met my back. I let down my shirt and turned around to face him, "yes, but it''s okay. The war is going to be over soon, and this will be all over... I hope." I sat down with him and leaned my head on his broad shoulder. My eyes stared at his worn-out face. The face that has beenforting me for years. "Eli, are monsters and humans that different?" I cuddled closer to him, my eyes trailed downwards with sadness. "Chaerin-ah." He stroked my head softly, and his gentle red eyes met mine. "There are always good and bad sides everywhere," he told me, "I don''t know why they hate us, but..." He pulled me into aforting embrace, "all I know is that we''re on the same side." -------- Chirp chirp. Chirp. "Ugh, annoying birds." I rubbed my eyes and sat up from my slumber. I stretched out my arms and felt soreness spread throughout my whole body. "...Why did I have to dream about that..." I spaced out for a bit, before pping my face with both hands, "wake up, Yoo Chaerin! He''s not real!" I stood up and gathered my toiletries and picked out a change of clothes, "...I wish he was real, though." I lift my gaze up to the clock etched on the wall above the door, "it''s still 4:30 a.m. Old habits die hard, huh?" It has always been my routine to wake up early, usually around 4 or 4:30 in the morning. Maybe because I''ve been trained to do so since I was little. "Since Owen said I have to gather at the courtyard at 6, I still have around an hour for myself..." I murmured to myself, "I know what I''m going to use it for." I happily pranced towards the bathroom to start my day with a nice, warm shower. -------- "198...199...200." I sighed and plopped down on the floor of my bedroom. It''s now 5 in the morning. I''ve been doing sit-ups ever since I finished showering. ''Ding!'' [Strength: 15 --> 16] "So the checkpoint is 200, huh..." I stared at the floating screen in front of me. My theory is correct. Nice. I thought about it, and if stat points represent our body''s condition, then perhaps I could increase it manually without the system''s help. And it turned out I was right. But if that theory is correct, then there must be a limit on how much I can train my body at one time, too. Because normally, you can''t just hit the gym once andes out looking like a gori on steroids the next day. I sat up and stretched my body, "now the problem is how do I increase my intelligence stat..." My eyes trailed towards my desk, "there''s no way it''s rted to studying, is it..." -------- Soldiers were packing the training ground even though the sun had just risen. Some were stretching, some were chatting amongst themselves, and then some were annoyed. One of them was me, specifically. "Why do you look so pissed, Chae?" Dmitri asked me while he sat next to me on one of the benches,cing his shoes tightly. "You know, Dmitri..." "Hm?" He looked up at me. "I''m really not good at math. Or studying, for that matter." I told him as I stare into nothingness. "Haha! Don''t worry! Me too!" He finished tying his shoces, and reached out to tie mine, "here, your shoces aren''t too tight." ''Thank you, Dmitri." I let out a long sigh. I''ve been spending almost an entire hour trying to study and trying to do the math, but my intelligence stat didn''t even increase by 1. Perhaps I approached it the wrong way? Instead of my ''body condition'', perhaps it has more to do with the function? Like probably I have to learn how to use my magic properly to increase my intelligence stat? "All soldiers, gather!" Owen shouted, and everyone began to line up in front of him, including me and Dmitri. "Some of you will be joining the serpent''sir raid in 2 days. For those participating, you will have a different training regime. Follow me!" The soldiers were then split into groups ording to their respective squad. Apparently, they will have a few squads, each with their own tasks. As for me, I was left out because I''m part of general Zhang''s team. "Hey Owen, where''s Jeanne? Isn''t she also in general Zhang''s team?" I asked Owen who was standing there, monitoring our training. "She has a business today." He replied. Very annoyingly concise. "Then who will be my training partner?" I asked again. "...You may pick someone, then." "That''s surprising? Are you sure? Don''t you have some kind of training regime for me to follow?" I bombarded him with questions. "I am merely your guardian. Not your team leader. General Zhang will be responsible for your training, so just wait for him while you train by yourself. Choose, before I change my mind." Owen replied without a pause. "Geez, okay..." I paused a bit to think about who to choose as a training partner. What do I need to train more right now? And who can provide me with the training I needed? I looked at Owen, my choice has been set, "can I borrow Kim Minjun, please?" "...Sure." Owen looked at me questioningly, butplied with my request. He called over for Kim Minjun, and the person who almost killed me came over. "Hey, what''s up, newbie!" He waved his arms to me while disying a big grin on his face. "Long time no see, Kim Minjun. You look healthy, I see." I replied with a small smile. "It''s only been a day, are you stupid with time?" He asked with a guilt-free face. "You--! Why do you have to always get on my nerves..." I said, "do you need another kick in the groin?" As I was fuming, something unexpected happened. He bowed his head to me. "I''m sorry!" "...What?" I stared at him dumbfounded. Why is he apologizing? This is unexpected. "I lost control and almost harmed you. My bad. I didn''t intend to hurt you like that." He said while rubbing the back of his head. My mouth was still open, shocked at what I just heard. "That... That''s okay. I''ve heard from Hayun. It wasn''t your fault," I calmed him down, "please raise your head." "No, it''s true that I can''t control it yet. But it''s still my responsibility. I''ll work hard until I can control my magic," he raised his head, "and when that dayes, we will spar again!" He said with a big grin on his face. "You... I''ve misjudged you. My apologies, too," I smiled genuinely at him, "one day, we''ll spar again." Kim Minjunughed happily upon hearing that, and then picked up a training spear and handed one for me. "Here, I''ll help you train as your senior." He said to me. "Um, about that... Can you help me with something?" I asked him. "Sure, what is it?" "Can you try hitting me as hard as you can?" Silence followed. "Hahahahah! You''re freakier than I am!" Kim Minjun burst outughing. "So can you, or can you not?" I made an annoyed face. "Sure, sure, but why?" He inquired. "...I have my own reasons," I took a stance, "just please don''t use weapons or magic..." "Okay, newbie! Prepare yourself!" -------- I sat down with Kim Minjun by my side,pletely exhausted and beaten up. We had spent the entire morning till noon just to hit each other, raw, without magic, and without defense. "Hey, you... That was quite fun!" Kim Minjun said to me in between his heavy breathing. "What... Is wrong... With your head?" I replied, my breathings even more ragged than his. I looked at my stat window, and sure enough, my physique has risen by 3 point. [Physique: 15] In conclusion, physique stat determines how well I can take raw physical hits. Meanwhile, strength stat determines how well I can use my muscles to do stuff, like sit-ups and probably dealing damage. Great. This is exactly why I chose Kim Minjun to do the hitting. I knew he has good strength, but not monstrous enough like general Zhang to end my life in one hit. "What''s wrong with you two? Are you guys okay?" Dmitri approached us with a concerned look. "We''re okay... You don''t look too good yourself." I replied. His shirt looked messy and stained with dirt, and he''s covered in sweat. "Well, can''t me general Owen. He''s probably excited for the uing raid, that''s why the training was tougher than before! Haha!" He smiled brightly. Dmitri wasn''t included among those who will participate in the raid, but I figured even regr training must''ve been hard for them. "C''mon, Chae! Minjun! Let''s go!" Dmitri held out his hand for us. I took his hand and he helped me stand up, "go where? Aren''t we supposed to stay here and train?'' Minjun stood up by himself and stretched his body, "of course not, it''s time to go fill our bellies! It''s lunchtime!" "Oh, so we do have breaks," I said, "how much time do we have?" "Usually only about one hour, but we''re already dismissed just for today," Dmitri exined to me, "the generals will attend a meeting after this. I think it''s about the raid. We''re told to train by ourselves or take enough rest to prepare." "Hmm... So general Zhang didn''t show up for training after all... That damn eel, he ditched me." "Well, great! To the cafeteria it is!" Minjun cheered loudly. I shuddered at the thought of having to eat that horrible cafeteria food again. "Um, Dmitri, can I go to the town?" He looked at me with a surprised face, "sure, I guess? Why do you suddenly want to go to the town?" "I just... want to try the food there? Haha?" I answered nervously. He smiled at me, "sure! I''ll apany you there! I''ll go get permission from general Owen first, okay?" "Thanks, Dmitri." I sighed in relief. Now I don''t have to torture my tongue. I hope the food they sell outside is much better. "Oh yeah, while we''re at the town, there''s a ce I want to visit." He said to me. "Sure, let''s drop by thereter. Where is it?" I tilted my head. "My mother''s ce." He smiled. -------- Note: the honorific -ah/-ya is used between close people (e.g. Chaerin-ah). Chapter 11: Elias (7) Chapter 11: Elias (7) "Dmitri! What is this? This is so good!" I eximed while stuffing my face with this newly-found food. "Those are chicken skewers, Chae! The best in town! Haha!" Dmitri said proudly. "I''m so d I came here." I munched my third skewer. Dmitri and I had gone to Owen earlier, and not only did he permit us, but Owen also lent me some money for me to use. It was around 500 chroma, which is apparently quite a lot here. I n to use some for food, then keep the rest of it just in case I need to buy something in the future. "Do they ept take-outs, Dmitri?" I asked him. "They do, actually! Let me tell Brutus for you!" Dmitri answered me happily. "Who''s Brutus?" "Oh, he''s the owner of this stand. I often talk to him when I patrol." Dmitri then went in and talked with the middle-aged guy behind the counter while I stood there. We had just walked around for a short while, but in that amount of time, countless people had greeted Dmitri. And he answered all of them by name. I guess he''s well-known here. "Here, Chae! One portion of chicken skewers, to-go!" Dmitri grinned as he handed me a warm paper bag. Ooh, I guess stic is lessmon here. Nice. "Thank you, Dmitri." I smiled at him. "Oh hey, Dmitri! Good day to you! Are you on patrol duty today?" Another middle-aged man suddenly called out for Dmitri. "Ah, good day, Mister Brian! How are your kids doing?" Dmitri replied, giving the man a bright, huge smile. "Same old, same old, they''re at that rebellious age, y''know?" Said the old man. "Ah, big brother Dmitri! Have youe to y with us again?" This time the voice came from a young kid, who was walking with her mom. "Momo! You''re bigger than thest time I saw you! I''ll y with you next time, okay? I have to apany this big sis today!" Dmitri rubbed the back of his head. "Aww, can''t the big sis y with us, too?" The girl looked at me with puppy eyes. "I''m sorry, Momo, but big sis and I have somewhere to go. Next time, okay? I promise!" Dmitri replied. "Okay then... Will big sis y with me, too, the next time we meet?" She pouted. I bent down and smiled while saying, "sure, Momo. Big sis will y with you next time." "Okay! It''s a promise then!" The girl giggled and left with her mother. "Sorry about that, Chae. I often talk to the townsfolk here. They''re a bunch of nice people, right? Haha!" Dmitri said to me. "Yep. They''re nice people," I replied, "I understand why you''d want to protect this kind of town..." I looked down, feeling a bit jealous. The nation that I once defended didn''t even treat me as nice as this unfamiliar town. Did I just get the short end of the stick? I mean, I know that every nation has its fair share of both good and bad people, but... "What''s wrong, Chae?" Dmitri looked at me with a worried expression, "you don''t look so good." "Oh, it''s okay, I was just thinking a bit, haha," I answered him, "c''mon, let''s go! We''re done filling our stomachs, let''s go to your mom''s ce now." I tugged at his sleeve and smiled at him. He seemed hesitant, but he let go of the topic and we walked towards our next destination. -------- Our steps took us in front of a small house with a small garden in front of it. There was also an apple tree nted nearby with a bird feeder on it. It kind of felt like a house in those children''s fairy tales, I''d say. "We''re here, Chae." Dmitri knocked on the wooden door in front of us. My eyes darted towards the child-like crayon doodles on the bottom part of the door. "Big brother Dmitri!" The door burst open and 2 small children leaped towards Dmitri. "Hahahah! Long time no see, Yakov! Anna!" Dmitriughed as he picked up the children and spun them around in the air. "We''ve missed you, big brother Dmitri!" The young girl said. "Yeah! We wanted to visit you, but mother said no!" The young boy said, pushing the girl to the side. "Hey, Yakov! Don''t be rude!" The young girl pushed him back. "There, there, Yakov, Anna, don''t make a fuss, okay? We''ve got a guest today!" Dmitri calmed both of them, "here, this is Chaerin, big brother''s friend!" They looked at me with big, dolly eyes, "nice to meet you, big sister Cherry!" They both eximed. Why do I feel like I''ve been in this situation before? "Nice to meet you, Yakov, Anna." I just smiled at them and didn''t bother to correct my name. "Come in, big sister Cherry! Mother would love to meet you!" Anna pulled my sleeve and urged me to follow her. "Yeah! Come on in!" Yakov followed suit. "Alright, alright, big sister wille with you." I told them. We took off our shoes and went inside. The house smelled like apple pie and cinnamon. It was very pleasantpared to the Vanguard''s lodging. "This way, Chae." Dmitri led the way to a wooden door with the tag ''mother'' written wonkily on it with a faded marker. "Mother, may wee in?" He knocked twice before hearing a faint e in'' from the inside. He twisted the knob and opened the door, revealing a small room with a middle-aged womanying on the bed. The sunlight shone upon her through the window by her bed. Herplexion looked pale, and her body looked so frail, she seemed like she could crumble at any time. "Mother, I''m back," Dmitri kneeled at the side of her bed, "how have you been?" He smiled dearly. I could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Wee back, Dmitri." The woman replied, her voice so soft and soothing. "Have you been taking your medicine properly?" Dmitri took her hand in his. "Haha, yes, yes... I''ve been taking them, my dear son," her mother replied while smiling, "what brings you here today?'' "Ah, I was apanying my friend to the town, and I wanted to see you, so I came here for a short visit." He smiled, but this time his smile didn''t reach his eyes. "I see. Mind introducing me to your friend over there?" She smiled at me with such kindness that I felt bare. "Her name is Chaerin, she''s a new friend I made in the Vanguard. Chae, meet my mother." Dmitri introduced us both. "Nice to meet you, Ma''am. I hope you don''t mind me intruding..." I said with a little bit of nervousness. I wasn''t ustomed to being this weed. "Haha, anyone my son considers as a friend is always wee here, dear," she chuckled a bit, "make yourself at home. Although there''s not much here." She slowly sat up with the help of Dmitri. "Ah, thank you, Ma''am... Please don''t mind me..." I bowed my head a bit. "I''m sorry I can''t greet you properly... My sickly body can''t handle much activity, you see..." She smiled sadly at me. "Oh no, Ma''am it''s okay! Rather, you can tell me if you need help with anything." I waved my hands in front of me. I usually don''t offer help to someone, but when I saw the state of this house, where his mother is sick and unable to get up from the bed, and these 2 young children are forced to care for themselves and for the house... I can''t help but feel a bit nostalgic. I know very well that even a little help would mean a lot for them. "Really? You''d help us, big sister?" Anna''s eyes shone. "Yes, really. What do you want me to do?" I bent down at the 2 children in front of me while smiling. "Can you cook for us, big sister?" Yakov tugged at my sleeve. "Come on, kids... Don''t trouble big sister, now, would you?" Their mother tried to stop them. "It''s alright, Ma''am. I''m pretty good at cooking," I smiled at her reassuringly, "Anna, Yakov, what do you want to eat?" "Yay! No takesies backsies! Big sister Cherry is the best!" Anna threw her arms into the air excitedly. "Yakov wants to eat something sweet!" Yakov jumped around while giggling. "Alright, alright," I patted their heads, "Ma''am, what food do you like to eat?" "Oh, me?" Dmitri''s mother pointed at herself with an astonished face. "Yes, Ma''am. Do you have a favorite food or something you''d like to eat?" I asked. "Ah, no... I don''t want to trouble you," She replied while smiling, "but thank you for asking." "Hey Anna, Yakov, don''t be like that." Dmitri said to the kids. "It''s okay, Dmitri. I promised them. You wouldn''t tell me to break promises, wouldn''t you?" I grinned at him. "Well, that''s--" "I''ll be off to get some ingredients first, then." I bowed my head at them. "Anna wants to go!" The little girl eximed. "Yakov also wants to go!" The little boy raised his hand. "Thank you, you two. But you should stay here and apany big brother, okay? He missed you both so much," I smiled at them, "also, listen carefully to big sister. Don''t ever go with someone you just met, even if it''s me, okay?" They both pouted, but they agreed. Such pure little babies. "Dmitri, wait for me a bit, okay?" He smiled at me, "I understand. Thank you so much, Chae." With that, I walked out of the door and headed to the front door to wear my shoes. Just before I left the front door, Dmitri called out to me. "Wait up, Chae!" I turned around, "what is it, Dmitri?" "I, um... I just wanted to say thank you." He looked down, his face a little flustered. "Oh, you don''t have to, really. I just wanted to help a bit." I told him. "Yes, but... You know," He started exining, "my mother had been sick for quite some time..." I said nothing, and let him continue with his story. "Her condition started to get worse around the time when the twins were able to walk... Then it got worse as time goes by," He smiled bitterly, "the doctor said it was a horrible disease, but thankfully it''s treatable." "I see... It must''ve been hard for all of you..." I put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, we try to manage, haha," he said with a sad smile, "the thing is, the twins need their mother. And I don''t want them to spend their childhood not being able to have fun like the other kids." I stood still, paying full attention to his story. "The bad news, though, the treatment is very costly, and that''s why I need a lot of money, haha!" He rubbed the back of his head like usual, "and the only way we could get that amount of money back then was through loan sharks." Loan sharks. So they exist even in this world, huh... "That''s why I had to join the Vanguard, haha. Even loan sharks won''t dare to touch a Vanguard''s family member, you know... I could also get money for mother''s treatment cost..." He paused a bit, before beaming his warm smile at me, "that''s why I appreciate your help, Chae. Even a small, kind gesture gives us the strength to keep going." I looked at Dmitri with a surprised face. I didn''t expect him to trust me enough to tell his story. Honestly, it felt nice being trusted, but I also worry that someone might take advantage of his trusting nature. "You''ve done well, Dmitri. I''m sure they''re proud of you." I patted his shoulder lightly. "...Thanks, Chae." -------- I. Am. Lost. Where the hell am I? I thought I was just in the market area, buying ingredients a while ago? How did that open space suddenly be a forest? What is this, a cross-over episode? I trudged along the muddy path, cursing my inability to remember routes. I''ve bought the ingredients I need, but now what? How will I get back to Dmitri''s house? "Ah, if only they have GPS here... I took modern technology for granted..." I let out a long, deep sigh. ''Rustle.'' "Who''s there!?" I quickly stepped back and steadied my stance upon hearing the sudden noise. ''Rustle rustle.'' The noise got closer. Is it an animal? Or a monster? Or a person? How many are there? I listened to the footsteps carefully, while I looked around for any animal markings. There! A territorial marking! I found a few scratches nearby, but no animal footprints. The footsteps I heard also don''t sound very heavy. What is this creature? ''Rustle!'' The bushes nearby split open, and revealed a... "You. You smell like food." "Huh?" ...A little boy? Who is this boy? Is he also lost? "You. Food." He said as he stepped out of the bush... On all fours? "I... What?" Chapter 12: Elias (8) Chapter 12: Elias (8) "Um... Who are you?" I stepped back, confused at the young boy''s sudden entrance. "Wolf. Wolf hungry." He walked closer to me, still on all fours. "Your name is Wolf? You''re hungry?" I asked him warily. "Wolf hungry. You smell like food." He walked in circles around me while sniffing me. Do I smell like smoked beef or something? Is he going to eat me? At that moment, something clicked in my brain, and I pulled out my paper bag from earlier, with the chicken skewers inside. "Do you want this?" I waved the paper bag in front of him. "Wolf wants food." His eyes lit up at the sight of food... Or should I say the smell of food? "Okay. I''ll give wolf food, and wolf be good to me, yeah?" I talked to him slowly, hoping he would understand my offer. "Yes." He replied with shiny eyes, fixated on the chicken skewer on my hand. "Good boy," I patted his head and gave him the skewer, which he enjoyed through and through. While I was looking at him eating, I thought about asking where his parents were, but I chose not to. Instead, I just kept on patting his head. "Wolf likes food." He said after finishing one chicken skewer. "Here, have some more," I handed him another skewer, "...Are you alone, Wolf?" "Wolf alone now. Have family, but no more." I stared at him. He said such a sad thing, but his expression remained unchanged. Perhaps he had gotten used to being alone. "...Where do you live?" I asked carefully. He looked around the age of 12-14, and his body looked very thin, as if he hadn''t eaten properly in days. His beautiful, fluffy dark brown hair looked messy and dirty, covering his big blue-grey eyes. "Wolf lives here." He finished his second skewer, and I handed him myst skewer. What should I do now? Should I escort him to the police? Is there even a police force here? What if he wants to stay here, though? "How long have you lived here?" I asked another question. "Wolf always lives here." He answered. So he grew up here? Did he and his family live in the woods? But his... Behavior and speech kind of made me think that, probably... "Wolf, did, uh... Did your family... Walk like this?'' I got down on all fours and began walking around awkwardly. "Yes. Wolf''s family walk like that. Like me." He finished his skewer and followed my tracks. Oh my god, this boy was raised by freaking wolves. This sort of thing actually exists. What the hell? No matter how I think about it, that''s the only usible exnation. Who or what else would''ve raised him like this? A couple of very dedicated furries? Monsters? ...Okay, probably monsters, too, but hey. His name is literally wolf. "Wolf, who gave you that name?" I stood up again and straightened my shirt. "Human calls me wolf. I hide in bush. They shout wolf." He leaned on my leg. ...Did people mistook him for a wolf? I mean, I kind of almost did, too. But his story didn''t exin how he understood humannguage. There are still so many mysteries regarding this kid. I sighed deeply, and made my choice. If he had survived his whole life here, then it probably isn''t a good idea to force him to integrate into society. I''ve been in his shoes before... I gazed at the little boy who was nuzzling closer into my leg, and can''t help but sympathize with him. "Hey, Wolf. Do you like humans?" I crouched and patted his head once again. "No. Wolf likes you." He closed his eyes, enjoying the pats. "...I am a human, though." I poked his soft cheek. His cheek had sunken fromck of nutrition. "You smell good. Wolf likes." He got up and circled me on all fours. I smell good? Could it be, perhaps... [Passive skill: ''Animal''s Beloved'' is reacting strongly towards the passive skill ''Animal Instinct''] Oh my god, this system is in rude. Who the hell designed this system? Did it just... Wait, what''s this ''animal instinct'' skill? Is it this boy''s skill? I tried to open this boy''s skill window to take a peek, but the system won''t let me. [Error: unable to ess other''s skill window] Figures. It''d be too convenient for me if I can figure out everyone''s skill before fighting. But still, I assume this ''animal instinct'' thing is probably his passive skill. Thank god the system isn''t an asshole who calls people animals. "Wolf, why don''t you like humans?" I asked him while my eyes kept track of his movements. "Humans kill Wolf family." I froze. For a second there, I saw my past self in him. I was way too familiar with this hate he felt. Why did so many things remind me of my past here? Could it be because this was also a time of war? But with monsters? I shook my head, trying to focus on this boy right here. "Okay. Wolf stay here, okay? I will bring Wolf food tomorrow. Here. Okay?" I stood up and tried my best to exin to him to meet me here again tomorrow. "Okay." He sat down on the ground. "Good," I smiled and patted his head, "if Wolf wants toe with me, tell me, okay?" He said nothing and just nodded. I was about to take my leave, before... "Oh, right. Wolf, can you... Smell this for me?" I handed him my shopping bag. -------- Finally. I''m back. I stood in front of Dmitri''s house with a tired expression. Thank god Wolf led me back to the marketce. He smelled the shopping bag, and led me all the way to the entrance of the forest, not far from where the marketce was. And then all I needed to do was just ask for direction from one of the locals. I knocked on the door, "Dmitri? I''m back." The door opened and I was greeted by Anna and Yakov. "Big sis Cherry! Come in! We''ve been waiting for you!" Anna jumped in excitement, while Yakov pulled me inside. "Pardon my intrusion." I bowed to Dmitri''s mother and him, and then took off my shoes. "Wee back, Chae!" Dmitri greeted me gleefully. "Have yourself at home." His mother smiled at me. She sat on a sofa in the living room. "Big sis Cherry, we''re hungryyy!" Yakov tugged at my sleeve. "Okay, okay, big sis will fix you some food, alright?" I smiled at him, "Ma''am, may I borrow the kitchen for a bit?" "Sure, of course. Dmitri, would you be a dear and help her?" Her mother replied with a gentle smile on her face. "Alright! Come with me, Chae!" Dmitri stood up. He led me towards the kitchen, which was located just next to the living room. We began preparing the food while chatting about various things. I mainly do the cooking and he just apanied me there. Some time passed as we talked and talked. Suddenly, I was reminded by the boy. "You know, I encountered someone on my way back." I told him as I rolled the dough into small, round balls. "Oh yeah? Who was it?" He asked me. "It was a young boy. I think he''s alone," I rolled another one, "Dmitri, can you please skim the soup for me?" "Sure," he reached for thedle and started skimming the soup, "where did you meet him?" "Well... It''s kind ofplicated," I paused, "you see, I think he was abandoned in the forest a long time ago." "What!?" Dmitri turned around to face me, shocked at what he just heard. "I n to ask Jeanne for help about that... He looked malnourished, dirty, and it seemed like he had picked up wolf-like behavior." I put thest ball of dough on the baking tray and put a pan on the stove. "Chae, we can''t abandon him there! How did he end up like that?" Dmitri panicked. "I know, Dmitri. I''m also confused. But I fear that he himself doesn''t want to be forced to... Interact with humans, you know?" I poured oil on the pan, "I''m not too good with these things, and I''m afraid my actions might harm him in the long run." I exined to Dmitri about our meeting, and what he said to me regarding his feelings towards humans. And his face saddened. "I... I want to show him that there are still good humans out there." Dmitri clenched his fist. I smiled, "then we have the same n." "What do you mean?" "Well, I can''t just suddenly kidnap him and force him to live with me, right? I don''t know how to take care of a child, that''d be child endangerment," I exined, "so I n to help him in his ownfort zone, the forest. I''m not one of the good humans out there, but that''s the least I could do." Dmitri''s expression lit up, "oh! That''s not a bad idea!" "That''s why I will have to ask Jeanne to let me go there to bring food and stuff every few days," I sighed, "...I will also need to get a job. Ugh. Food is expensive. Kids are expensive." "But will he be okay, though? The forest is not exactly safe..." He said. "I agree, but he had lived there since he could remember. The town might be more dangerous for him, who knows what some people could do." I started frying the doughs. "...You have a point." He looked sad. I smiled at him. He really cared about everyone, even strangers like me and that boy, "c''mon, don''t be gloomy. He will be fine. Let''s focus on spending time with your family, okay?" -------- "What is this, big sis Cherry? It''s so good!" Yakov eximed as he devoured the sweets I made for him. "Yeah! It''s crunchy, but soft inside, and it''s sweet!" Anna''s eyes twinkled. "Those are called chapssal donuts, they''re filled with sweetened red bean paste. I''m d you like them." I smiled as I watched them ate. "Wow, this is good, Chae... How were you able to make this without your memory?" Dmitri asked. Oh, crap. Right. "...Maybe it''s muscle memory? It felt natural. I think I probably was a chef before I came here. Maybe I was born to cook." I answered with feigned confidence. "Oh, wow! Really?" Dmitri looked at me with admiration. I smiled, "yep, really." Nope. I lied. "This soup is also delicious, Chae! You''re amazing!" Dmitri said. "Yes. Thank you very much for making me this soup, Chaerin. You really didn''t have to." His mother smiled. "Ah, that''s a samgyetang, a ginseng chicken soup. It''s supposed to be good for your stamina, Ma''am. I''m d you enjoyed it." "You even know the names of these dishes!" Dmitri smiled at me in awe. How can you be so observant yet so gullible at the same time, Dmitri? "Eat up, please." I ignored his remark and stuffed his mouth with another donut. -------- Having had a fun time visiting his mother''s ce, we both returned to the Vanguard''s ce around nighttime and were met with... Pure chaos. "Hurry! Prepare the horses!" "When will the supply crate arrive?" "Polish your weapons! Don''t forget to check them for damages!" People were busy running around, tending to their own needs. "What happened here?" I asked Dmitri. "I... I also don''t know." He looked around, just as confused as I am. I spotted Owen standing across the courtyard, and went up to him. "Owen, what is happening here?" I asked, slightly panicking. Are we being attacked? "Pack your bags. We leave at noon tomorrow." He answered me while he carefully checked his huge, shiny spear. "What? Why are we leaving faster than nned?" I asked again. "He''s also targeting the serpent''s soul," Owen answered, "we can''t let him get away with another one." "Another one? Did someone manage to steal one before? Who is he, anyway?" Owen looked at me with a serious expression. "A man named Elias." Chapter 13: Elias (9) Chapter 13: Elias (9) "...Elias?" I froze on the spot upon hearing the all-too-familiar name. Owen ignored me and pushed a shiny dagger towards me. It looked like he had polished this one before giving it to me. "Hey, Owen! This Elias guy, do you know what he looks like?" I frantically asked him, unable to keep myposure. Could he really be the Eli that I know? Could I really be... In his world? "What? He''s one of the most dangerous men. You wouldn''t want to mess with him." Owen looked at me with confusion. "Well... We need to know what he looks like so we can keep an eye out for him... Right?" I gave him a half-assed reason. "...If you see a suspicious man with ck hair and red eyes, with a big sword strapped to his back, just run. Don''t even bother to fight." Owen turned around and continued polishing his spear. "...That''s a very vague description," I said to him, "a lot of people have dark hair. And you can''t see eye color from a distance." "You will know when you see him. He''s different," Owen finished polishing his weapon and stood up to leave. "Hey, wait--!" I wanted to inquire more, but Owen had already left me alone. It was a vague description, true... But Eli does have dark hair and red eyes... Moreover, this world is-- "Ah! There you are, little cub! I''ve been looking for you!" I turned around and saw familiar white fluffy hair,plete with a lollipop sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "General Zhang!" I eximed. "That''s me~" he yfully said, "little cub, I''vee to pick you up." "Pick me up? Where to?" I asked, still confused over his sudden appearance. "We''re going to prepare for tomorrow, of course." General Zhang smirked as he ate another lollipop. -------- "Here we are!" General Zhang gleefully said as we stepped into a dark, suspicious alleyway. "...Is this going to be my tomb?" I cynically said to him. "No way! I wouldn''t dare dirty this alleyway with your corpse!" He replied to me with a faked pouty face. "You damn electric eel--" "Ah! Jean-jean is already here!" He ignored my remark and called out to Jeanne, who was standing there alone. "You''rete, general Zhang..." Jeanne said, looking a tad bit annoyed. "Sorry, sorry~ I had to find this lil missing cub, y''know?" General Zhang said without a hint of remorse in his voice. "Jeanne, you''re here, too?" I asked her. "Yes, although I don''t know why he asked me toe..." Jeanne replied to me. "Come in,e in, you''ll see why!" General Zhang walked towards a door at the end of the dark, creepy alleyway. "Heeey, old maaaan, open the doooor, it''s me, ya boyyyy!" He knocked on the door a few times while shouting. I nced at Jeanne, and thought that now might be a good time to express my gratitude. "Jeanne, thank you very much for the supplies you brought me," I bowed my head to her, "it helped me greatly, and I appreciate you caring for someone like me." Jeanne''s eyes widen for a second at my words, and then a soft blush appeared on her fair cheeks, "o-oh... Ehm... It''s okay. I just thought that, as a fellowdy, you might need a few stuff." She put her hand on her chin and looked down, still blushing a little, "...I''m d you found it useful." I was a bit surprised to see her reaction, but I thought it may be because she rarely got appreciated? Or maybe she''s just shy in nature? I smiled warmly, "yes. I''ll make sure to make it up to you somehow." "Oi! Old man! Open up! See, this is why you''re single. Is this how you treat a guest? I bet you''ll be bald in just--" ''SLAM!'' "What the hell do you want!?" I flinched as the door abruptly opened, revealing an... Angry pretty boy? "Chill, old man~ I''m here to do business!" General Zhang wraps his arm around the boy''s shoulder, which earned him a smack in the face. Before I could ask anything, a smell I recognize went up to my nose, and I instinctively covered my nose and said, "it smells like coal and molten steel..." The pretty boy took notice of this and said, "you noticed? Are you also a cksmith?" "Ah... No. I''m just familiar with the smell." I exined to him. He observed me from top to bottom, before deciding to ignore me again. "Hey, Zhang. Exin your business here and quickly get it done." He said to the man whom he just smacked. "I''m here to get them both a weapon~" He cheerfully said. -------- The boy led us inside his workshop. It was pretty small, and unlike the workshop I''ve seen back in my days. It was kind of empty with not a lot of smithing tools, and nobody was busy smelting or pounding a piece of steel here. We were the only ones here. It was strange. He implied that he was a cksmith, but his workshop didn''t look like it has been used very much. "Don''t touch anything here." He growled at us while leading us deeper into his workshop. "Don''t be too uptight, old man~" general Zhang poked yfully at his cheeks, which earned him another punch in the face by the said boy. "Understood, grand cksmith Koji." Jeanne put her arm in across her chest and bowed down slightly. What? This boy was a grand cksmith? I couldn''t hide my surprised face and looked at him with shock. "Don''t call me with that cringy title. And you, stop staring." He pointed at me. "It''s just proper manner to address you formally." Jeanne said. "Tch. This is why I hate you Vanguards. Always caring about useless things." The boy scoffed. "Now, now~ Don''t fight, Jean-jean, old man~" General Zhang stepped in between the two. "Little cub, this old man here is Koji, the coolest cksmith I know," he finally introduced him to me, "despite his appearance, he''s actually very old but still depressingly single, and I bet he''s going to end up like one of those cat grandmas--" ''SMACK!'' "Shut up, Zhang. Just do your business here and leave." The boy reprimanded Zhang. "Aw, he''s just shy. Little cub, don''t think too badly of him, yeah? His way of doing things sure is different from the Vanguards, but he''s also a softie who cares about the people of Alistair~" General Zhang kept going on and on. "Okay..." I replied, not sure about what to say. We stumbled upon a giant safe at the corner of the workshop. The door is big enough for people to enter. "Come in, take a pick, pay me, and leave." Koji instructed us. The door opened and revealed a giant room decorated with weapons all over the walls and shelves. Most of them were swords, spears, daggers, and shields. I saw a few unique weapons like axes, scimitars, and even scythes. "Alright, pick a weapon, you two!" General Zhang pranced around excitedly. "You called me out for this?" Jeanne asked, "no, thanks. I prefer my own sword." "Aw, Jean-jean, you''re no fun! At least pick something!" General Zhang said. "Do I also get to pick one?" I asked, a bit lost. "Of course, little cub! I''m your squad leader, so I''m equipping you, tee-hee! Can''t have you dying right away, can we?" Zhang replied, "all of these are quality, custom-made weapons made by the one-and-only old man! So I can guarantee you the quality!" "What about the price?" I inquired as I didn''t have much money on me. "Don''t worry, I''m filthy rich." General Zhang said like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Jeanne, what will you pick?" I asked her. "I''ll pass. I''m morefortable with my own sword, and I don''t want to trouble general Zhang," she answered with a smile, "but I can help you pick yours." I returned her smile, "thank you. I appreciate that." "So, what weapon do you want? Spill it, don''t waste my time." Koji interrupted us. "Guns." "Guns?" Koji repeated my word. Are they unfamiliar with guns? Do they not exist here? "Yeah, you know, the one that goes, pew pew...?" I made a firing motion with my hands. "...I do have guns, but they''re expensive." Koji replied. That''s great. At least they have guns. As for the payment... "It''s okay. Bring them out~" General Zhang hummed. "Are you sure you want to use guns, Chaerin? Do you know how to handle them?" Jeanne asked me. "Yes, I''m pretty sure I can handle one." I reassured her. Jeanne said nothing and seemed to be thinking about something. "Here. Do you want a smaller gun, like a pistol or a revolver? Or do you fancy a bigger one?" Koji opened a shelf and revealed a small collection of guns. Based on its small number, I''m guessing guns were not the weapon of choice people usually went for. "May I see those two up there, please?" I pointed towards 2 guns that looked like assault rifles. "Sure." Koji picked both up and ced them on the table in the middle of the room for me to inspect. I checked each rifle and tried to hold them in my arms, trying to get the feel of the weapon. "How do you use them both? What kind of ammo do they use?" I asked Koji while I hold the rifle that I liked more between the two. It was simr to an M4, one of the rifles I used to work with. "They''re used like normal rifles, except they don''t use ammo. They run on mana. Lots of mana. That''s why they''re unpractical. Most people aren''t a fan of them, including me." He took the other one into his arms, and aimed towards a battered training dummy in the corner of the room. "You just hold it like a normal rifle, inject your mana, and..." ''BOOM!'' "...You shoot." Koji casually exined and put the gun back down. I nodded, and positioned my aim towards the training dummy, and concentrated on my mana. Surprisingly, I could feel the flow of my mana clearly. It felt just like moving a part of my body. I directed it into my gun, and... ''BOOM!'' "Oh, so that''s how you use it," I muttered to myself, "general Zhang, can I have this? ...Please?" "Hahaha! Little cub, you''re amusing! I didn''t know you could handle a gun!" General Zhangughed like a maniac. Did he forget to take his pill? "Old man, we''ll take that one. How much is it?" General Zhang asked Koji. "5000 chromas. No refunds and no haggling." Koji replied. "Deal." He pulled out 5rge coins from what I assume was his money pouch and handed them to Koji. "Thank you, general Zhang." I bowed my head a bit to him. He may be a maniac, but hey, money is money. Generosity is generosity. "Naw, you can call me electric eel, it feels like a pet name, tee-hee!" He replied and walked towards the door. "That''s not a pet name, I''m insulting you, you slippery eel." I said, a bit annoyed. "Chaerin?" Jeanne asked me. "Yes?" "How did you--" she suddenly paused and bit her lip, "...Never mind. I''m sorry." She was about to ask me something, maybe about how I was able to use guns? I don''t know why she refrained from doing so, but I was thankful for that. I''m sorry, Jeanne. One day, I''ll properly apologize to you and Dmitri. For now, please bear with it because I can''t die yet. I silently opened my quest window, and saw that the quest hadn''t been cleared yet. Did I misinterpret its meaning? [Quest: find your weapon] [Reward: poor enhancement stone, 2 stat points] It also didn''t work when Owen gave me my dagger. Maybe it won''t work if it was given by someone? ...Then, I''ll try this method. "Um, Koji... Grand cksmith Koji?" I asked, unsure of how to address him. "Just call me Koji. What is it?" He asked me. "Can I sell this to you?" I pulled out the ice orc''s helmet I got earlier from inside my bag. It''d be suspicious if I pulled it out of thin air, so I''ve kept it in my bag rather than in my inventory. He examined it for a while, "sure. I can give you 800 chromas for this. Where did you get this? It''s not bad." "Great. Can I also buy something from you?" I ignored his question and asked him another one. "What do you want?" "Give me a silencer to go with my gun." Chapter 14: The serpents lair raid (1) Chapter 14: The serpent''sir raid (1) ''Ding!'' [You havepleted your quest] [Acquired poor enhancement stone, 2 stat points] [Quest: kill 10 monsters] [Reward: Grade-D skill book, 2 stat points] I smiled as I stroked my newly-bought rifle. It turned out that adding a silencer to my rifle was all I needed for the system to recognize it as mine. Should I name my gun Bob or something? I sat with Jeanne and general Zhang around a map on one of the benches in the training ground. He brought us here to exin to us about tomorrow''s n. "Alright, nning time!" General Zhang pped his hands together. "Let''s make this simple, yeah? I''m more of a spontaneous guy," he started exining, "tomorrow we will depart at the same time as Owen''s squad." We both nodded, carefully listening to his exnation. "We will head north to where their is located, and ording to our scouts, at this point we will encounter the serpent''s army, the water alligators," he said as he pointed a ce on the map, "for this first wave, we will work with Owen''s team to exterminate them." He slid his finger upwards a bit, "and this here, will be the second wave. There will be water bats. And this is where we will separate from their group." "Any ns on how to defeat the alligators?" I asked. "Even though they have water elements, they still live on the ground, so we will use our usual ground formation. Y''know, the tanks on the front, mages behind, yada-yada." General Zhang replied. "The scouts said they''re way bigger than normal alligators, though. We should still be on our guard." Jeanne added. That wasforting, but... My quest wanted me to kill 10 monsters. There''s no way I could kill 10 huge fancy lizards alone, could I? I need to sneak some kills. "Do we know their attack pattern, behavior, weakness, or anything?" I inquired, hoping to get some insight. "Unfortunately, none." General Zhang answered me. Too bad. "Alright. Where do we go after splitting?" I asked again. "We will hide near the entrance of the cave," Zhang answered, "the scouts observed that the bats can send distress signals. When Owen''s group engage with the bats, we''re hoping that some of the serpent''s guard would get mobilized." "And that''s when we sneak in and kill the serpent." Jeanne finished. "Exactly. Jean-jean, you''re so smart~" General Zhang pped. "How are we going to kill the serpent?" Jeanne asked. General Zhang smirked. Seeing his smirk sent chills down my spine. "No ns. We just kill." He said while grinning wide, but his eyes were full of bloodlust. I was going to protest, but that was probably a bad idea, considering he''s nuts. A lot of things were still vague. Like, what about the supplies? How were the terrain and the weather? We didn''t even have a healer on our team... But well, the battlefield was always full of surprises, anyway. "Okay then, is that all?" I asked to make sure. "Yeap. Now go and pack your bags, little cub, I''ll pick you up tomorrow~" General Zhang replied. "Jeanne, tomorrow morning, could you and Dmitrie with me for a bit?" I ignored him and asked Jeanne instead. "Sure, I''ll tell him. What''s the matter?" She asked. "I, uh... I would like to report a missing child?" -------- That night, I returned to my room after I took a long-awaited bath. As usual, I checked my system for anything that might help me tomorrow. "Inventory." I took out the enhancement stones I got earlier as rewards forpleting my quest. They''re small, and their red aura glowed rather faintly. ''Ding!'' [Would you like to use the item ''Poor Enhancement Stone''?] "...Yes, please." [Please select a piece of equipment to use it for:] I was presented with two options, my gun and my ne. Of course, I chose the former without much thought. [Item: ''Grand cksmith''s Assault Rifle'' has been enhanced to +2] [Increased damage] [Increased firing range] [Reduced mana consumption by 5%] I smiled. Those were promising messages. I noticed that the only countable thing is mana consumption. That reminded me, I need to manage my mana well if I were to use this gun. Koji said it needed lots of mana... "Store? Market? Mall? Shop?" ''Ding!'' A new window appeared in front of me. It says ''shop''. As I thought, there was a shop system where I could use my gold. It was pretty neat, it had options such as equips, consumables, materials, and boxes. Although, most of the items were too expensive for my measly 600 gold. I sighed, "money sure is hard to obtain everywhere. That slippery eel better pays up." My eyes shifted towards my rifle. It was simr to an M4, true, but I still needed to get used to it. It had been long since Ist fired a gun, and I needed to know how much mana it needed to fire. "...Let''s go hunting." -------- I originally wanted to go to the forest where I can probably hunt some rabbits or boars, but there was no way they would let me go outside at midnight, and with no one to keep tabs on me, too. So here I was, standing on the barren rooftop area that was supposed to be where we hang our clothes to dry. "All around me are unfamiliar clothes..." I gazed at my surroundings before shifting my gaze towards the sky. "Perfect. The sky is way clearer than in Korea," I held the rifle and aimed towards the sky for a while, trying to steady my aim, "I''m sorry, bird." ''Bang! Bang! Bang!'' I used the three-round burst firing mode to shoot down a bird. It fell down nearby, probably at the back of the dormitory. "I dislike hunting, but the best target practice is a moving target practice," I sighed, "I''ll make sure to cook you well, bird." Anyway, surprisingly, it didn''t feel like a lot of my mana was used. I guess mana was different from the intelligence stat. Does it mean I had a lot of mana reserve? Howe? While I pondered over these questions, I lifted my rifle once more and tried to shoot another bird. "Tch. I missed. It sure is hard to get used to a new weapon." I spent the next hour just waiting for birds to pass by and shooting them. In the end, I shot a total of 5 birds and missed 2 of them. ''Ding!'' [Intelligence: 10 (+5) --> 11 (+5)] Interesting. So as long as I use my magic, that could be considered as training. I could snowball my intelligence stat. Exciting. "I''m getting rusty..." I let down my rifle and sighed. Time to go down and pick up those poor birds. I walked downstairs all the way to the first floor and exited through the front door. Even though it was almost midnight, everyone was still bustling around and I could even hear themotioning from the training ground. I guess everyone was working hard for tomorrow, huh? After I picked up the birds behind the dorm, I headed back inside towards the kitchen and began looking around the pantries. Thankfully, they had enough ingredients for me to cook. I spent the night cooking and packaging them inside the paper bag they provided. I nned to bring one bag for our trip, and give the other two for Wolf tomorrow. "I wonder if he''ll like fried chicken? ...Or fried bird, actually..." -------- ''Chirp. Chirp.'' Ugh. It was already morning? I felt like I had just closed my eyes. "Hngg--" I stretched out my arms, and like any other person, I stared into nothingness for a solid 5 minutes before I start my day. After getting ready and packing my bags, I went down to find Jeanne and Dmitri waiting for me at the dormitory''s gate. "Jeanne, Dmitri! Sorry, did I make you wait?" I approached them. "No, I''ve only arrived, too." She smiled sweetly at me. "Haha! So did I!" Dmitri cheerfully replied. "Let''s go, then." I smiled at them. We chatted as we walked all the way from the dormitory to the marketce where I once got lost. Surprisingly, I felt rxed when talking to Jeanne. Even though she had always appeared to be strict and dignified, she was still just a woman, like me. "Oh, right, Chaerin. You said we''re going to visit a kid, right?" Jeanne asked. "Is it the kid from yesterday, Chae?" Dmitri chimed in. "Ah, yes... Well, I wouldn''t really call it visiting, too..." I rubbed the back of my head, trying to think of a better word to use. "I was so shocked when you said that you wanted to report a missing kid. It would''ve been an urgent matter." She said. "Well... He''s kind of missing but also not missing... Anyway, he''s got a home, at least." I responded awkwardly. "It''s good that he''s not lost. We would certainly be d to help if he needs financial help." Jeanne said earnestly. "Yes! I''m also really good with kids!" Dmitri beamed with confidence. "Um... I don''t even know where we should start helping, but..." I sighed, "anyway, we''re here." I stopped at the border between the forest and the marketce. "Here?" Jeanne asked. "Yeah... This is, uh... This is his home." I replied. "Chaerin, this is a forest." She stared at me with a deadpan look. "Well, a home is not always a house with a door you could knock on, right?" I answered. "...That''s true." She said. I could''ve sworn I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes, just likest time. "Let''s go inside." I led them to the ce where I met Wolf before. This time, I didn''t get lost because I hade to notice that the wolf-like markings were actually Wolf''s. Like, the kid''s. After that, it was just a matter of finding the mark. Once we got into his territory, I patiently waited until he himself appeared. He should be able to smell me now... Or smell the food I brought him, rather. ''Rustle!'' A familiar dark brown hair popped up from the bush. "Oh, Wolf, there you are!" I turned around towards the bush, and saw the same skinny boy I saw yesterday. "Food smell. You." He approached me without hesitation this time, and circled around me on all fours. "Hehe. I brought food for you! Did you miss me?" I crouched down and stroked his head. "Chaerin... Is this the boy you were referring to?" Jeanne asked,pletely frozen at the sight in front of her. "This is... Wolf?" Dmitri had an equally shocked look on his face, although it was quickly reced with a worried look. "Yes... His name is Wolf and, uh... As you can see, I''m pretty sure he was raised by wolves, and had been away from human society for a while." I exined as I took out the fried bird I made yesterday and gave it to him. "Thank you." He started eating while cuddling up next to me. "I don''t know how he learned a few human words and manners, but... Well..." I patted his head. "We... We could ask the Vanguard to search for his family?" Jeanne suggested. "He said he has no family." The two said nothing and bit their lips. I took this chance to exin my meeting with Wolf yesterday, especially to Jeanne, since she knew nothing about it. "...And that''s why I wanted you to let Dmitri go here every few days to give him food, only until wee back from the raid." I concluded. Jeanne thought for a moment before saying, "I understand. It''s quite a lot to take in, but I do agree with your view. I will arrange a permit for him." She bent down and stroked Wolf''s fluffy hair, "I''m sorry you had to go through this..." It was sad. I wonder what really happened to him in the past. At this moment, we could only do what we could do to make his future less painful. "Alright, we should get back to the Vanguard. It''s almost time to depart," I stood up after patting him for thest time, "Dmitri, I''ll leave him to you. I made some fried bird for him already, but I''m afraid it won''tst long." Dmitri smiled and held Wolf''s hand, "don''t worry. I''ll take good care of him." "Thank you, Dmitri." I smiled. Jeanne and I said our goodbyes to Wolf and walked away, back to the Vanguard''s base. -------- Dmitri sat with Wolf as he watched the kid ate his food slowly. ''He looks just a bit older than Anna and Yakov... I wonder how hard his life must''ve been.'' He thought. Wolf finished his meal and stared at Dmitri without saying anything. "Ah, you''ve finished? Good boy, you should always finish your meal so you could grow up big and strong!" He picked up the boy with ease, and felt the boy''s bony figure against his chest. Suddenly, he felt a pang in his heart, and his brotherly instinct kicked in, "do you want more food? Big bro can buy you some, yeah?" He asked the boy. "That fooddy." Wolf muttered. "Hm? You mean Chae? Do you miss her? I''m sorry, but she has somewhere to go for a while... Big bro will y with you in the meantime!" Dmitri cheerfully replied. "Fooddy will die." "Eh?" Chapter 15: The serpents lair raid (2) Chapter 15: The serpent''sir raid (2) I and Jeanne arrived at the Vanguard''s courtyard right around the time when everyone was gathered to get briefed by the squad leaders, namely Owen and Zhang. Most of them were wearing armors from head-to-toe with their weapon of choice strapped to their sides or backs. Some of them were busy loading the carts and the donkeys. A few horses were tied to the carts by the soldiers. "Hey, Jeanne. Are those animals going to be okay out there? They''re going to need lots of food, especially the horses. We can''t let them graze, can we?" I asked while I took two helmets from the supply box and handed one to Jeanne. "They''re going to be okay. Surprisingly, monsters usually don''t attack animals. They only attack those with mana. So, we can let the horses graze when it''s time for us to rest. But don''t worry, we will also bring some hay just in case we can''t find a good plot ofnd for them to graze." She exined to me and put on her helmet. "Hmm... I see..." I put my hand on my chin. "Actually, our ancestors had tried training the animals to fight monsters, but it ended in a horrible manner," she continued, "the monsters can only be injured by magic, so as you can imagine, it turned into a one-way ughter by the monsters..." "That''s horrible..." I frowned. What are these creatures? Where did theye from, and why did they only target those with mana? "Heyyy! Little cub! Jean-jean! I''vee to pick you up!" We turned around towards the source of the annoyingly cheerful voice, and found... A tiger? "What are you waiting for? Come on, hop on!" General Zhang said. "What the hell are you doing, riding a humongous tiger!?" I stepped back in shock. There he was, general Zhang, sitting on top of the biggest tiger I''ve ever seen in my life. It was probably around 2 or 3 times bigger than a normal tiger. How did it get this big? Evolution? Steroids? "Hey, he has a name, y''know! It''s Timmy!" General Zhang replied. "Oh my god, why did you name it Timmy?" I was shocked, but now I was horrified. "Doesn''t ''Timmy the tiger'' sound cute? Tee-hee!" He said. "No." "General Zhang likes to bring his... Pet, especially on raids." Jeanne calmly exined to me. "Why not horses? How will it keep up with us? What about its food? Where did you even get it?" I confusedly bombarded them with questions. "Eh, I like my ride fast. He''s a special boy, he''s faster than the other tigers and horses. Don''t worry too much, all you need to know is that I''m filthy rich~" He hummed, "now, get on. He doesn''t bite." ''ROAR!!'' The tiger bared its fangs towards us. "...Are you sure it doesn''t bite?" I asked. ''Ding!'' [Passive skill: ''Animal''s Beloved'' is reacting strongly towards the being in front of you] Thank god I chose that skill. The tiger inched closer towards me, and took a few sniffs before licking my face a few times, earning a surprised yelp from me. Hey, he was pretty cute when he was not looking for a kill. "Oh~? It seems like Timmy fancies you!" General Zhang stroked his chin. "Are you sure it''s... Ehm... ''He'' is safe for riding?" Now I felt like a douche for calling Timmy, ''it''. -------- We marched on towards the north as nned. It had probably been a few hours since we departed in the morning, and the sun had just almost reached its highest. "Jeanne, was the outside world always this barren?" I asked, looking out towards the horizon as I sat with her and general Zhang on Timmy''s back. For the few hours that we had been here, I hardly saw enough ntations and wildlife. It wasn''t to the point of wastnd, but it was just strange. I thought a ce without humans roaming around would flourish with nature. Was there something else going on? "Ah, now that you mention it, it wasn''t this bad during my childhood..." Jeanne told me. "Prepare to engage!" Owen''s voice suddenly reverberated throughout the ins, and the entire squad immediately shifted into positions, with the supply cart positioned in the middle, protected from any attacks. Meanwhile, the three of us stayed on top of Timmy in front of the squad. "Hey... Why are we on the front?" I asked general Zhang. "Hm? To get the first kill, of course." He replied nonchntly. "What do you--" Before I could reply, a sudden ball of water grazed my cheek right as I threw my head to the side. If my reaction was only a few secondste, my head would''ve been sted with water. We all turned towards the direction of the attack, and saw a group of alligators just a few kilometers away. "Enemy spotted~" General Zhang grinned and licked his lips. His eyes locked on the water alligators. "Timmy! Charge!" Hemanded. "Chaerin, hold on to me!" Jeanne quickly grabbed my hand and hugged me closer towards her. "What!?" ''ROAR!!'' With a loud, thundering roar, Timmy leapt towards the alligators at full speed. "UWAHH! You should''ve given us a warning before!" I shouted, trying to keep my bnce while holding onto Jeanne tightly. "Ugh, general Zhang is always acting on his own... Chaerin, prepare tond!" Jeanne alerted me. "Okay!" We both jumped down and rolled on the ground before immediately getting up again. General Zhang, on the other hand, was already splitting into bodies of water and bringing doom upon the nearest alligators. "Let''s go!" Jeanne ran towards them to join in. I nodded and followed suit, firing my me projectiles. Ideally, I would want to save my mana as much as possible and refrain from using my gun. In no time, Owen''s squad stormed the alligators, too. It didn''t take long before the alligators were pushed back. However, their number didn''t seem to decrease that much. Most of them died at the hands of the generals, while the soldiers barely got some kills. "...Status window." [Stat points: (Water Alligator, rank 8)] [Strength: 20] [Intelligence: 30] [Agility: 30] [Physique: 70] [Special buff: Serpent''s blessing (increased resistance against physical-type and fire-type attacks)] So that''s why. These guys'' physique is unfairly high, and on top of that, they have increased resistance against normal weapons... And sadly, my me. I got closer to one of them and fired a me projectile on its face, so it would notice me. ''Kiiiek!'' It screeched loudly, and swung its tail towards me. I jumped to avoid getting hit, and made eye contact with it. [Enemy: Water Alligator, rank 8] [Weakness: its mana core is linked with its tongue] It screeched loudly one more time, and opened its mouth in preparation tounch another water ball. I took this perfect opportunity to jump in and cut its tongue with my dagger. "I did it-- ugh!" I managed to cut the tongue, but its attack hit my stomach before I could move out of the way. "Cough, cough!" I gripped my dagger tighter as my eyes darted towards its unmoving body. "Now, what did Elias told me about confirming a monster''s death...?" I dug through my memories during my time with him, before saying, "oh, right. If their mana core is destroyed, they''re dead." I stood up and sensed no manaing from the limp alligator''s body in front of me. Great. I got one kill. "Watch out!" A soldier cried out towards his friend who was about to get bitten by a water alligator. "Aghh!" His friend shrieked. ''BOOM!'' "Move, you idiot! Not scream!" I fired my me projectile towards him,unching his body away from the alligator''s open jaw. "Oww!" He rubbed his nk, sore from getting hit by my attack. "Don''tin. It''s better than getting mauled by an alligator." I positioned myself in front of the alligator, and waited until it opened its mouth to fire again. This time, I waited and dodged the water ball, and then jumped in to take its tongue. "Phew. Thank god I didn''t get hit this time around." I nced over my surroundings, and saw that many soldiers got injured, and the healers were busy healing them, including Hayun. I wasted no time and looked around for Owen. Once I spotted him among the soldiers, I hurriedly ran to him. "Owen! Tell them to cut those lizard''s tongue! It''s linked to their mana core!" I shouted as loud as I could while dodging another water ball. "Are you positive!?" He shouted back, asking me. "Yes! You don''t have to trust me, but try it yourself!" I shed another alligator''s tongue off. And as a general should, he tried it himself first, and after confirming it was true, he shouted to alert every soldier. The battle went way smoother after that. As expected from the soldiers Owen picked himself. They didn''t need to be spoon-fed. They knew how to handle themselves on the battlefield. -------- ''Kiiek!'' ''Stab!'' Owen punctured the alligator''s head all the way through from top to bottom, cutting its tongue and effectively killing thest one. "Give me a report." He announced. "Yes, sir! Out of 57 people, none died, around 20 people are badly hurt, and the number of people with minor injuries is unclear." A nearby soldier reported while saluting. I assumed he was the second-inmand? "Tell the healers to get to work. Also, get me a precise number of the soldiers who can still walk. Dismissed." He concluded. "Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted again and left to check on the others. I let out a sigh after the battle was over. I managed to kill 6 of them. Pretty good, but still not enough for my quest. It would be nice if I could hog the information just for myself and go on a rampage, but considering the losses that might happen, sharing the info was the best option. After all, the victory of the squad is more important than a personal victory, right? "General Owen! Reporting, there are 32 people who are able to walk!" The second-inmand reported back. Owen thought for a while before saying, "we rest here for now." The soldier saluted him and gave instructions to everyone. Upon hearing the words, they began to scramble around and made themselvesfortable. "Good decision." I approached him. "I won''t lead my soldiers into another unknown battlefield without much preparation. The serpent''s soul can wait." He said. I respected him for that. "Hey, little cub, look! I got 20-ish of them! I lost count midway, tee-hee!" General Zhang suddenly came up to me, fully coated in blood. Just not his own blood. ''ROAR!'' Timmy also came forward, and dropped an alligator''s severed w in front of me. "Uh... Thanks, Timmy... Good job." I praised him, earning a soft purr from the huge tiger. How did this beast kill a monster without having mana? Did he get mana from somewhere? "General Zhang, please refrain from doing as you please again." Jeanne calmly said, even though a hint of annoyance could be felt from her voice. "It''s okay~ It ended well, anyway." He shrugged it off. "...Very well," she frowned, "I will go check on the soldiers." Jeanne turned around and left. "Ah, I''lle along!" I said as I followed her. We walked around the perimeter, monitoring the situation. The healers were actually doing a good job, and there weren''t any enemies in sight. Most of the soldiers were resting, and things felt peaceful for a while. Great. "Ah, it''s so tough to fight on this heat!" A soldier said to his friend. "Well, the sun is sitting right above us. What do you expect?" His friend replied while fanning his own face with his palm. "This armor is so stuffy, too," he took off his helmet and wiped his sweat, "see? I''m sweating like crazy!" I noticed this and approached him. A soldier shouldn''t let his guard down on the battlefield, even for a second. "Hey, you. You shouldn''t take off your helmet while we''re still on the battlefi--" ''St!'' The sight before my eyes was painted dark red. Chapter 16: The serpents lair raid (3) Chapter 16: The serpent''sir raid (3) ''No.'' Jeanne froze as she saw dark red liquidunched in the air. ''Not again.'' "Jeanne! Look out!" Chaerin shouted towards Jeanne. In a split second, Jeanne regained herposure and swung her sword, shing the foreign object that was lunging towards her. "AAAHH!" The friend of the soldier from which the blood spurt out screamed. "Hey, get a grip! Get down!" Chaerin tackled the screaming soldier until they''re t on the ground, saving them from an unknown projectile that flew above their heads. "N-no... James... I''m so sorry, James..." He chanted the dead soldier''s name while trembling. "Pay attention!" Chaerin''s eyes scanned the surroundings, hoping to find something worth noting. "Jeanne! Your 4 o''clock!" Chaerin shouted. "Ah-- right!" Jeanne steadied her stance and deflected another projectile, except it was not exactly a projectile. "...A tongue? But it has the same force as a mace!" Jeanne said, shocked at the sight. "Got you!" Chaerin grabbed the tongue, and tugged on it, to no avail. Seeing that she wasn''t able to pull the tongue, she ignited her me instead, burning the tongue. "I won''t let you go!" She gripped harder on the tongue, making sure it won''t slip away. Suddenly, something swooped in towards her neck. "Chaerin! Get down!" Jeanne tackled her to the ground, saving her head, but also releasing Chaerin''s grip from that tongue. "What was that?" Chaerin nced upwards, and saw a bat flying nearby. "Soldiers, take positions! The bats have arrived!" Owen''s voice alerted everyone, and they quickly took formation. "How can this be? I thought they''re still far away?" Chaerin asked. "I think we''ve been had... The bats must''ve had some kind of signal for the alligators... And once that signal was gone, they came to check up on us," Jeanne exined, "then, I assume this tongue is the serpent''s guard''s tongue... The water chameleons." ''Hissss!'' A chameleon twice the size of a human suddenly appeared not far from us, hissing from the pain of its burning tongue. Not long after hissing, it slowly changed its color to match its surroundings again. "Careful! They can change their color better than normal chameleons! They can fully disappear from our sight!" Jeanne warned Chaerin. "So they''ve been surrounding us since then... We were not careful enough." Chaerin stood up and held her rifle. ''Bang! Bang!'' She switched to the semi-automatic mode and rapidly fired multiple rounds towards the bat. Some of the shotsnded, and the bat shrieked before falling down to its death. "Kill the bats! Sabotage theirmunication first! We don''t know what else the bats could do!" Chaerin shouted. "Soldiers! Form a circle and put up your shields in all directions except above! Those who can do long-range attacks, focus on killing the bats!" Owen swiftlymanded. Every able-bodied soldier formed a circle and as Owen instructed, they put up their shields, and thus blocking the iing tongues. Meanwhile, those who were able to, began attacking the bats. Thankfully, the terrain didn''t have lots of trees, so the bats had nowhere to hide. Among the soldiers inside the circle, Owen seemed busy fiddling with the ground. He crouched down and put his palm unto the ground, concentrating on his mana. "Arise, earth golems." And with that one simplemand, gigantic golems that were thrice the size of him came out from the ground outside the circle, and began to attack the bats and the chameleons. Although they move slow, but their destructive power was good enough for them to hold their ground. "Wait, Owen! What about those who can''t walk!?" Jeanne shouted while she carried the petrified soldier on her back, all the while deflecting the mace-like tongues. "Leave them be, Jeanne! We will only produce more casualties if we carelessly try to save everyone!" Owen replied. "I can''t let another massacre happen again!" She put the soldier down inside the circle made by the soldiers, and exited the circle again, "I''m going to gather them here." "Jeanne, don''t be foolish! Soldiers die every day!" Owen tried to stop her, but she ignored him and kept running. ''I don''t want to see another massacre because of my ipetence.'' She thought to herself. While general Zhang was already throwing lightning strikes here and there without any care for strategy or safety, Jeanne focused all her senses to dodge the iing attacks. "Hold on to me. I''ll get you to safety." She strapped a wounded soldier''s arms around her neck and plopped him on her back. "Ugh... T-thank you... General Jeanne..." The soldier said in between cries of pain from his crushed leg. Jeanne ran back into the circle to drop him off, before heading out again to do the exact same for the other wounded soldiers. ''That day, it also started from one single attack,'' she thought, ''I made a poor decision that led to my squad getting massacred. I won''t let that happen this time.'' She ran and dodged as much as she could, just for the sake of one extra life each time. ''I''ve seen multiple deaths. I am used to noting back with aplete squad. Each raid always has casualties, I know,'' she frowned as she thought, ''...And yet, ever since that day, I still tremble upon the sight of death.'' Jeanne crouched down and tried to pull up thest wounded soldier. "General Jeanne... It''s okay... L-leave me here... Cough!" The soldier coughed up blood as he talked. He had a huge wound on his chest and navel area, possibly affecting his lungs or stomach since blood came out every time he talked. "Don''t speak. I''ll get you to safety. Just hold on, don''t close your eyes." She plopped his body on top of her back. "Ugh... Th-thank you... General Jeanne, y-you''re a true soldier and general..." He smiled weakly. "...I am undeserving of such praise." She looked down with sadness. "No... Cough, cough! Y-you... Deserve it..." The soldiers spoke with difficulty. ''...I don''t. I have failed my soldiers.'' Jeanne silently thought as she ran. Her mind clouded with negative thoughts. "Jeanne! Watch out!" Chaerin called out. ''Bang! Bang!'' "Hisss!" Chaerin''s shots showered the chameleon''s tongue that was about to strike Jeanne''s feet. The chameleon''s camouge disappeared and Jeanne saw the huge chameleon in front of her. She quickly summoned a ring of swords around the chameleon''s neck, and stabbed right through it. ''Ugh! I was careless yet again, and almost endangered my soldier...'' She bit her lip at the thought. "Go, Jeanne! I''ll cover you!" Chaerin said as she ran, catching up to her. "Thank you!" Jeanne and Chaerin safely brought thest soldier to safety. The healers quickly attended to the injured soldiers, earning a relieved sigh from both Jeanne and Chaerin. "Owen, how is the situation?" Chaerin asked without missing a beat. "The bats are done taken care of. The problem is the chameleons. We can''t see them, and we are unsure of their exact number," he exined, "unlike general Zhang over there, we can''t just attack randomly." "Can''t we burn them? Or like, use electricity or water to reveal them?" Chaerin suggested. "We already did. But we can''t do it for much longer. Our soldiers'' mana is limited, and their number is still unknown." Owen replied. "If only it rained, we would be able to see them..." Jeanne clenched her teeth. "...I think we would be able to see them even without magic or rain." Chaerin said. "Let''s hear it." Owen raised his brow. Chaerin pointed her finger upwards, "the sun." "The sun?" Jeanne asked. "Yeah. The thing is, we were so caught up with their tongue that we constantly look upwards, and they moved a lot, causing tons of dust to fly around, obstructing our sight." Chaerin exined. "That''s true. There is so much dust around us that it''s hard to see. That''s a normal urrence on a battlefield." Owen said. "Exactly. We were trained to focus on the enemy, that''s why we fail to see the most crucial part here," Chaerin pointed her finger to the ground, "our shadow." "Oh! The chameleons still have shadows on them! It''s just hard to see because of the dust..." Jeanne eximed. "Exactly. Good thing is, the sun is on its highest, so the shadow shouldn''t be leaning too far from where they truly are," Chaerin exined, "and then to make sure, we can throw mud to the areas that have shadows on them, so it sticks on those chameleons." "...Let''s try that." Owen agreed. He told the soldiers whose element is water to make mud from the ground underneath them, and instructed the soldiers to be aware of the shadows. With some difficulty, they slowly killed the chameleons one by one, until their number diminished rapidly. While they continue their effort, Jeanne looked around, and found that most of the injured soldiers have been tended to. She sighed with relief knowing that the massacre she was most afraid of had been avoided. -------- I plopped myself down on the ground,pletely exhausted after what just happened. Finally, the chameleons have all been defeated and we can rx for a while. "Owen, go instruct your soldier to keep watch for mana or something. We can''t face another surprise attack again." I nagged Owen who was standing beside me. "I already did. You don''t have to tell me." He said with a stoic face. "Thank you. I don''t think I have much mana left. Or even much time left." I sighed. It was a hard fight for me, since it had been long since I left the army. And even more so because I can''t see my enemies'' eyes this time, making me unable to use my eagle''s eye skill. Well, at least my quest was done. I ended up killing more than 10 enemies and got a new quest already. [You havepleted your quest] [Acquired grade-D skill book, 2 stat points] [Quest: obtain the serpent''s soul] [Reward: ???] I nced at the screens in front of me. This time, the quest''s reward is unknown. It better be good, please don''t be a curse or something... "Healer! We need a healer over here!" My head quickly turned towards the direction of the voice. I saw a soldier calling out for help for his friend who was lying unconscious near him. I looked around me, and found a sight that was familiar to me. The sight of war. I frowned as I saw injured people everywhere, ranging from mild to severe. Some were already covered by clothes, lying lifeless. I saw the trembling soldier from earlier mourn the death of his friend, James. He rummaged through his friend''s dead body and found a ne and a letter. "Don''t worry, James... I''ll get your letter and your birthday present to your wife for you..." He said into his friend''s ear before storing them in his bag. I turned away from the sight. Could he have been saved if I were a second earlier? I took a deep breath to calm myself down. The smell of blood mixed with dirt filled my nose. The only thing missing was the smell of gunpowder. I examined my own body for injuries, and to no one''s surprise, found some. Apart from minor bruises, my left arm and left thigh were bleeding and my right leg was a bit swollen. I ripped a part of my sleeve and used it to tie my wounds to put pressure on the bleeding. "Hey, little cub! I see you''ve made it out alive!" General Zhang walked towards me, with Timmy by his side. "You... How did you even survive that?" I questioned him. He looked rtively okay even though he went berserk alone, with no visible injury aside from a few bruises and scratches here and there. Timmy also surprisingly looked okay, just messy. "Well, maybe you don''t know, but I''m waaaay stronger than Owen and Jeanne, y''know? There''s a reason I''m the first general. Isn''t that right, Timmy~?" He scratched Timmy''s neck, and the beast purred at him. Is that so? I took a peek at Owen''s status window, and sure enough, Owen''s stats were just a bit higher than Jeanne''s. He was on a different level. "Spooky." I inched further away from him. "General Zhang, what''s our next course of n?" Jeanne approached us, "we had deviated from the n." General Zhang''s creepy grin appeared on his face. "Of course, we rush in." Chapter 17: The serpents lair raid (4) Chapter 17: The serpent''sir raid (4) ''Bonk!'' "No, we''re not going to rush in!" I bonked general Zhang''s head with a dead alligator''s leg. "Ow, little cub, calm down! Don''t resort to violence!" He rubbed his head and waved his other arm in front of him. "Said the man who killed this guy." I pointed to the dead alligator''s leg in my hand. "I agree. We shouldn''t be careless. It''s better to regroup first, and think about our next move." Jeanne chimed in. "All soldiers, gather around!" Owenmanded right on time. Everyone except for those watching the perimeter gathered around Owen, including us. "Give me a report." "Yes, sir! Out of 57 people, 14 are confirmed dead, around 28 people are badly hurt. The 15 remaining are able to walk." The soldier reported. He himself was bleeding from his head and legs, but was still able to stand up straight and salute. "How many healers do we have left?" Owen asked. "Only 5 left out of 12 healers, sir. Two of them are badly injured." He replied. "Alright. What about the horses and our supply?" Owen inquired again. "Unfortunately, lots of our horses and donkeys got caught up in the fight, sir. We only have a few left, and our supply carts are in a bad state..." He reported. "Understood. For now, distribute the supplies from the badly-destroyed cart to our soldiers. Gather the remainder and load everything into one cart with the best condition, and wait for furthermand. Dismissed." Owen concluded. "Understood, sir!" The man saluted and left to carry out what he was tasked to do. I sat down on the ground with Jeanne and general Zhang while we listened to Owen. Honestly, I was d that someone as reliable as Owen was here with us. He took care to check on everything, even the supplies, and the animals. "General Zhang." Owen''s voice startled us. "Yes~?" He tilted his head. "I''m afraid there''s been a change of n. It''s too dangerous for you three to go inside their while being injured." Owen crossed his arms. "Oh? But I love challenges~" "I''ll be direct. I need you to head into the serpent''sir and stall some time for us," Owen started exining, "our soldiers are not in a condition to continue the mission. They also can''t go back without my watch. It''s too dangerous." "Wait, can''t we just rest here and wait for you guys?" I asked. "No. You must stall for time, and prevent the soul from being stolen." Owen straight up denied my request. "I''m going to escort them back, and then return with another army for backup. Can I trust you for that?" Owen sharply red at general Zhang. Instead of answering, a chuckle came out from general Zhang''s lips. "Are you kidding me?" General Zhang grinned, "of course you can! You don''t even have toe back!" Suddenly, the air around me got heavier and I got chills. "I''ll finish that serpent off before you even reach Alistair," his eyes widened, "and I''ll bring you its head. I''ll even bring you its guts if you want me to." He burst outughing eerily, and for a second there I genuinely feared for my life. "...Just do what you''re told. Don''t do reckless things," general Owen''s gaze shifted towards us, "this time you''re not raiding alone." General Zhang took a nce at us. His eyes felt dangerous, as if he could devour me at any time. I gripped Jeanne''s sleeve in an attempt to feel safer. "They can look out for themselves... Right?" General Zhang asked us. It felt more like amand rather than a question. "...We will be fine. Don''t worry about us, general Owen. Please escort them safely." Jeanne assured Owen, even though I could see the nervousness on her expression. "Are you sure?" Owen raised an eyebrow and turned towards me, "what about you?" "Well, I have a gun and I would not hesitate to shoot myself." I replied. "If you''re still able to joke around, I assume you''re in a good condition." Owen frowned at me. He turned around and left us to prepare the soldiers for a return journey. The soldiers were well-coordinated. They hauled the wounded and the dead inside the cart alongside the remaining supplies. And instead of riding the injured horses, the rest of them chose to travel by foot. Suddenly, I felt someone poked me on my shoulder. "What is i-- OH MY GOD!?" I stumbled backward when I saw a huge earth golem standing behind me. Upon closer inspection, he didn''t seem threatening. Instead, he was offering me a box. "...Is this for me?" I carefully asked. The golem said nothing and just nodded slowly with his hand extended, waiting for me to take the box. "Thank you." I smiled awkwardly and took the box from him. "That''s our first-aid kit. I guess Owen left some for us, just in case." Jeanne exined to me. The golem nodded at Jeanne''s words, and pointed towards himself, and then to us. "What? What does he mean?" I asked, totally confused. Jeanne also seemed to have no clue on what he was talking about, either. The golem tried exining again, this time he made a walking gesture and pointed at us once more. "Are you saying that you''lle with us?" I questioned. This time he nodded happily. I guess I was right? Well, another personnel would be a great addition to our barely-functioning team... -------- After Owen and his soldiers had left, we continued our journey to the serpent''sir. General Zhang had calmed down after he saw the golem, because he said the golem was ''cute''. Well, I mean... He wasn''t exactly wrong. Jeanne and I sat on top of Timmy, while general Zhang insisted on sitting on the golem''s shoulder. "Hey, how far ahead is the serpent''sir?" I asked while I finished up bandaging Jeanne''s arm. We didn''t get healed by the healers, because they were mostly busy caring for the heavily wounded. "We''re almost there~" General Zhang hummed. "...But I don''t see or feel any enemies. Is this normal?" I nervously looked around, and this time, I made sure to check on any mana around me. I didn''t want to die getting mauled by a chameleon''s tongue. I wouldn''t be able to face my ancestors up in heaven out of shame. "Well, we took out the serpent''s guards already, but it doesn''t make sense... Usually there would always be some who stayed behind to guard the serpent..." Jeanne brought her hand to her chin. "Who cares, if there are some left, that just means more kills for us, tee-hee!" General Zhang eximed. "I''ll be on the lookout. You can rest, Chaerin." Jeanne told me. "Thank you, Jeanne. I appreciate it." I smiled and turned away from her, pretending to fiddle with the first-aid kit. I took this time to silently open my inventory. This would be a great time to power up. I checked out my items, and I figured that I would need time to think about which skill to choose, so it''d be wiser to keep the skill book forter. Rather than a skill book, what I was aiming for were... [Water Alligator''s w (material) x3] [A water alligator''s w. Might be useful if grinded into dust] [Water Alligator''s gauntlet (equip: gauntlet)] [A gauntlet made from a water alligator''s scales. Very sturdy, but also a bit ufortable. +5 physique] [Water Bat''s wings (material) x1] [A water bat''s wings. Can''t help you fly, but they might be useful to craft something] [Water chameleon''s cloak (equip: essory)] [A cloak made from a water chameleon''s skin. Has an ability to change colors to make the wearer somewhat invisible to normal people] Hey, what the hell? Did I just get a very useful item? No, wait... If I read it carefully, it only worked for normal people. I sighed. It would be godly if it worked for monsters and trained people, too... Oh well, I''m sure it would still be useful one day. [Would you like to equip the item ''Water Alligator''s gauntlet''?] I muttered a small ''yes'', and the gauntlet materialized on my arm. It surprisingly fitted quite well. Now for the stat... [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 17] [Intelligence: 15 (+5)] [Agility: 12] [Physique: 17 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 4] Oh, my stats have risen quite a bit since our fight with those murder machines. Great. I should save my avable stat points forter, though. I wasn''t sure about the serpent''s ability and whatnot. I''ll just raise my stat ordinglyter. "We are nearing their''s entrance! Prepare yourselves!" Jeanne shouted. I immediately turned around and saw the huge cave entrance not far from us. The entrance itself was small, but the cave stood roughly over 20 meters tall. "Finally~! We''ll have some fun!" General Zhang stood up, "toodles!" Before we could even react, sparks of electricity formed around general Zhang''s feet, and he leapt forward at an admirable speed. "That slippery eel--! Timmy, after him!" I shouted. ''ROAR!'' With an excited roar, Timmy picked up his pace and ran as fast as he could to catch up with general Zhang. Meanwhile, the golem was walking peacefully, and picking up flowers. -------- We reached their''s entrance and got inside, except for Timmy, because he was too big. We stepped further in, and the first thing I noticed was... "Urk! It reeks of blood!" I covered my nose. "True... Was someone here before us?" Jeanne gripped her sword tightly. Even though the cave has abstained from sunlight, the inside was full of crystals that somehow emanated glowing blue light. Thankfully, the vision was still on our side. "No, not someone. They''re these guys'' blood." General Zhang picked up a chameleon''s bloody leg. "So the guards who stayed behind are dead..." Jeanne said. "Look carefully, here," general Zhang pointed at the severed leg, "this isn''t a wound made by sharp weapons. It looks more like a bite wound." "...Did the serpent eat its own guards? But why? Or is there another beast?" I pondered. "Maybe, maybe not," he put it back down, "either way, things just got more exciting~" I gripped my rifle, with my finger on the trigger. I needed to be extra careful with this extra info. We slowly traveled through the cave, which was surprisingly quite long and with many turns. The further we went, the wider the cave got. "It''s disturbingly calm..." I muttered to myself. "Watch your steps." Jeanne warned me. We kept going, until we heard the sound of water dripping further inside. Upon hearing this, all three of us stopped making noises, and began to use gestures tomunicate. There may be enemies up ahead, and we wouldn''t want to be discovered. And it turned out that we were right. There were still some bats left around. Surprisingly, Zhang took the lead to instruct us on when to advance and when to stop. Thanks to his leadership, we were able to eliminate all the bats without being spotted and without making a lot of noise. He can be quite reliable when needed. After walking a bit more, the cave finally opened up to a...ke? Theke reflected the bright blue glow from the crystals on the cave''s wall, and the water was clear, with some drops of watering from above, gently making a trickling sound, resulting in a scenery like the one in the movies. "Wow... It''s beautiful." Jeanne said, mesmerized by the sight. "I think it''s creepy." I said. I mean, it looked too good to not be a trap. "Shh. Stay here." General Zhang slowly walked forward until he was just inches apart from theke, while we stood there obediently. Suddenly, he froze. He stood there for what felt like a solid 5 minutes. God knows why. Then, finally, he spoke. "The serpent is dead." Chapter 18: The serpents lair raid (5) Chapter 18: The serpent''sir raid (5) "The serpent is dead." Silence fell upon us after hearing those words. Neither I nor Jeanne knew what to say. "...Dead?" I asked in a hushed voice. "Probably. Come here." General Zhang replied to me, but his attention was still focused on theke. We slowly stepped forward, through the damp ground beneath us. What did he mean the serpent is dead? Then what about its soul? Did wee inte? Lots of questions began to run in my head. "Take a look for yourself," general Zhang gestured his head towards the calm body of water in front of him, "see that thing over there?" I peeked over his shoulder, and was immediately taken aback by the sight in front of me. Inside the clear blue-ishke, lies a huge dark blue serpent, unmoving and lifeless. There was not even a faint trace of manaing from it. And Eli had told me that if there was no mana flow from a monster, that means... "Is it really dead? Or am I just inept at detecting mana?" I questioned. "This one is a hundred percent lifeless, at least," general Zhang answered me, "but I can''t say for sure if we failed or not." "Is it not the serpent we''re aiming for? Or are you implying that the soul is indeed stolen, but we can still steal it back?" I asked, while trying toe up with a logical exnation about what was going on here. "No, this is definitely the serpent we''re aiming for. I participated in the second serpent raid, and it looked just like this one." Jeanne exined, putting her hand on her chin like she always did whenever she was thinking hard. "Be on your guard." General Zhang suddenly said. We immediately looked around for any signs that could be useful, but I found nothing. I just saw plenty of glowing blue crystals on the cave walls, the calm and sereneke with asional drops of water, and the damp ground. Wait, the ground was damp? It may be because the ground was near ake, but it was still too damp. "I can''t sense any mana flow, but..." General Zhang pulled out two daggers he had been hiding all this time, and adopted a wider stance. "I can sense a killing intent." His eyes glinted red. -------- Meanwhile, Owen''s group had just entered the town''s gate. They marched inside, with Owen leading the group in the front. The news of the serpent''sir raid had spread fast among the townsfolk, and the second they heard the gate being opened, everyone gathered to get a glimpse of the group. The road was huge. Huge enough for an entire army with carts and cavalier units to march onfortably. But this time, the road looked empty and lonely. The stones paved on the road were used to lots of horses and donkeys stomping on them, and the trees nearby were used to the sound of metal nking every time hundreds of soldiers moved. This time, the crowd looked at the group with mixed expressions. Some of them gasped audibly with their hands over their mouths, while some of them just bit their lips and frowned, as if they already knew this would happen, but still hoped for a miracle which never came. The soldiers'' expressions were grim, but their eyes still had determination inside them. As the group marched on, more and more people noticed the smell of blood, and lowered their heads in response. "I''ve seen this sight hundreds of times, and I can distinguish the smell of blood as soon as I smelled it, but..." An old man watching the march among the townsfolk said to his wife, "I still can''t get used to it." His wife smiled a bit, and grabbed his hand, "me too," she said, "every time I see theme back, I still hope our son would be among them,ing home to us..." "I understand how you guys feel." Suddenly, a young woman nearby who was also watching the march pitched in on the old couple''s conversation. "Are you hoping for someone toe back, too, young miss?" The old woman smiled sweetly at her. The young woman smiled back at her, while gripping her half-heart-shaped ne, "yes. I''m still waiting for my fiancee who went missing 3 months ago." The old couple said nothing and just smiled weakly upon hearing her story. "We were supposed to get marriedst month... But I guess we''ll have to wait until hees back one day..." -------- "Take the injured to the infirmary! The rest of you who are able to move, treat the animals, quick, before they die! Call the Vanguard''s vet!" As soon as they stepped into the Vanguard''s area, Owen''s instructions thundered throughout the courtyard. "Help! We need more medic here!" A healer called out for help, to transfer the injured from the cart to the infirmary. As everyone was bustling around, Dmitri spotted Owen and ran up to him. "General Owen! I have urgent news!" Dmitri called out to Owen. "What is it, soldier Dmitri?" General Owen asked him with a dire look on his face. "I have a message from this boy..." Dmitri hesitantly said. Owen looked down, and found a skinny boy holding Dmitri''s hand. His other hand, however, was holding a rat. "Dmitri, we are in a pressing situation right now. I do not have time to babysit." Owen rubbed his temples. "No, general. This boy here has information about the serpent! ...Or so he says." Dmitri scratched the back of his head. Owen raised his eyebrows upon hearing the word ''serpent'', "what does he know?" "You see... Apparently, Wolf here can speak with animals. You know, speaking as in, really speaking," Dmitri started exining, "just like how we speak right now." "...If that is true, then he''s a Monad-type. A rare one, at that." Owen red at Wolf. "I am pretty sure it''s true, sir. I''ve checked multiple times, and it seems like he really could talk with animals," Dmitri patted Wolf, "go on, Wolf. Tell him what you know." "The snake sleeps. It was hungry, ate a lot. Now it sleeps." Wolf said casually. "He''s saying that the serpent was hungry and needed to eat a lot, and now that it had eaten its fill, it''s time to sleep." Dmitri fluently tranted. "I am more amazed at how you can understand him." Owen said. "Snake sleeps, few years, so there is new snake. Need energy, so snake eat, and then sleep. After that, snake new. New snake very angry, hate people." Wolf exined with hand gestures. "He said that the serpent usually sleeps every few years to evolve. Before it sleeps, it needs a lot of energy, so it will eat a lot, and then it will go into a deep slumber," Dmitri tranted, also with hand gestures, "and after it awakens, it would have already evolved into a stronger, very hostile serpent." "That is news to me... The other two serpents we defeated before this didn''t have time to evolve." Owen''s expression hardened. "Yesterday snake wake up. Snake very angry. Wolf can hear the snake. Painful." The boy pointed at his ears. "Wolf meant to say that the serpent had woken up since yesterday, and he could hear the serpent''s cry of anger all the way from here. He said his ears hurt from the aggression." Dmitri tranted perfectly. Owen''s eyes widened, "Dmitri, ask the boy further about how to deal with the serpent, or anything that might help!" Owen raised his voice. "Ah... Yes, I will." Dmitri was taken aback by Owen''smand. "Things may get worse if we don''t act fast... We left general Zhang''s group over there." Owen exined. "What!? Are they raiding their with only 3 people!?" Dmitri eximed. Owen said nothing and just stared at Dmitri with a serious expression. Dmitri quickly understood what that gaze meant. He gulped, and started asking the boy. "Wolf, do you have any clues on how to defeat the serpent?" Dmitri crouched until he and Wolf were on eye level. "No." The answer was very concise. "...That''s expected. It''s okay. Dmitri, prepare yourself. We are going to depart with a new squad soon." Owen crossed his arms and turned around. "But Wolf knows a way, so you strong." Wolf spoke just as Owen was about to leave. "What is it, Wolf? Anything would be great!" Dmitri said to him. "When snake evolve, snake skin go. Eat snake skin, you strong." He answered while petting the rat in his hand. "Dmitri, trante." "Yes, sir! He said that the serpent will shed its skin, just like a snake does, upon evolving. If we eat the skin, I assume something good would happen?" Dmitri exined, although unsure about thetter part. "That''s sufficient enough for us. Let''s go. We don''t have time to waste." Owen turned around, and this time walked for good, to start organizing a new squad. "Yes, sir!" Dmitri saluted, and then as he was about to escort Wolf back into the forest, he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. "Can Wolfe too?" He asked with his big, sparkly, puppy eyes. "No, Wolf... It''s dangerous. Big bros will go for a bit to kill the mean, angry snake, and then we''lle back, okay?" Dmitri patted his hair gently, with a smile. "Wolf have friend there. Not dangerous, Wolf strong. Friend strong." He replied. "I... Uh... Let me ask Owen..." -------- The new squad was quickly assembled in a mere 10 minutes. With Owen in the lead, they immediately marched towards the serpent''sir, this time with more urgency than before. They rode the horses across the in where the previous squad fought against the serpent''s army. "My friend is not here..." Wolf, who ended uping along because Owen thought he might be helpful, sat on a horse with Dmitri. "Don''t worry, we''ll find your friend soon." Dmitri assured him, even though he was really nervous for the kid''s safety. Sure, Owen said that the kid''s mana was ridiculously high so it would be fine, but that didn''t mean that the kid knew how to defend himself... Right? "That damn Elias... Did he know about this and targeted this day?" Owen cursed under his breath. Suddenly, he realized something, and immediately stopped his horse. Seeing that their general had stopped, the entire army also stopped their tracks. Without saying anything, Owen immediately touched the ground, and a cheetah-shaped earth golem appeared. "What''s wrong, general Owen?" Dmitri asked. "I will go on ahead first. You guys stay in formation, and keep up your pace." Owen replied hastily. "Why would you go on ahead first?" Dmitri inquired, panic started to creep on his face. "My golem, who was with them, had just been destroyed." Chapter 19: The serpents lair raid (6) Chapter 19: The serpent''sir raid (6) [One hour before Owen''s golem was destroyed] We stood in the middle of the cave, looking around for any sign of enemies. "Hey, you two," General Zhang called us, but his focus was on finding whatever was leaking its killing intent everywhere, "I won''t babysit." I nodded in silence. I already knew from the start that it was every man for themselves on the battlefield. Of course, I had no intention to die so easily. I strapped my rifle to my back and held my dagger instead. A rifle might be ideal to use against a boss monster like this, because it was safer to attack from a distance. But that was only if we have the element of surprise. In this case, they had the element of surprise, so it was better to use a short-ranged weapon. "...Shh." I put my finger in front of my lips, requesting silence. ''Drip.'' The sound of water droplets touching theke''s surface reverberated softly throughout the cave. ''Drip. Drip.'' There it was. The sound of another droplet, but softer. Only when we were inplete silence, it could be heard. I immediately looked around, and saw that there were multiple droplets falling onto the ground. They were just inaudiblepared to the ones dropping on theke. So that was why the ground was damp. "...Hey," I said in a hushed voice, "crystals and rocks don''t usually sweat, right? I mean, stctites do, but not rocks..." We swiftly looked up but found nothing weird in particr. It was still the same rocky ceiling we saw when we walked in, decorated with glowy blue crystals. Suddenly, general Zhang threw his daggers upwards, towards a certain pair of crystals. And then, the unexpected happened. ''KIIIIIEK!'' The ceiling moved. The whole rocky ceiling slowly unfurled itself into a spiral-shaped mass. General Zhang''s daggers bounced off of the pair of crystals, which upon closer inspection, turned out to be a pair of crystal eyes. "Is that--!" ''KIIIIEK!'' Before I could finish my sentence, I saw a huge jaw open among the rocks and crystals. Its fangs were huge, even a normal human pales inparison. As the ceiling unfurled itself more and more, the clearer it was. A huge serpent was on top of us this whole time, fooling our eyes with its body that was made of rocks and crystals, just like the cave walls. "How can there be another serpent!?" I shouted as I and Jeanne leapt backwards to gain more distance between us and the angry danger noodle. "Look out!" Jeanne cried out as the serpentunched itself to the ground towards us. ''BOOM!'' It targeted general Zhang straight away, with full force. It mmed its body on where he was standing, nning to kill the most threatening one. I used my dagger to deflect the rocks that were flying around from the impact, and immediately took cover behind a huge rock. It wasn''t the time to worry about him. He was a monster, he won''t die. "Jeanne! What''s the n!?" I shouted and readied my rifle. Do I shoot here? Which part to shoot? ...Well, no time to hesitate. ''Bang! Bang!'' I shot its eyes without dying any longer. Whatever creature it was, if it can''t see, it will be significantly weaker. As I shot, sparks flew on top of the serpent. It was general Zhang. He had somehow got away unscathed andnded on the serpent''s head. Being able to transform your body into water really was useful. ''BZZT! PANG!'' I saw white for a moment as general Zhang''s lightning crashed against the crystal eyes of the serpent. I held my fire to not identally injure general Zhang. ''KIIIEK!'' Without pausing even for a moment, he pulled his daggers that he threw earlier with water strings, grabbed them, and stabbed them deep into its eyes. As I heard a crackling sound, general Zhang jumped down from the serpent''s head to gain some distance. "That''s the serpent we''re looking for." General Zhang said to us. "So what was that thing inside theke?" I asked. "Don''t know, doesn''t matter. Right now our priority is taking that thing down." He answered me. The serpent, now without eyes, slithered around while hissing at us. Its forked tongue was huge, I''d probably get hurt if I was to get pped by it. I took this moment to look into its eyes, checking if my skill still worked. [Enemy: Evolved Serpent, rank 5] [Weakness: it has two hearts, one just behind its head, and the other in its tail] I could see its weakness? Did that mean it could still see without its eyes? "Hey, careful! That thing can still see us!" I alerted the others and climbed up a big rock to get to the higher ground. "Howe!? Its eyes were destroyed already!" Jeanne eximed while she summoned dozens of steel spears on top of the serpent and rained them down on the angry noodle. ''HISSSS!'' The spears failed to pierce its rock-hard body and bounced off, angering the serpent even more. It started to flick its tail repeatedly towards us. General Zhang and Jeanne easily dodged all of its attacks. He then gathered his electricity andunched it against the serpent''s crystals. I noticed what he was doing, and immediately followed suit, raining down on the crystals with bullets. He had quickly grasped that we probably would be wasting time trying to pierce through its rocky body, and so he was trying other methods to injure the serpent. ''Crack!'' The crystals broke, and surprisingly, water started to flow slowly from where the crystals once were. So that was where the water drops came from. General Zhang''s eyes widen upon seeing the water flow, as if he noticed something. "Back off!" General Zhang shouted, and immediately somersaulted backwards. Jeanne summoned more spears and this time, targeted the crystals, too. The moment the crystals broke and the water touched Jeanne''s spears, the spears melted away. "That''s not normal water. It''s probably simr to acid, but only effective against things with mana." General Zhang informed us. "So that means including us." I added. "Yes. I''m still not sure, but seeing that it had no effect on the ground, but immediately melted Jean-jean''s spears and my skin, it''s better to note in contact with it." He grinned. His skin? I nced down and saw his left arm was bleeding a lot. This bastard got his arm melted off, and yet he grinned like a maniac. Thank god he was on our side. "Haha! Yes! This is fun! Fight me more, you worm!" His grin widened as he lunged towards the top of its head and grabbed one of the rocks there. He started to pull the rock off with both hands, while he pressed his legs against the serpent''s body to maintain a stable position on top of its head. I couldn''t deny that his observation skill was indeed impressive. He may move recklessly, but his moves were calcted. He was able to react the fastest when we first discovered the serpent, and he was always the first one to devise a new strategy, like this one. "Jeanne! Let''s support him!" I fired rapidly at the serpent to prevent it from moving too much, so general Zhang can focus on peeling that damn noodle. ''Crack!'' "Got you, you worm!" The rock came off and the serpent let out a deafening shriek, before iling even harder. "General Zhang! Its hearts are located behind its head and in its tail! We''ll go get the one in its tail!" I shouted as hard as I could, hoping that he would hear my voice. "Okay, little cub~" He hummed and thrust his arm inside the hole he made from removing the rock, and electrocuted the insides of its body, effectively slowing down its movements. ''KIIIEK!'' I quickly jumped down from my high ground and ran towards its tail. I switched to my dagger and stabbed it as hard as I could into its rocky body until it was stuck, and stepped on that dagger to climb up its tail. "Jeanne! Help me!" I shouted as I tried my best to not fall off from its iling tail. "I got you, Chaerin!" I expected her to just stab the tail or whatever, but instead, she threw her weapons aside and used both of her hands to grab the rocks on its tail, hindering its movement. "Wow, she sure is strong, as expected of a general..." I muttered to myself and grabbed a rock to pull it off. "Ugh...!" I tugged at it, but it won''te off. General Zhang sure is scary to be able to pull this thing off that easily. Luckily, I had a trump card. [Skill: ''Fighting dirty'' is activated. Your stats are increased by 3 points each] [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 20] [Intelligence: 18 (+5)] [Agility: 15] [Physique: 20 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 4] [4 Stat points have been used] [Strength: 20 --> 24] "Take this you danger noodle!" I finally plucked that rock off, revealing a translucent body beneath the rocky surface, enabling me to see its insides. "Wrong ce, I can''t see the heart!" I told Jeanne. "Go! I''ll hold its movements!" She shouted back while she focused all of her strength on gripping the serpent. I nodded and immediately went to look for another rock to pull. If I thought about it, the heart must be the most important part of its body. Wouldn''t it be natural to have extra protection for it? My eyes scanned the rocks surrounding me, and found a spot near the edge of its tail, where a lot of crystals were suspiciously gathered. "Found it!" It was impossible to pull off the rock since it was hidden beneath the crystals. But if I destroy the crystals, I would die from the acid. I immediately unstrapped my rifle from my back and aimed it towards the crystals. "Jeanne, prepare to run!" I warned her. She nodded, and released her grip as I shot. ''Bang! Bang!'' ''KIIIEK!'' The crystals shattered, and as the serpent iled around, drops of acids flew everywhere. I was unable to hold my bnce because my hands were on my rifle, and as a result, I was thrown to the ground. "Ugh!" I rolled on the ground, feeling the impact on my right shoulder. As I tried to stand up, I saw a blob of acid flying towards me. I instinctively held up my left arm to guard my head, and threw my body to the side. I heard a faint sizzling sound as I felt a sudden sharp pain in my arm. The acid had grazed the side of my arm, melting my skin, dyeing my arm red. "Jeanne! Watch out for the acid!" I shouted towards her. "Don''t worry about me!" She used her wind to blow every drop of acid out of her way. ''SPLAT!'' What the hell was that noise? "Hey, little cub, I got one~" General Zhang hummed and waved at me with a bloody hand, gripping a crushed serpent heart. While I was busy pulling off one rock, this bastard had peeled the serpent''s neck clean. He didn''t bother to check where the heart was, he just pulled off every rock he saw. ''KIIEEEK!'' The serpent writhed around in pain, and started to twist and m his body on the ground. "Argh--!" General Jeanne, who was near its tail, got mmed on the ground. "Jeanne!" I immediately ran towards her, but the serpent swiftly lifted up its tail again, and mmed it down hard. ''BAM!'' Chapter 20: The serpents lair raid (7) Chapter 20: The serpent''sir raid (7) ''BAM!'' The serpent''s tail met Jeanne''s sword. In a split second, she managed to summon a sword and used it to hold against the tail. "Jeanne! Thank god, hold on, I''ming!" I shouted at her. I almost forgot that she was an experienced general, and she wouldn''t die so easily. Still, I had a mini heart attack. "Little cub, I''ll get her out. You go get the other heart." General Zhang casually said to me. "What?" "I can''t get over there. I''d get burned by the acid, y''know? I can''t use my water body against acid, too~" He pouted. Before I could retaliate, he already dashed forward to help Jeanne, leaving me behind. "Ugh, that bastard... He''s sending me to my death." I cursed, but he''s right. I have to find a way to somehow not die while getting its heart... I ripped my left sleeve at the shoulder and tied it over my wound to apply pressure on it. ...Wait. My sleeve didn''t melt from the acid earlier. Now that I thought about it carefully, the acid only worked for things with mana. That was also why my glove was safe. I immediately got an idea. I tucked my hair inside my helmet and ripped my other sleeve to use it to cover my face under my mask. I need doubleyer protection for my head. And then I scraped some mud from the damp ground, and applied it all over my exposed areas, including the parts that weren''t covered by my gauntlet, and the areas where my clothes were torn. I looked like a caveman, but hey, as long as it worked. I made sure the mud on my skin was properly sticking and thick, and then I ran towards its tail. "General Zhang, prop me up!" I shouted. "Okie~" He came over and offered his hands for me. I stepped on his hand, and heunched me upwards. "Take care of Jeanne!" I told him while I grabbed the serpent''s rocky body to not fall again. "Don''t worry about us, little cub~" He said. "I can still fight, don''t worry." Jeanne stood up even though her left leg was bent the wrong way. She then summoned a spear and used it as some kind of crutch to help her walk. "Come, you damn serpent." She picked up a sword and prepared to attack the serpent. Damn, she was badass. This was one of the reasons why I admire her. While general Zhang and Jeanne were busy distracting the serpent''s head, I crawled over carefully towards the gaping hole on its tail. I carefully touched the acid that was pouring from the shattered crystal, and... "Shit." The mud wasn''t able to coat me well-enough. A tiny bit of the liquid seeped through and burned my skin. "Oh well. I''d probably die from infection anyway. This ce is nasty." I braced myself and endured the burn, and plunged my arm into the hole just like general Zhang did. Except, the translucent jelly inside wasn''t actually jelly-like. It was hard, kind of like thick leather. How did that bastard manage to puncture this thing with his bare hand? I pulled out my dagger, my only choice of weapon because my rifle went missing when I fell down earlier. I coated my dagger with my mana as much as possible, and stabbed through the fake jelly. ''KIIIEK!'' The serpent shrieked, and tried to turn its head around towards its tail, but was stopped by general Zhang and Jeanne. Unfortunately, even though it couldn''t turn around and bite me, it could still move its tail. It flicked its tail swiftly and crashed it against the cave walls. ''BOOM!'' "Kkh--!" My body felt like it was crushed by a huge force. During times like these, I really felt grateful for the system. Thankfully I''ve raised my physique a bit, so at least I didn''t die instantly. I gripped my dagger tighter and ripped its body open. I plunged my arm all the way to my shoulder to try and reach the heart, but it was deeper than I thought. "Ugh, just die, you damn snake!" I shouted and concentrated my mana, igniting mes from my hand to burn its body all the way to its heart. ''KIIIEK!'' The serpent shrieked loudly and thrashed around, crashing his body against everything he could find. In the middle of the chaos, it flicked its tail upwards,unching me into the air. "UWAHH! I''m gonna dieeee!" I screamed as I was thrown 20 meter-ish into the air without any sort of protection. "Chaerin! Be careful!" I was almost pped by the serpent''s tail midair, when Jeanne used her wind to maneuver me out of harm''s way. "Don''t be scared, little cub, justnd~!" General Zhang shouted at me. "Do you think I''m a cat? I''ll die if Ind!" Hey, wasn''t this a good time for some miracle to happen? If I were miraculously brought into this world, surely I won''t die miserably this fast, right? Please, system! Do something! "Sheesh, fine, I''ll get you." Out of nowhere, general Zhang started stretching. After he finished stretching his legs, he stepped on the serpent''s long, twisty body to jump upwards and caught me midair. He held me closer to his chest, and grinned at me mockingly. "I suppose this cub is still needy, huh?" He teased me. This bastard. I swear one day I''ll kick his ass. "Shut up." I smeared mud on his smooth face. That was for sending me to death and mocking me. Hended perfectly on the ground, without any cracking sound. The human body sure was amazing in this world, to be able to withstand such anding. "Jeanne! Let''s take cover!" I immediately hopped off from his arms and ran towards Jeanne. "Hey, where''s my thanks?" General Zhang said. "Here, I''ll help you!" I put her arm over my shoulder and helped her walk behind a huge rock near the wall. Hopefully, the serpent''s violent thrashing won''t hit us here. "I got ignored..." General Zhang pouted, as he kicked an iing rock that was flying towards us because of the serpent''s movements. "Thank you, Chaerin..." Jeanne said with a frown on her face, trying to endure her pain. We hid behind a huge rock, while we tried our best to deflect any iing rocks or acid that came flying towards us. The serpent itself hadn''t died yet, and was writhing in pain. I guess my mes need a bit of time to thoroughly burn its heart. "Jeanne, let me look at your leg." I crouched down beside her, who was sitting against the wall. "I''ll be okay. I''ll hold on until the healerse." Jeanne said. Her breathing was rough, and she was sweating a lot. Even though her physique stat was high, but I guess getting crushed by a huge serpent was still very damaging. I looked at her left leg, and it was horrible. I saw it bent the wrong way, sure, but upon closer inspection, it was bleeding heavily and was already swollen. "Do we still have the first-aid kit?" I asked her. "No, it was lost during our fight..." She replied grimly. Damn it. We didn''t know when the healers would arrive. And we had no spare cloth to use too, since coverage was really important against acid... "I''m sorry, Jeanne. I''ll have to rip this off." I took my dirty gloves off to work as cleanly as possible with my bare hands, tore her sleeve, and turned it inside-out. This wasn''t exactly clean, but I guess the inside was cleaner than the outside. I then applied pressure on her leg, in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding as much as I could. "Ugh!" She winced as I pressed on her wound. "Please hold on. I''m sorry." I took her spear that she used as a crutch, and tied it to her leg to keep it from moving too much. "Thank you... Chaerin..." Her breathing was heavy, but she tried her best to withstand the pain. "I''m sorry for tearing your sleeve off. Please use your wind magic to be extra careful of the acid, okay?" It was actually not ideal to remove any clothing, because the acid couldn''t pierce them. But hey, we didn''t have much choice. "Hey, you guys. Mind helping me for a bit?" General Zhang called us. He had been protecting us from any iing debris all this time. "Geez, you''re strong, it''s fine," I poked his back, "it should almost be dead by now, right?" "I guess so~" General Zhang hummed, "too bad I couldn''t y with it for too long." "You have a weird taste, you know?" I sighed, "let me have a look at your arm." I took his arm that was injured from the acid, and tried to put pressure on it to lessen the bleeding. "Is there any cloth I can use..." I looked around while pressing the wound with my palm. "Chaerin, you''re surprisingly well-versed in first aid." Jeanne suddenly said. "Ah, well... I''m sure most people can do first-aid. Anyway, could you help me rip the hem of my shirt?" I quickly shifted the topic. I knew that I should act like I''m a dunce to not raise any suspicions, but if they die here, I would also die here... And I was kind of fond of her, to be honest... Well, this maniac could die for all I care, though. But only after he paid me. I used the inner side of my shirt''s hem to wrap general Zhang''s wound. His arm sure was very muscr and sturdy. I wonder if my arm could be like that someday if I raise my physique stat? "All done," I pped his wrapped-up wound, "that''ll be 1000 chromas." I grinned at him. "Ow, little cub, where did you learn to extort people?" He grinned back at me, mockingly. "I''m not extorting. I''m just asking forpensation for my services." I pped his wound once again. "Ow, ow, don''t be so rough!" He pouted. ''KIIIEK!'' The serpent let out a long, high-pitched wail. It squirmed for a while, and was leaking more and more acid. Suddenly, it slithered towards theke with tremendous speed. ''Ssh!'' It threw itself into theke, sshing water everywhere... Except that wasn''t water, but acid. "Take cover!" Jeanne shouted and she made a wall of wind around us, so we were saved from the sshing acid. "What is it doing!?" I eximed. "I don''t know either. Be on your guard." General Zhang''s tone suddenly got serious and he brought out his daggers. We tried to see past the gust of wind around us, but it was blurry, so we waited in suspense. ''Crunch.'' What? ''Crunch. Crunch.'' "Is that... A crunching sound?" Jeanne said. "Is it... Eating? But, the only thing sitting inside theke is..." I gulped. Chapter 21: The serpents lair raid (8) Chapter 21: The serpent''sir raid (8) ''Crunch. Crunch.'' The crunching sound didn''t stop even after a while. Did it seriously eat its own dead skin? But why? "General Zhang, what do we do?" I asked, gripping my dagger. "Of course, we have fun." He grinned excitedly as sparks started to form around him. Why did I even bother asking. I should''ve known his head was messed up. Suddenly, the ground beneath us shook, and theke sshed once again. This time, an enormous rocky serpent emerged from it. In its mouth were pieces of dead serpent skin, glistening with clear blue acid. ''KIIIEK!'' I felt an abrupt explosion of manaing from the serpent. How did it survive? Didn''t I burn itsst heart? Did the skin offer some kind of protection or recovery? "Hey... Isn''t this kinda bad?" I took a step back, intimidated by the seemingly invincible serpent in front of me. [Enemy: Evolved Serpent, rank 5] [Weakness: the artificial heart in its stomach] What? Did we identally make eye contact? It was like this earlier, too, even though we cracked its eyes already. And what was this artificial heart thing? Did it get a new heart by eating its skin? That was hardcore, man. "Wait," I whispered to myself, "I think we''ve been approaching this the wrong way." I suddenly remembered what Eli had told me. -------- "Chaerin-ah, I killed a serpent all by myself today. Praise me." The 20-year-old Elias grinned mischievously at Chaerin. His shirt was dirty and torn, and his chiseled body was full of new and old bruises. Loneliness was painted all over his tired face, and yet his eyes still shone brightly when he saw the girl before him. "You did? Howe? I thought you said a serpent is pretty strong?" The dark-haired girl in front of him beamed with such happiness upon seeing his face, even though her condition herself wasn''t exactly the best. Her hair was messy and her army uniform was clearly battered. Her uniform looked too big for her small but toned figure. "Yeah, it was difficult," he walked closer and stroked Chaerin''s messy hair,bing it with such delicate care, "it was easier because you helped me, though." "I did? But how did I help you? I wasn''t even there." Chaerin tilted her head to the side, earning a smile from Elias. "Remember what you told me about snakes in your world?" He gently caressed her head. "Ah, yes. I wasining about snakes near our camp... It was hard enough to navigate through the forest while constantly worrying about enemies and traps, and now we had to worry about snakes, too..." Chaerin huffed and crossed her arms in annoyance. "Well, that made me curious about snakes, you see," Elias pinched her cheek, "so I went to the library and read a book about them." "And?" Chaerin looked at him with anticipation. "And I found out that most of them don''t only rely on their eyes to detect prey." He winked at her. "Wait, really? I just knew that!" Her eyes sparkled,pletely immersed in his story, even though the young man was just telling a story about snakes. "Yes. They also use smell to track their prey, kind of like a second ''sight'' for them. You see, they smell using their tongue and mouth," he exined with a smile on his face, "so I just need to rob them off those senses, and it''ll be an easy win." "You scare me sometimes, you know that?" Chaerin pinched his left cheek back. "Haha, but I did great, right?" Eliasughed genuinely at her. He grabbed her hand that was pinching his cheek, and cupped her hand gently against his cheek, like usual. "Praise me, Chaerin-ah." He nuzzled at her hand and closed his eyes. Chaerin smiled, "you did great, Eli. I''m proud of you... And d you didn''t die." "I''m tired." He said, still closing his eyes and pressing his cheek into her palm. "If only we could meet in real life..." Her eyes trailed downwards, filled with sadness. "We will, one day." He assured her, even though he wasn''t sure how. "When we meet, I''ll take care of you, Eli. So you can get a much-deserved rest." She said to him with a sad smile. "No, I''ll take care of you, Chae. So you can finally feel safe." -------- ...That wasn''t a pleasant thing to remember, but it certainly did help our situation. "General Zhang! I think some snakes use their mouth to detect prey, you think you can do something about it!?" I asked him. "Me? You''re the one who should do something about it, little cub~" General Zhang winked at me. "What? Why me?" I tilted my head. "Well, rather than shing its tongue, just burn it. It''s just meat, tee-hee!" He replied. "No, wait--" "Did you know, little cub? Electricity can mess with muscle movements. I''ll hold it off for you. Toodles!" General Zhang dashed past the wall of wind around us, and maneuvered skillfully to avoid getting injured while throwing sparks of electricity around. "That maniac, he''ll die if he gets out like that!" I eximed. "Go, Chaerin. I''ll protect you with my wind." Jeanne said. She couldn''t walk, but she still managed to use her wind to make a wall around me so I could be safe from the acid. "Thanks, Jeanne!" I ran out towards where General Zhang was, and waited from afar until it opened its mouth wide to devour general Zhang. ''BOOM!'' I fired my mes straight into its mouth, burning the inside. It screeched for a bit, but then it immediately closed its mouth. ''KUWAA!'' It opened its mouth as it let out an ear-splitting noise, revealing a perfectly fine tongue. "Was my me not strong enough!?" I panicked. "Focus, little cub!" General Zhang kicked the serpent''s snout away from me. He then continuously bombarded the serpent with lightning strikes. I snapped out of my panic state, and immediately started thinking while I ran around to avoid any collision. What should I do? I didn''t have any stat points left... Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "Shop!" [Ding!] A window appeared before me, and I immediately clicked the search bar on the top-right corner. "Um... Acid? Acid-proof? Anti-acid?" I tried several keywords, frantically trying to search for a specific item. "Ah! This one, please!" [Would you like to purchase the item ''Anti-acid pill'' for 500 gold?] "Yes! Inventory!" I opened my inventory and quickly snatched my newly-bought pill. This would be a risky y, but I''d rather die trying than not. I threw the round red pill into my mouth and immediately swallowed it. [The item ''Anti-acid pill'' is now in effect. Your body will be immune to acid for 10 minutes] Too bad it only worked for 10 minutes, even though it literally cost me almost all of my gold. "Please hold on, general Zhang!" I shouted as I ran towards theke. "Don''t mind me! I''m having fun!" He replied while he had his maniacal grin on his face while he fought the serpent. Both sides didn''t seem to n to back down soon. "Jeanne, you can focus on protecting general Zhang now, I''ll be fine!" I alerted her. I should be safe now that I was immune to acid. I looked around me, trying to find the key to my n. It should be around here... "There it is!" I picked up a small piece of the serpent''s skin that fell off from the serpent''s mouth earlier. It was hard and coated with acid. But it shouldn''t be a problem for me anymore. I stepped on the skin to break it into smaller pieces that I could swallow, and braced myself to eat all of it. "...I think I''ll get diarrhea and an infection after this trip." I gulped all the pieces down in one go. ''Ba-thump!'' Ugh..! I... My stomach and heart felt like they were burning! ''Ba-thump!'' I fell on my knees as I felt a tremendous amount of pain surging through my body. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. ''Ba-thump!'' Did my n fail? Was it a bad decision to eat the skin? I thought it would give me an artificial heart, too, or instant recovery, like the serpent did... I felt my vision blur and the world seemed to spin around me as I started to feel my consciousness slipping away. ''Thud!'' -------- "Chaerin!" Jeanne shouted upon seeing Chaerin''s body fell on the ground, motionless. ''What happened to her? I saw her swallow the skin pieces... Did the skin kill her?'' Jeanne thought to herself. "Come at me, worm! Hahaha!" General Zhang kept exchanging blows with the serpent, even though his body was already full of injury. Blood trickled down his head, and the wound on his arm opened up again. Bruises could be seen under his shirt whenever he moved fast enough to lift his shirt a bit. Suddenly, the serpent circled around him, and in one swift motion, it trapped him in a deadly, crushing grip. "Ugh--!" He winced, but his mouth was smiling in delight. ''KIIIEK!" The serpent bellowed and tightened its grip on general Zhang''s whole body. "Unfortunately, you picked the wrong guy to strangle." General Zhang grinned. In a split second, he turned his body into water, andunched himself upwards, freeing him from the serpent''s deadly grip. "Eat this!" He pulled his knuckle backwards, charged it with electricity, and punched the serpent in the head,unching sparks everywhere. ''KUWAA!'' The serpent screamed and writhed in pain, as a crack began to form on the area where general Zhang''s punchnded. He didn''t stop there andnded a few more blows on the serpent. For some reason, instead of attacking with long-ranged lightning strikes, he preferred hands-on bashing. ''KIAAK!'' It swiftly withdrew, gaining a considerable distance from general Zhang. Without sparing a second for him to get close, it rubbed its body against the cave walls, cracking the crystals on its body. Acid began to spill from all over its body, making general Zhang hesitate toe close. Seeing that its trick worked, the serpent slithered closer towards him with anger. ''BOOM!'' ''KIEEEK!'' "Over here, you overgrown worm!" Chaerin''s voice rang out. "Chaerin? I thought she was--?" Shock was apparent on Jeanne''s face. She fired her mes again, hitting the side of its head. This time, the serpent looked as if it was in pain. Her attacks seemed to finally have an effect on the serpent. "Yeah,e here. Your prey is over here." She grinned and beckoned the serpent toe. ''HISSS!'' Itunched itself with its jaws open towards her with such speed and force that the ground beneath them trembled. However, the girl did not move an inch. She just lifted her arms around her head, protecting it. "Chaerin, move!" Jeanne shouted. But, it was toote. The serpent''s jaws had closed. The girl was nowhere to be seen. ''Gulp.'' Chapter 22: The serpents lair raid (9) Chapter 22: The serpent''sir raid (9) ''Gulp.'' "Chaerin!" Jeanne shouted frantically. Her eyes couldn''t believe what was happening before her. She froze upon seeing the girl who was just standing there being eaten alive. In contrast, general Zhang was quick to act, and did not waste any time. ''BAM!'' Hended a heavy kick on the serpent''s snout and immediately followed up with a lightning strike to its left eye. "Tch. This damn worm. I''ll make sure you''ll die as painful as possible." He grabbed one of the fangs with both of his hands, and used his raw strength to pluck it off. ''KIIIEKK!'' Blood spurt from where the fang once was, and the serpent screamed in pain. It mmed its body on the ground repeatedly, trying to tten its enemy. "Hey, hey, don''t die yet. I haven''t even begun." He smirked, but his eyes were full of rage. Hended blows upon blows on the serpent, each blow was fully charged with electricity. Shockingly, his attacks worked even without having to consume the serpent''s skin, and the serpent''s body started to crack everywhere. "Don''t die on me yet!" He grinned andnded a powerful kick to its upper jaw, opening its mouth. His eyes examined the insides of its mouth, but unfortunately, Chaerin was nowhere to be seen. "Tch. That little cub..." General Zhang didn''t pause, and instead, immediately shed its tongue into pieces using a sword he made from water. ''KYAAK!'' The serpent screamed and tried to bit him by closing its jaws, but general Zhang held onto its fangs and resisted the immense pressure. He was now standing in-between the serpent''s jaws, one mistake away from getting crunched to death. "This is a really bad matchup." He said. General Zhang extended his right hand into the serpent''s mouth, and in a sh, his hand morphed into a water javelin, piercing right through the serpent''s head all the way from top to bottom. "See? It''s bad for you. I''m a slippery man." General Zhang''s devilish smirk was stered on his face. ''KKIIIIIK!" The serpent, now unable to close its mouth, squirmed in pain while trying to remove the javelin that was puncturing its head. Jeanne watched from afar, astonished by general Zhang''sbat prowess, and at the same time, griefed her own ipetence. ''...I could do nothing while my soldier died.'' She thought as she stared at her broken leg. ''If only I was stronger and braver... If only I could be as level-headed as general Zhang is, would it be different?'' She clenched her fist. "Would she be alive now, if I was a better general?" She muttered under her breath, while stroking the bandage Chaerin applied on her leg earlier. -------- "AHHH! What is happening outsideeee!?" I screamed loudly even though my voice was suppressed here. I got eaten for sure. But snakes swallow their prey without munching, so at least I still had my head and 4 limbs on me. But why was the serpent moving so much? I''m getting nauseous here! I couldn''t even tell up from down! As I slowly descended into its stomach, I tried my best to not puke and keep breathing. I was not worried about its stomach acid because of the anti-acid pill I ate earlier, but I was more concerned about the oxygen. I wasn''t sure if there was even any clean oxygen inside, or if there would be enough room for me to breathe. And, indeed, it was a bit hard to breathe due to its inner walls squeezing around me. ''Plop!'' Suddenly, I found myselfunched into a slightly wide, open area. It was filled with liquid acid and many monster carcasses, with asional rocks and dirt. "Oh my god, stop moving around!" I eximed while I grabbed the nearest monster carcass I could find. It was great that I could finally breathe normally without getting squeezed to death, but I couldn''t stand properly if it keeps moving around. Unexpectedly, the serpent really did stop. Did something just happen outside? Well, now I was able to stand on the monster carcass and observe my surroundings, so, good enough for me. "Huh. Didn''t expect you to be so obedient, worm." I mumbled to myself. The space around me wasn''t extremely wide or tall, but it was very, very long. To the point where I couldn''t see the end of it. It was also pretty dark, if not for the crystals on the stomach lining which emitted a soft blue glow, while also continuously secreting stomach acid. "Alright, I''m probably inside its stomach now. I have to hurry and find its heart, and then get out of here. Else, I''d be dead as fuck." I cursed. Why did I even decide to do this? "But how do I search for its heart...?" I put my hand on my chin, trying to think of an effective way. I had to crush its heart and get out in around 5 minutes, before the pill''s effect ran out. After trying to figure out the best possible solution, I finally decided to try something. "...I guess it''s worth a try." I made several fireballs and moved them around the stomach linings to lit up this ce more. As my fireballs danced around, I scanned the walls around me carefully. "There it is!" I spotted a ce where the stomach lining was pulsing aggressively. If my theory was correct, that might be where the big blood vessel was. I immediately picked up a dead alligator''s partly digested w, and stabbed it into the stomach lining. ''PSSHT!'' Blood gushed out from the wound, which was a good sign for my n. I promptly inserted my hand to plug up the wound, stopping the bleeding. "Please, work!" Once my hand was inside, blocking the blood froming out, I created a little fireball inside the blood vessel. Then, I concentrated fully on that one single fireball. I carefully tracked its movement, sensing where it was being transported to. If my memory wasn''t wrong, snakes mostly have a closed circtory system, meaning all the blood that came from the heart, will eventually go back again into the heart. After spending what felt like an eternity, I felt my fireball enter a ce with overflowing mana. "There it is!" I opened my eyes and rushed towards that ce. Fortunately, it wasn''t too far from where I currently was. I hopped from one carcass to another, and finally found a heart inside a crystal embedded into the stomach lining. "So that''s the heart..." It was beating softly, but rapidly. The glowing crystal encasing it gave off a calming feel, albeit it being the very reason why we lost so many soldiers today. I wasted no time and hastily pummeled on the crystal with all my strength. "Damn it, please budge!" I gathered my mana into my punch, and for a second I felt my stomach and my heart burning again. ''CRACK!'' The crystal cracked, and I kept punching it while mustering up any leftover mana I had left. Even though my heart and my stomach were burning like crazy, which was probably from the effect of the dead skin, but I''m d the skin gave me the power to inflict damage on this monster. Finally, the crystal shattered, leaving the heart open for killing. But unfortunately, my mana was depleting like crazy. It was a miracle I managed tost this long, especially since I used a rifle that was pretty heavy on mana consumption. "...Shop." My breathing was rough, but I managed to let out a word. [Ding!] A window appeared, and I immediately searched for a specific item without bothering to check on other items. At this point, it was a race against time. [Would you like to purchase the item ''Grade-E mana potion'' for 50 gold?] "I''ll take two." I quickly opened my inventory and took the potions. I didn''t have any gold left after buying these, but at least I had a better chance of survival now. I chugged down both potions, and felt like I was reborn. My mana was replenished in no time, and I was ready to bring an end to this raid. ''BOOM!'' I grabbed the heart and ignited it with my mes. In a sh, the space around me was distorted and I was almost thrown around. The serpent seemed to be wriggling in pain, causing me some difficulty. I tightened my grip on its heart so I won''t be carried away by the stomach''s content, and kept feeding my mana to my me. I can softly hear the serpent''s cry reverberate throughout its stomach, as the walls around me tremble. ''KIEEEK!'' And with one final cry, the serpent''s body flopped to its death. The heart on my hand had stopped beating altogether, and was now a piece of burnt meat. "Did I... Seed?" My eyes widened in disbelief. I tried to sense any manaing from the serpent, but there was none. The crystals had even stopped glowing, and my surroundings got dark from theck of lighting. "I really killed that thing... I can''t believe it..." I stepped back. "Oh yeah, what about the time!?" Panic quickly overrode my excitement as I opened my status window. [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 21] [Intelligence: 15 (+5)] [Agility: 12] [Physique: 17 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 0] [Special buff: Anti-acid pill (immune to acid for 10 minutes, time left: 1 minute)] My stats seemed to have gone down by 3 points each. If my ''fighting dirty'' skill was no longer activated, that meant the serpent was dead for sure. But the more pressing matter here was... "Crap." I only had a minute to get out of here. There was no way I could get it to puke me out of here since it was dead. I also didn''t have time to crawl my way up to its mouth. "I need to punch a hole on its stomach!" I started to repeatedly punch the stomach lining in desperation. I had no weapons, no avable stat points, and no gold left to get me out of this situation. Unfortunately, my attacks only left a few marks on the stomach lining. There was no hole in sight. [Special buff: Anti-acid pill (immune to acid for 10 minutes, time left: 40 seconds)] ''BAM! BAM!'' I continued my fruitless effort of showering the stomach lining with punches and scratches until my knuckles made cracking noises and my nails became bloody. [Special buff: Anti-acid pill (immune to acid for 10 minutes, time left: 30 seconds)] ...Was this really where I would die? I didn''t want to die yet. I haven''t met him here. ''BAM!'' I poured all my strength into one single destructive blow, hoping it would finally puncture a hole. [Special buff: Anti-acid pill (immune to acid for 10 minutes, time left: 20 seconds)] s, it heeded no result. The wall was heavily dented, but there was no hole for me to get out from. [Special buff: Anti-acid pill (immune to acid for 10 minutes, time left: 10 seconds)] I plopped down on my knees, sshing the acid that was pooling underneath me. "Haha, I''m fucked." Chapter 23: Reunion? (1) Chapter 23: Reunion? (1) "Haha, I''m fucked." As I sat in a pool of serpent''s stomach acid, I thought about him. About Elias. Will I really die here, in his world, without even meeting him? ''Crack!'' ...What? ''Crackle!'' I looked up, and was immediately blinded by the light. Before I was able to understand what was happening, I felt a strong tug on my sleeve. In a sh, I was pulled upwards and my eyes met a pair of beautiful red orbs. "Yo, little cub, you have a knack of being saved, don''t you?" The white-haired man in front of me grinned as wide as he could. His left arm was wrapped around my waist, while his other arm was pulling me up from the serpent''s gaping stomach. "Is this... General Zhang?" I squinted as my eyes were trying to adjust with the sudden change of light intensity. "No, this is Patrick." He replied. "Shut up, you slippery eel." I frowned. So it really was him. "Chaerin, thank god you''re safe!" Jeanne appeared behind him, looking visibly concerned. "But... But how?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Ah, it was thanks to that thing." Jeanne pointed at my wrist. I nced towards where she pointed at, and saw a bracelet strapped on my wrist. "Isn''t this the tracking bracelet you gave me earlier?" I tilted my head to the side. "Exactly. Thanks to that, we were able to precisely locate where you were inside the serpent''s stomach," Jeanne exined, "and that thing works by detecting mana, so when the serpent was dead but we found a mana source roaming around inside its belly, we assumed it was you." My jaws fell open when I heard her exnation. I didn''t even remember I had this on me... "...Thank you." I timidly said. To be honest, when I first received the bracelet, I understood why they would want to monitor me. But still, being monitored was never a pleasant thing for anyone. I kinda felt ostracized. However, it didn''t even cross my mind that they could save me by monitoring me. I was sad and lonely because they didn''t trust me, but I never fully trusted them first. It was ignorant of me. "I''m sorry, both of you." I looked down, feeling ashamed. "Why would you be sorry?" Jeanne said to me. I looked down and saw her bloody leg. She was barely able to stand using a spear as her crutch. And yet, she tried her best toe up here to save me. "I... I didn''t think you''d save me. I thought badly of you guys just because you were trying to be careful. I was insensitive, no excuses." I said while looking into their eyes, even though it was really hard for me to not get embarrassed. Suddenly, general Zhang put his hand on my forehead. "Did you hit your head or something, little cub?" He cocked his head to the side. "You... Do you want me to hit your head instead?" I pped his hand away. "Come, let''s extract its soul." Jeanne said with a warm smile. "We have to extract it?" I asked. I thought the soul would just be handed to us by some sort of magic and stuff. "Yes. Normally, the monster''s mana doesn''t just disappear upon dying. Instead, the mana was dispersed into the surroundings." Jeanne exined while we climb down from the serpent''s body onto the damp ground. "But for weaker monsters, their mana can''tst long, and will usually disappear in a matter of seconds," she continued, "however, for special monsters like this serpent, its mana was strong enough to be converted into life force, or if we extract it, a soul." "Ah, I think I get it. So the reason why we couldn''t feel its mana earlier was not because the mana had disappeared, but because it got converted into life force instead, right? And now we have to extract it to form a soul?" I asked while I circled Jeanne''s arm around my neck to help her walk. "Precisely." Jeanne confirmed. "Now, it''s my time to shine~" General Zhang waved around a talisman of some sort. "What is that?" I questioned. "Can''t you see, little cub? This thing''s a talisman, given to me by gramps!" Heughed as he teased me. "That talisman was made by one of our strongest extractors. Not a lot of people can extract souls. The headmaster entrusted that to us for this mission." Jeanne exined clearly, much unlike general Zhang. "Thank you, Jeanne. I''m so d you came with us." I sighed. General Zhang pped the talisman on the serpent''s head and started chanting something. Upon chanting, our surroundings started to glow in blue-ish color. The blue aura felt warm and revitalizing, and it slowly swirled and gathered around general Zhang. "He''s pretty useful, huh." I absentmindedly muttered under my breath as I watched the sight before me. "Yes. He''s our strongest general, after all," Jeanne apparently heard what I said, and decided to agree with me, "he was the one holding down the serpent while you were inside, too." "He did what?" I was surprised to hear that. "General Zhang got angry and used excessive force to hold the serpent down... He''s really powerful when he''s not holding back. I myself have never seen him go berserk, though." Jeanne said to me. So that was why the serpent suddenly stopped moving when I was inside its stomach. I probably wouldn''t have been able to kill it if general Zhang didn''t stop its movement. "It''s done~" He hummed. The blue aura hadpletely disappeared, and was now reduced into a single stone, resting on top of his palm. "So this is a serpent''s soul?" I stepped closer with Jeanne and took a glimpse of the teeny tiny stone he was holding. "Yeap! And with this, mission''splete~" He eximed proudly. "I didn''t expect it to be so small... I thought it''d be cooler, like an orb or something." I expressed my slight disappointment. I guess not everything that has magic in it would be cool. The soul was in the form of a smooth, tiny blue stone. It was brightly emanating a blue glow, much stronger than the crystals on the walls did. And I could sense a particrly familiar,forting feeling from it. Was it because it was made up of life force? "Hey, eel. Can I borrow that for a moment?" I asked. I was curious about it, but more importantly, I needed to touch the soul toplete my quest. [Quest: obtain the serpent''s soul] [Reward: ???] I thought it''d bepleted the moment we obtain the soul, but probably the system wanted me specifically to touch it? "No." He answered quickly with a grin. "Dude, just let me borrow it for one second..." I sighed. I didn''t have enough energy left to argue with this maniac. "No. What if you do something weird with it? Gramps will scold me~" He asked while trying to look cute by cupping his cheeks with his palms. "It''ll be more interesting if I do, am I right? Being too obedient isn''t fun, y''know~" I copied him and cupped my cheeks with my palms, too,plete with a high-pitched fake voice. "Hmm. That is true," he touched his chin with his hand, "but nope! Tee-hee!" "Ugh, please, just let me touch that thing. I couldn''t do anything dangerous in this state, anyway." I reached out to grab the stone. "Fine, fine, I''m kidding~" He grinned and opened his palm, revealing the shiny blue stone, "you''d die if you fight me anyway." "You''ll regret those words someday." I grumbled as I touched the soul. Hmm. [Quest: obtain the serpent''s soul] [Reward: ???] Weird. Nothing happened. Damn it quest, why must you always be so vague? "...Nevermind, thank you." I sighed and let go of the stone. "Are you on your period or something, little cub? You''re acting weird." He teased me with an innocent face. "No. Let''s just go home..." I turned around, feeling defeated. The soul was right there, and yet I couldn''tplete my quest. I had to decipher the quest''s intention to get past this. "Yeah. Let''s go back to the entrance. We can meet up with Owen''s squad in the middle." Jeanne suggested. "Are you sure you can walk like this, Jeanne?" I asked. Even though I was helping her stand and walk, I couldn''t help but feel concerned about her. "Yes. I''ll be fine." She smiled. I nodded, even though I wasn''t sure if this was the right call. I hope they have great healers back home, so she could get her leg fixed... "Stop!" General Zhang suddenly shouted. We tensed up and immediately stopped moving. "W-what?" I nced back at him, and saw his gaze fixed on their''s entrance''s way. "Timmy,e back!" He extended his arm, and suddenly, a wisp of smoke came floating from the cave''s entrance and entered his body. "Timmy? What happened to him?" I asked,pletely caught off-guard. "Timmy is part of general Zhang''s mana. That smoke just now was Timmying back to fuse with general Zhang again. However..." Jeanne paused. "However?" "If general Zhang is gathering his mana, that means he''s ready to fight seriously." I gulped. A new enemy, at a time like this? This world sure wasn''t giving me a break... "Something''s here. You guys go hide. Fast." Sparks started to form around his legs. I felt his mana surge as hemanded us to step back. I nodded and helped Jeanne to go hide behind a huge rock near the cave wall. If he told us to hide, that means we would only be a hindrance in this fight. We were no match against this new opponent. If so, what monster would be worse than an evolved serpent? [Ding!] [The item ''Fatedpass'' is reacting strongly] What? Apass? I opened my inventory, and saw apass I got from the beginner''s bag a few days ago. "Oh right, Ipletely forgot about this, too. What does it do?" I muttered to myself and took thepass out of my inventory. Thepass had a weird design. It was a round, goldenpass with only one letter on it. An ''E'', instead of an ''N'' for north. "...Why is it pointing towards their entrance?" Chapter 24: Reunion? (2) Chapter 24: Reunion? (2) "Both of you, don''te out unless I say so." General Zhang warned us. He extended his left arm, and an extremely thin made of water was formed in the cave''s entrance. Faint sparks of electricity could asionally be seen across the water. "Alright." I gave a short reply. I had to be able to protect myself and Jeanne just in case something were to happen to general Zhang. However, it didn''t seem possible in this situation. "Damn it... Isn''t there something I could do..." I cursed our circumstances. "Calm down, Chaerin. We just need to hold on until Owen''s squad arrives," Jeanne tapped my shoulder assuringly, "don''t be afraid. Your general is here." She smiled. "...You''re right. Thank you, Jeanne." A calming sensation suddenly washed over me. Jeanne was amazing, to be able to calm people down with only a few sentences. Even so, I didn''t n to just sit back and leave everything to them. [Ding!] I turned around and quietly opened my inventory window, making sure it was out of Jeanne''s sight. I skimmed at my mostly-empty inventory window, looking for a specific item. This item would be my lifesaver if used correctly. [Would you like to use the item ''Grade-D skill book''?] "Yes, please." A long list of skills appeared in a new window before me. I looked at each of them carefully and tried to guess their functions by their names. Most of them seemed to be attacking skills. They would certainly be useful someday, but they were not exactly what I was looking for right now. "C''mon, there must be something..." I hastily scrolled down, hoping to find something that might help. Oh wait, this one seemed useful. It was ''The Mentalist''. From the sound of it, maybe it would give me the ability to read people? Or to control people? Excited by the prospects, I clicked on that skill. Did I just identally found a gold mine? [Acquired skill: The Mentalist (active)] [Effect: Enables you to send a message to someone''s head discreetly, but you can''t get a message back (effective range: 1 km)] Noooo! I came looking for copper, and I thought I''d find gold, but it turned out to be dirt! My shoulders slumped down, disappointed with the skill I just chose. It might be useful for long-rangemunication, but how could it help me survive this situation? ''BOOM!'' As if on cue, the cave''s entrance exploded and the ground beneath us shook from the impact. Rubbles started to rain down on us. "Get down, Jeanne!" I whispered to her and grabbed her toy t on the ground, with my body on top of her. I made sure to cover her head with my hands. "I think the monster''s here. Sorry for being rough, but we have to keep quiet so it won''t notice us." I whispered softly to her. She nodded at my words, but her hand was already gripping her sword, ready for any surprise attacks. "My, my... What do we have here~" General Zhang yfully hummed. I peeked over the huge boulder in front of us, and saw the smoke slowly dissipate as a figure emerged from the cave''s entrance. It wasn''t a monster that came by. It was a tall, muscr man with hair as dark as the gloomy night sky, standing perfectly straight even though he had a huge sword strapped on his back. His blood-red eyes pierced our soul, and yet, they looked empty. "We''ve been expecting you, Elias~" General Zhang greeted him. Without sparing even one second for idle chat, general Zhang immediately bombarded his enemy with lightning strikes until everything seemed to turn white for a while. "Elias? Is it really you?" I murmured under my breath, still unable to believe my ears. I wanted to approach him right then and there, but my legs couldn''t move. Suddenly, the man leapt forward and charged towards general Zhang, totally unscathed. He used his bare hand to grab general Zhang''s head and bashed him to the ground. I wanted to shout, but I couldn''t reveal our position. Instead, I grabbed one of Jeanne''s avable weapons, just in case general Zhang was defeated. "I''m not looking for trouble, but if you insist~" General Zhang''s body split into a few water bodies and escaped his grip skillfully. He quickly reformed into his original body behind Elias, and went for his throat without hesitation. However, Elias dodged his attack and swooped down to kick general Zhang''s leg. The white-haired man stumbled for a fraction of a second, before turning into water again, and electrocuting Elias. While they were busy at each other''s throats, I tried to contact anyone within 1 kilometer. Unfortunately, the only people I detected were just us. Owen''s squad wasn''t here yet. ...Wait, so in a way, this skill could be used as a detection skill? I''ve struck gold! "Chaerin, you can still run, right?" Jeanne suddenly asked me. "Yes, I can, why do you ask?" I whispered back to her. "Since general Zhang is fighting seriously, and especially since his opponent is that person, there''s no guarantee that this cave will hold on," she exined to me, "if things turned out for the worse, I will need you to run and call for backup." "What? No, Jeanne--" "Chaerin, you can''t fool me. I know you''re smart, and you''re no stranger to the battlefield. I''m sure you also know that this is the best option for us to secure the serpent''s soul." She looked at me straight in the eyes. "I... I know, but..." I clenched my fist. She was right. The best option was to retreat and wait for backup. If we couldn''t retreat, then we should create a distraction while one person goes to get help. "You''re right. I''m no stranger to the battlefield," I looked back into her eyes, "and that''s precisely why I will not abandon all of you here." "Chaerin, don''t be foolish! If we all die here, our raid would have been for nothing! Go get help, so our soldier''s sacrifices won''t go to waste!" Her eyes looked determined, but I could see fear beneath that confident facade. "I''ve abandoned my friends for the sake of missions, and to this day, I still regret it. Is the mission really more important than my friends'' life?" I looked down and bit my lips. "To a stranger, the death of a soldier may amount to nothing, especially because lots of soldiers die every day. So, it makes sense to prioritize the mission that could save many people," I continued. "But to the family of the deceased soldier, their whole world may have just burned down. Who am I to judge whose needs are more important? Is the greater good always the better choice? Whichever path I chose, I''d be responsible for someone''s pain." I clenched my fist and a frown formed on my face. My voice cracked as I expressed my thoughts. I knew that the deceased''s family would be even more devastated if our mission failed, but was it really better to give up on a living person for the sake of a mission? I genuinely had no idea, and I might be making a bad choice right now. Jeanne froze upon hearing my words. Her frown disappeared, and a sad look filled her eyes instead. She looked down and put her hand on top of mine, slowly grasping my hand. "Nevertheless, I will try my best to not let their sacrifices go to waste." I tried my best to muster up a smile, even though I was pretty sure my smile looked crooked. ''BOOM!'' "Hand me the serpent''s soul." A voice echoed throughout the cave, filling my ears. It was the voice I''ve heard almost every day for years, except much lower and... Lonelier? It was hard to put a finger on it, but his usual gentle tone wasn''t there. Instead, he sounded full of rage and hatred. "Never." General Zhang replied while grinning, even though blood was dripping from all over his body. Elias choked general Zhang down on the ground with his bare hands. He paused for a moment, as if sensing something, before opening his lips again. "I can''t sense the soul on you. Where is it?" He asked with a scowl. "It''s cute that you think I''ll tell you." General Zhang struggled to reply while getting choked. He immediately jabbed Elias'' epigastrium, causing thetter''s grip to loosen a bit. He shifted into his water form and tried to escape, but was immediately caught by Elias. "Damn, how''d you negate my magic?" General Zhang grinned at him. "Stay here." ''Zing!'' General Zhang suddenly fell down and stopped moving, even though he was still fully conscious. "You... I''ve always hated how you''re able to seal my movements." General Zhang''s eyes were still following Elias. The dark-haired man said nothing and observed his surroundings. Suddenly, our eyes met. There he was, the same dark hair I used to ruffle when I teased him. The same eyes that looked at me with such care. The same mouth that had filled my days with his stories. The same shoulders I used to ce my head on. The same hands that used to hold mine. Then, a particr memory resurfaced. -------- "You know, I think I''d freeze on the spot if we really meet someday. Haha!" Iughed while I sat next to him. Today, nothing major happened, so we just idly chatted like usual, easing each other''s minds from our problems. "You should run to my arms like they do in the movies you told me about." He poked my cheek yfully while grinning. "That was a movie about a dog getting reunited with its owner..." I grabbed his wrist, hard. "Hey, when we meet someday, let''s have a secret code so we know it''s real and not a doppelganger." He shifted his seating position so he was facing me now. "Doppelganger? What, do you still believe in Santa, too?" I teased him and ruffled his hair. "In my world, you never know what would appear." He grinned at me. "Hmm... Makes sense. What should our code be?" I put my finger on my mouth as I try to think of something. "What about this?" He put his hand together to make a bird shape. "A bird?" I tilted my head. "Yes. A bird." He smiled and took my hands, forming them into the same bird shape. "Sure, haha! But why a bird?" Iughed. "Hmm, maybe I''ll tell you someday. For now, you just have to wonder." He flicked my forehead lightly and smiled. -------- The man walked closer towards me, without words. His eyes red angrily at me. "...Eli? That''s you, right, Eli?" I took a step back, fists clenching. The man in question said nothing and kept walking closer. "Eli, don''t you remember me?" My voice rose as my hands trembled. Why was he acting like this? "Hand over the soul." He said to me with the same emotionless voice he used with general Zhang. "You really don''t remember me?" My lips quivered. I held out my hand in a bird shape. "...Do you remember me now?" Chapter 25: Reunion? (3) Chapter 25: Reunion? (3) Elias walked closer and closer towards me. He showed no signs of hesitation. "Eli! You really don''t remember me?" I shouted in a mix of anger, sadness, and desperation. "...What are you doing, woman?" He answered me. His husky voice had a hint of anger, and he did not even spare a nce towards my sign. My heart sank. I let down my arms, and my legs felt like jellies. I''m... I''m very sure he was the same Eli as the one in my dreams. No doubt about it, from the appearance to the voice, they all matched. But something was definitely off with him. And the biggest difference was... He no longer looked at me the way he did before. He really didn''t remember me. "You... How the hell did you forget about me!?" Ished out at him with my fists at my side, trembling. "Stop spouting nonsense. Hand me the soul." He extended his arm towards me. "I don''t have it on me. More importantly, what happened to you!?" I replied. "If you don''t n to cooperate, then I won''t y nice." He sighed, and all of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain on my neck. "Kkh--!" I winced as he strangled my neck tightly with his right hand, leaving me no room to struggle. "I don''t go easy on women." He red coldly at me. I''ve never seen his cold gaze before in my life. I tried to pull his elbow down to escape his hold, but no matter how hard I pulled, his tough arm never budged, not even by an inch. His eyes scanned me from the top of my head all the way down until he stopped at my right pocket. "There, huh?" He reached into my pocket with his free hand, and pulled out a little blue stone. "...Wh-what?" I let out a question in the middle of my gasping breaths. How did the stone get into my pocket? It was definitely with general Zhang before... "Damn, you found it, huh... Even though I went through the trouble of slipping it..." General Zhang spoke. Elias said nothing and put the stone inside his coat. "No-- ugh!" Hended a powerful blow to my stomach and threw me aside to the ground. I curled up into a ball while holding my stomach. It was so painful that I felt as if the air had escaped my lungs altogether. "Chaerin!" Jeanne crawled to my side. "Kkh! Cough!" I wheezed and tried my best to stabilize my breathing. Elias didn''t even bother to check on me and instead started to walk towards where general Zhang wasying down. "You think you could fool me with your petty trick?" Elias stomped on general Zhang''s hand, making a cracking sound. "Heh, I didn''t expect the edgy prince to be this perceptive." General Zhang smirked at him even though his hand was misshapen. Elias took out the stone again, and put the stone in his mouth. ''Crack!'' "See this? If it was real, the mission would''ve already beenpleted," Elias said as he ate the stone, "this counterfeit is well-made. I don''t know where you got it from, but--cough!" Elias suddenly grabbed his chest. "Cough--! Is this... Poison?" Elias stumbled backwards. "Jeanne! Get the stone!" General Zhang shouted. "Yes!" Jeanne immediately used her wind magic to retrieve the real serpent''s soul from inside general Zhang''s pocket. The moment the stone fell into her grasp, I saw a ck coat flutter in front of me. "Too bad, but poison won''t do much against me." Elias had recovered and was now stomping on Jeanne''s injured leg. "Arghh--!" Jeanne screamed in pain as her leg''s wound opened up, and warm blood started to trickle down her leg once more. "Eli, you''re out of your mind!" I kicked his leg as hard as I could, but it heeded no result. My pupils trembled as I saw Jeanne gasping for air while Eli kept stomping on her without a shred of emotion on his face, aside from anger. This wasn''t the Eli that I once knew. "I''ll take the soul." He leaned down to grab the stone in Jeanne''s hand. I reached out and snatched the stone first before he was able to, and popped it into my mouth out of spite. "Fuck you, Eli." ''Crack!'' -------- Meanwhile, Owen was heading straight to the serpent''sir on his cheetah earth golem. He was approaching with a tremendous speed. ''Why are there no signs of monsters here? Did general Zhang''s squad kill all of them? ...Or did they all flee?'' Owen thought as he looked around the barren terrain. "Damn it, what the hell is happening?" Owen cursed as he tried to think of any possible events that might have caused this. Out of nowhere, a voice echoed in his head. "Help!" A woman''s voice alerted him. "Yoo Chaerin?" Owen''s eye widened upon hearing her voice. "Yoo Chaerin, is that you? Report to me! Where are you? What''s happening?" Owen responded with loads of questions. However, silence was the only thing that answered him. No reply came from her. Owen bit his lip, andmanded his golem, "faster, boy! We''re almost there!" -------- ... It hurt. It hurt so damn much. I couldn''t see anything. Everything around me was pitch-ck. I couldn''t even sense or feel anything. How long had it been since I ate that damn stone? I tried to call out to anyone, but nothing came out of my mouth. I tried to grab something, anything, but nothing was there. Was this the afterlife? Was I doomed in hell for all the sins I hadmitted? ...I didn''t like this ce. [Well, well, well... A new child, I see...] ...The fuck? Who was talking? [Calm down, child. No need to be so aggressive. You''ve cursed twice here already.] It could read my mind? Really? Um, cereal first or milk first? [Cereal. It''s been long since I''ve had some, though.] It really could read my mind. Oh god, that was so freaky. I hope I didn''t identally think about weird stuff. Bread bread bread bread bread... [Child, it''s pointless to ignore me.] Two plus two is four. Minus one that''s three. Three by three equals nine. [Child, listen to me. Do you want to go back or stay here forever?] Huh? I could go back? How? [Finally, you''re listening.] The voice let out a deep sigh. [I am the serpent''s soul. The third one. It''s been long since I''ve had a visitor.] It chuckled a little. Well, serve me tea or something then, since I had gone through the trouble to visit you, a lonely old serpent. [First of all, you can''t eat or drink here. Second, I''m not old. If converted to human age, I''m just a bit older than you, so you should call me big bro or something.] ...Could you just get to the point? [Fine, fine. Let me go inside you, and you cane back.] Excuse you? [Yeah. To activate the serpent''s soul, which is me, I need to fuse with your mana. Don''t worry, I will help you unlock your potential. It''s a win-win situation for both of us.] By fusing, did you mean like, taking over my body? [No, of course not. You see your white-haired friend over there? Well, you will sort of be like that. He has a tiger, and you will have me. With the added bonus of me unlocking your unexplored mana. Great deal, huh?] This felt shady... What were the drawbacks? There was no way it could be this good. [Well, the drawback is, if the fusion failed, you just die. Not a big deal.] What the hell? That was a big deal for me! Sigh... So this was how it feels to be scammed. Jeanne, Dmitri, I''m sorry for lying to you guys... [Hey, I''m offering you a chance here! If you don''t take my offer, you''d die anyway.] The voice huffed. So I didn''t have a choice. Man, I was scammed hard. Oh well, let''s just get on with it... I sighed. [It''s a deal then! Nice to meet you~] Suddenly, my vision was filled with a sh of light, enabling me to see my surroundings. I was drowning in some sort of bright blue water, and yet I could breathe without a problem and I could see clearly without the water stinging my eyes. "Hey there!" A chirpy voice came from behind me. I turned around, and saw a tanned, well-built man floating around. He had long, dark blue hair that turned bright blue at the tips, which perfectlyplimented his pair of piercing yellow eyes. His locks fluttered softly alongside his robe that barely covered his chest and abs. "Why do you look like this?" I frowned. Oh, wait, I could talk now? "Why? Don''t you like it? Ladies used to love it when I''m in this form." He tilted his head to the side. "Context matters. In this situation, I would prefer it if you''d just use your serpent form..." I facepalmed myself. I''d much rather fuse with a serpent than a human. It would be creepy as fuck to fuse with his human form, although he sure was pleasing to the eyes. "Well, if you say so..." In the blink of an eye, the man before me had turned into a cute little chubby snake with huge eyes staring at me. "Y-your snake form is this cute!?" I shouted as a rosy pink blush crept into my cheeks. I subconsciously extended my hand to give him pat-pats on the head while I squeal internally. "Hm-hm. Praise me, the almighty serpent." He proudly raised his cute little head. "Hehe, good boy, good boy~" I eagerly scratched his neck, earning a soft purr from him. "Wait-- no! I almost got carried away. Ahem-- let''s start the fusing process." "Ah, wait--" I couldn''t finish my sentence as a blinding light engulfed me, and I lost my consciousness. -------- "Chaerin!" Jeanne shook the unmoving body in front of her. "Foolish. Did she think she could endure the fusing?" A frown appeared on Elias'' face. He clenched his fists as he felt his emotions swell up. He didn''t know whether they were anger, annoyance, pity, or probably worry. All he knew was unknown emotions started to fill his heart, and he didn''t know how to handle it. He quickly turned around, getting ready to leave because he had failed to retrieve what he came for. But more so because he didn''t like the sudden emotions he was feeling. "Tch. That little cub was too feisty for her own good." General Zhang squirmed on the ground, trying to break free of Elias'' shackles, while his gaze was fixed on the unconscious girl beside Jeanne. Jeanne put a hand on the girl''s chest, and her expression suddenly became horrid. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped. "Her mana has disappeared." Chapter 26: Reunion? (4) Chapter 26: Reunion? (4) "Her mana has disappeared." Jeanne''s shoulders slumped for a moment, and her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes. She tried to check again, making sure her sensing ability was still functioning correctly. s, the result was the same. "General Zhang, what do we do...?" She turned to face the man who wasying on the ground, fear was apparent on her face. "...Stay there. Don''t do anything." The man answered, short and simple. Jeanne swallowed back her fear, and did as she wasmanded. She hated death more than anything, and she had never been able to get used to it even though she was surrounded by death every day. However, she was also a disciplined general. Duty came before feelings. Elias peeked across his back as he walked away, stealing a glimpse of Chaerin''s face. ''She''s annoying.'' He thought as he frowned. ''My head feels cloudy whenever I see her face, even though I just met her today,'' he stopped on his tracks, ''...Should I just kill her here before she causes trouble?'' "Hey, edgy prince. Your business here is done. It''s our defeat," general Zhang smirked, "go attend to your next business and stop rubbing salt on our wounds, would ya? Seeing your face pisses me off." "...I''m going now. You don''t need to tell me." The dark-haired man shot a re at general Zhang before heading off to the exit and disappearing from their sight. "...Let us head back, too." Jeanne grimly said to general Zhang. Her face was bitter and tired. Finally able to move, general Zhang stood up and stretched his shoulders, "let''s wait for Owen''s squad to arrive. I don''t wanna carry two people." "Okay..." Jeanne agreed with a weak voice and clenched her fists. "General Zhang! General Jeanne!" A new voice abruptly filled the cave. General Zhang and Jeanne looked towards the source of the voice and found Owen running up to them in a hurry. His breathing was ragged and he was sweating profusely. "What is the situation? Give me a report." Owen said to Jeanne with a serious face. "General Owen... I--" Jeanne struggled to find proper words to exin the situation. "Reporting. We seeded in extracting the serpent''s soul, but we had a run-in with that edgy prince, and now we are unable to confirm the mission''s sess. One heavily injured, one perfectly healthy--me, and one unknown." General Zhang cut her off and gave Owen the report instead. "You''re not exactly healthy." Owen remarked as he eyed the blood-soaked white-haired man from top-to-bottom. "And one unknown, you said? She''s dead!" Jeanne raised her voice a bit, but was immediately taken aback by her own action. She had always tried her best to keep herposure, but sometimes, cracks form, and she couldn''t always cover them up. "No. As you''ve heard from edgy mcedgelord earlier, she''s fusing," general Zhang answered nonchntly while stretching his legs, "ahh, it feels so good to be able to move~" "Fusing? What do you mean?" Jeanne asked. "You''ll knowter," general Zhang turned to Owen, "she ate the soul. Don''t worry, I''ll exin the detailster. Treatmentes first." He walked up to Chaerin and lifted her body, resting her head carefully on his chiseled chest, "you really do have a knack for being saved," he whispered to her. Owen nodded and walked up to Jeanne. His face scrunched when he saw the state of Jeanne''s leg. "Hang on to me." Owen offered his hand, which Jeanne immediately epted. He pulled her up and circled her arm around his neck, helping her to walk. "Thank you, general Owen." Jeanne looked down. Even though she was thanking him, her voice was dry and her frown was still resting on her bleeding forehead. "...Don''t use your injured leg for now." Owen said, ignoring her thanks. -------- The three of them stepped out of the serpent''sir. Their eyes squinted as the sunlight hit their unadjusted eyes. The sky was already painted orange and the sun was sitting on the horizon, just about to say goodbye. "Heh. At least we get a beautiful sight after all this trouble." general Zhang smirked. He took a couple more steps before he stumbled upon a pile of dirt with a little yellow flower on top of it. "What''s this? A grave?" He wondered. "No, that was my earth golem. That Elias must''ve reduced him to mere dirt." Owen answered spitefully. "Aw, I liked sitting on his shoulder. Summon him again, Owen!" General Zhang pouted. "Stay here. Wait for the others toe. It shouldn''t take too long." Owen tantly ignored him, and lowered Jeanne while helping her to sit down and lean on a nearby tree. He pulled out a few items from his pouch. A few pills, a sk containing some shiny liquid, and a bottle of water. "Take these painkillers. It''ll relieve a bit of your pain," he handed her the pills and opened the water bottle for her, "after that, drink this potion. It''s not much, but it''s infused with healing magic." "Thank you..." Jeanne muttered between her ragged breaths. "Don''t thank me. I don''t deserve any thank you, not when the oue is like this." Owen said while he checked Jeanne''s leg carefully. "We managed to secure the soul, even though it''s a bit different than we intended. This is a sessful mission." Jeanne gulped down the painkillers and the healing potion. "I''m not saying we failed this mission. This mission was undoubtedly a sess, and a huge step for mankind," his eyes were stern, "but I have failed as a general. And thus, I don''t deserve any thanks." Jeanne wasn''t able to say anything tofort him. She looked into his eyes that were steeled with resolve. Meanwhile, the lights in her eyes seemed to have dimmed. How could their gaze differ so much even though they harbor the same sentiment? "Quit moping around. If you feel so bad, do your job properlyter when you meet the family of the deceased." General Zhang said as he carelessly kicked a stone near his foot. "Ah! General Zhang! General Owen and general Jeanne, too?" A cheerful voice from afar alerted the generals and gained their attention. "Hang on, we''re here!" Dmitri shouted as he and the rest of the cavalries hurried towards them. Once they had arrived, everyone scattered around into formation. Some of the cavalries formed a circle to guard the surroundings, while the rest of them, including the healers, immediately rushed to aid the wounded. "We need healers over here, now! General Jeanne''s badly wounded!" "Hey, give me that first aid kit!" "Prepare the mana potions, we''re going to need a lot of mana!" Shouts andmands filled the air as they tend to the wounded. General Jeanne was hauled into the cart alongside the healers while Owen stayed behind. "General Zhang, would you hand the girl to us? We need to treat her..." One of the soldiers approached him timidly while fidgeting with his fingers. "Hmm... Nope! This girl will being with me. Tee-hee!" General Zhang grinned at the soldier. "Alright, sir... But what about you? You need some treatment, too..." He asked again as he took a step back in fear. "No need, I''m strong~" He ignored the soldier and left, even though he was soaked with blood and his hand was clearly broken and swollen. General Zhang looked around to find a nice, uncrowded spot, before saying, "Timmy,e out." A wisp of smoke came out of general Zhang''s body and slowly formed a familiar huge tiger in front of him. The tiger purred and licked his face furiously, and then licked the girl in his embrace. "Haha, Timmy! That tickles! Did you miss me, Timmyyy~?" He cuddled closer to the tiger, earning more purrs from the huge beast. "Ah! Mr. Tiger!" A child''s voice suddenly popped out of nowhere. "Wolf, don''t run around by yourself!" Dmitri came running behind the boy. "Mr. Tiger is Wolf''s friend!" The little boy approached the tiger excitedly as his eyes twinkled in delight. ''Roar!'' The tiger greeted the boy with a gleeful roar before licking the boy again and again, until the boy''sugh resounded in the air. "Wolf misses you, Mr. Tiger!" He rubbed the tiger''s tummy eagerly. "Ah, it''s you." General Zhang let out a casual remark. "Wait, you guys know each other? And Timmy is Wolf''s friend?" Dmitri questioned loudly,pletely caught off-guard. "Yeah, that''s true." General Zhang responded as he climbed on top of Timmy andid the unconscious Chaerin slowly onto Timmy''s fluffy fur. "Wait, general Zhang! What happened to Chae?" Dmitri asked with a worried look on his face. After all, he heard a creepy premonition from Wolf earlier. "Hmm... We''ll let out an official statement soon, so stay tuned~ I can''t reveal too much info to just everyone, or else I''ll get smited with the holy hammer of lecture by gramps~" General Zhang replied with a high-pitched voice while imitating a news reporter. "But--" "More importantly, could you get me a marker? Permanent marker, if possible." General Zhang cut him off. "What?" Chapter 27: New mission (1) Chapter 27: New mission (1) ''Chirp, chirp.'' ...Is that the sound of birds? Is it morning already? ''Chirp, chirp. Chirp.'' So noisy. "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.'' "Agh! What the hell is up with these birds!?" I abruptly woke up from my peaceful slumber and immediately sat up in frustration. "Ah! You finally woke up, Chae!" A familiar bear-like figure with a blinding smile was sitting on a chair by the window near my bed. He was surrounded by numerous small yellow birds. "...Dmitri?" I squinted my eyes, trying to adjust to the lighting. "That''s me, haha! d your memory is working fine!" He grinned from ear-to-ear. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Me? I''m feeding the birds! For some reason, the birds gather here a lot. I think they probably like you. So, I brought bird feed, haha!" He said with a smile while offering me a bag of bird feed, "wanna try feeding them?" "No, I mean, where is this? What happened?" I said no, but I still snuck my hand inside the bag and grabbed some bird feed. "Ah, we''re in the infirmary. General Zhang brought you here after you fainted." Dmitri exined. "How long has it been since I passed out?" I question while I extended my palm to offer the birds some food. ''Chirp, chirp!'' They chirped delightfully and began crowding my palm. "Surprisingly, only 3 days! Haha!" He held up 3 fingers. "Only!? Oh my god that''s a long time! Does that mean I haven''t bathed in 3 days!?" I eximed. Horror was apparent on my face. "Ah, don''t worry about that, we have nurses here who take care of that, haha!" Dmitri scratched the back of his head, "and, well, general Zhang said the process may take up to a week, so I thought 3 days are good enough." "What process?" I asked as I grabbed a few strands of my hair and started sniffing them. Hmm, surprisingly, I smell like some kind of thinner. Wait, thinner? "I''m also not sure, but general Zhang was talking about fusing or--" "Dmitri, why do I smell like thinner?" I tried smelling my shirt, but only the smell of thinner filled my nose. "Um... That... You should probably ask general Zhang?" He looked away and scratched his cheek nervously. "What the hell is happening?" "Good morning! I see the sleeping beast is awake now! You''re so noisy, I could hear your voice from outside, y''know~?" General Zhang barged in with an apron and a bowl of soup. "Your appearance is suspiciously right on cue. Were you listening the whole time and just waited for a dramatic entrance?" I shot a re at him. "No way~ I would never do that~" General Zhang answered with his high-pitched voice, "I even brought you soup, you see!" He put the bowl of soup on the table, and the birds immediately flew away. Every single one of them. Its appearance was gross at best, with hideous purple-brown color and gooey consistency,plete with a putrid smell that overrode the smell of thinner that I kept smelling. "I.. I''m not hungry," I declined, fearing for my life, "rather than that, exin the situation to me." "Ah, right. Congrattions on your sessful fusing!" General Zhang happily eximed as he sat on my bedside. "You know about fusing?" I scooted over to gain some distance from him. Now that I thought about it, the serpent did say general Zhang had a tiger that he got through fusing, too. "Of course, I fused with Timmy. Tee-hee!" He raised both of his legs onto the bed. "Hey, don''t raise your feet if you haven''t washed them!" I scooted over even further to gain more distance. "Hey, little cub. Do you feel any difference after fusing?" He ignored my remark and asked another question instead. "Not particrly." I answered while giving him a murderous look for his bed manner. Who even steps on a perfectly fine bed with unwashed feet? "Try calling your familiar. Y''know, the serpent." He said to me. "How do I call him? Like, bonjour? Knock-knock, Mr. Serpent? Moshi-moshi serpent-kun?" I tried various ways to call him. "...Something''s wrong with your head. Just try calling him with your mana." General Zhang looked at me weirdly. Ah, right. I forgot there was only onenguage here, for some reason. I must''ve sounded crazy to them. I nodded and tried to concentrate on my mana as I suddenly felt a surge of fresh energy. It undoubtedly came from my mana, but my mana felt even more... Familiar? It kind of felt like going back to your childhood home. Anyway, serpent dude, could you hear me? I waited for a response nervously. [Yes, yes, why did you call for me?] A voice suddenly rang inside my head, followed by a loooong yawn. "Oh wow, it worked. And honestly, I don''t know. This lunatic just told me to." I responded to his question. [And you obeyed him. The man who drew shit on your face. Sigh, what a troublesome host I''ve got. Tsk tsk.] "He did what!?" I turned to general Zhang with a surprised look, and then towards Dmitri. "Dmitri, do I have something on my face!?" I eximed as I pointed a finger to my face. "Ah... Yes, but... General Zhang said it''s an important ritual for the fusing, so we didn''t dare to touch it..." Dmitri looked away, but a suppressedugh was slowly creeping up on his face. I quickly got up and rushed to the mirror beside the closet. Oh. My. God. My face was a mess. Strokes of ck marker were scattered everywhere. That bastard drew a thick moustache right under my nose. That exined the thinner smell. Aside from that, huge poop-shaped drawings were ced on my cheeks, and cross marks were drawn over my eyes, like those you see in video games when a character dies. And to top it off, he wrote ''lol is u ded'' on my forehead with shaky handwriting. "You damn eel, are you five!?" I shouted at general Zhang in a mix of anger, shock, and amazement. "Ahahahahahha!" He startedughing uncontrobly on the bed, while rolling around and holding his stomach. "And you, Dmitri! How could you believe his lie!?" I grabbed my hair in frustration. "Um, well..." Dmitri scratched his cheek and looked at everywhere but my eyes. "I''m going to the bathroom! And I swear, if I have a breakout because of this--" my eyes shot daggers towards theughing man on the bed, "I''ll break your dingydong." "Ahahah! Try me~" He smirked at my remark. I stomped out and mmed the door behind me. "That slippery eel, I''ll get back at him one day." I clenched my fist and walked away. ...Wait. I turned around, walked back, and slowly twisted the doorknob, opening the door that I had just mmed, "...where is the bathroom?" "Ahahahahhaha!" Another round ofughter came from that eel. -------- I stepped into the small bathroom while carrying the clothes, towels, and other toiletries that Jeanne had left for me in my room. She really was attentive, even to the smallest details. I blushed a bit while hugging my stuff. Could this be what having friends feel like? ...It felt nice. I began washing my face furiously for a long time, until not even a speck of marker was found. Satisfied, I started undressing and got inside the bathtub full of warm water. As soon as my feet touched the water surface,fort filled my entire body and I started to rx. "Ah~ warm bath is really the best..." I sighed happily and immersed myself in the water even more. [What are you talking about? Cold shower is definitely the best.] "What the hell!?" I instinctively hugged myself in shock. [Stop getting so surprised every time I talk. It hurts my feelings.] "You''re a pervert old man!" I screamed. [Hey, rude! I can''t see what you''re seeing, so rx! I''m not peeping! And for the second time, I''m just a bit older than you in terms of human age!] The voice inside my head huffed. "You can''t see? Are you lying?" I hugged my body tighter. [It''s true. Our mana fused, and now I live inside your mana, but we are still different entities, so our senses are not entirely connected. Only our mana connected. Understood?] He exined to me. "...There''s a saying that thieves won''t admit that they stole." I said. I still had to be careful in case he was good at lying. After all, I have very little info about this fusing thing. [Sheesh. You''re so stubborn. Would you believe me if I say I''mfortably sitting on a couch inside you?] "I have a couch inside me?" I questioned. [I''m inside your mana. Think of it as me living rent-free inside you.] He started exining, while I just sat there, very much confused. [By the way, girlie, your mana was he messy. Don''t worry, I''ve done a makeover while you were out cold. I now have a decent room here with a couch, a bed, and toys. Oh, and my room is blue-themed, if you''re curious.] "...Give me a moment to process all of this info. Today''s been a rough day..." I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. Did I just get mana-shamed by a pervert snake? [Oh. Also, I discovered something interesting.] The voice said. "What is it this time?" I sighed deeply. I waspletely fed up with today. [You''re not from this world, aren''t you?] Chapter 28: New mission (2) Chapter 28: New mission (2) "What do you mean?" I asked him back. [You can''t fool me. Your body may be human, but your mana is not.] "Of course I''m human," I sighed, "I have no idea about my mana, though. All I can say is that I''m not a monster." [What''s so bad about being a monster? I''m a monster.] He answered nonchntly. "Well, that''s true. Sometimes humans can even be worse than monsters." I cupped my bathwater and stared at my reflection. [So you get it. No matter what creature, there will always be good and bad bunches.] He happily agreed. "You talk like an old man. But yeah, that''s true. I don''t really understand good and bad concept, though." I used my finger to swirl the water around. [Don''t think too much about good or bad, it''ll drive you crazy.] "...Yeah." I sank myself deeper into the water. [I mean, you killed my underlings, and you kind of killed me, too. Does that make you a bad person?] He told me. "That''s true, I killed you and your underlings. Same goes with your underlings killing myrades. I don''t think either side is necessarily bad, honestly." I told him as I leaned my head back, enjoying my bath. [Hmm, interesting. I don''t often meet humans who share my view.] He spoke with an amused tone. "We''re just trying to survive and fight back against our predators. Meanwhile, you guys are just trying to not get killed. What''s so wrong about wanting to live?" I replied while I closed my eyes, feeling the warm water rejuvenating my body. [Don''t you me us monsters for attacking your kind first?] He asked. "You''re asking the wrong person. I don''t know much about your kind to be able to judge yet," I shifted my position, "but I bet most people have a valid reason to not like you guys. And you guys have a valid reason to hate us, too." [I see. Do you hate me?] "Not necessarily. But I don''t like your pervy tendencies." I spoke with a mocking tone. [Hey, I''m not a pervert!] He scoffed at me. "I didn''t expect there are monsters who are able tomunicate with humans, though," I smiled. I was quite happy to find out about that. I wonder if we could negotiate or at least make an arrangement of some sort? [There are quite a lot, actually. What, do you feel bad for killing another intelligent life?] The voice inside my head snickered. "Good, then. I''d love to meet them and maybe find amon ground. I don''t really like having to kill each other," I cupped the water again and let it fall through my fingers, "and no, I don''t feel too bad, maybe just a bit. How do you even decide at what point is a life intelligent enough to not be killed?" [Hm-hm. Good girl. If only you''re smart enough to not get your face soiled with a marker...] "Hey, I was unconscious! What can I do about it?" I crossed my arms in annoyance. The voice inside my head just giggled a bit in response. "Oi, little cub, what takes you so long? Are you having constipation?" A cheery voice came from behind the bathroom door, followed by three knocks. "It''s your fault I spent a long time cleaning my face!" I replied. "Hurry up, the headmaster is waiting! I don''t wanna get lectured~" He nagged at me. I turned my head towards the door, "the headmaster?" -------- After finishing one of the mostforting baths I''ve had in a long time, I was guided by both Owen and general Zhang outside. I was now wearing afortable warm cardigan with a pair of training pants. Man, I''m so d Jeanne got mefy clothing. This woman knew fashion. "Hey Owen, where''s Jeanne?" I asked the dark-skinned man who was walking beside me. To be honest, I wanted to see her and get her a proper gift, too. I wonder what she would like? "General Jeanne is busy on personal matters right now." He answered while peeking at my face. "What personal matter?" I questioned again while hugging myself in thefort of my cardigan. It smelled likevender. "It''s kind of her post-raid routine. I can''t disclose personal info, go ask her yourselfter if you''re that curious." He answered me strictly. "Alright." I nodded and dropped the subject. It would be disrespectful for me to push it. "More importantly, how do you feel?" Owen suddenly asked me. "Huh? Me?" I was taken aback by the question. Could he be worried about me? That stoic-faced Owen? "Yeah, you just finished your fusing. Are you positive you can control that serpent inside you? Are you sure you won''t be a threat to our citizens?" He questioned me rapidly. "Ah... Well, we''re on okay terms, I guess..." Of course, there was no way he would be worried about me. I felt stupid for even thinking about that. "Tell me if there''s something." He said vaguely. "Yeah, yeah... I''m not your enemy, you worry-wart." I sighed. We finally arrived upon a huge building that was a few stories tall. The architecture kind of reminded me of old German castles I''ve seen in movies and books. The front door itself was guarded by a few armed soldiers, with banners and gs hung everywhere. "Where is this?" I took a moment to admire the view. It was quite majestic, I felt like I was visiting a historical tourist spot. I let out a sad smile. I wish I could go on a vacation someday... And hopefully, with people I care about. "This is the town hall. We will be meeting with the headmaster inside." Owen exined to me. Oh, right. The headmaster thing. Geez, the more I thought about my situation, the more nervous I got. I can''t predict what that old geezer might do to me. Will he praise me for helping toplete the mission? Or will he erase me right away for being a potential harm? I gulped. "Good day to you, general Owen, general Zhang!" The soldiers greeted them while bowing. "Good day." Owen raised his hand a bit, signaling for the soldiers to stop bowing. "Good dayyy~" General Zhang just casually walked past the soldier. As soon as we were about to step beyond the huge gate, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. "Be obedient." I heard general Zhang whisper so softly into my ears that I almost missed it. "Eh?" All of a sudden, I felt like every bit of my energy had just left my body. I lost my bnce and staggered, before immediately got held by general Zhang. "Watch your step~" He was back to his usual cheerful self again in a heartbeat. "...Yeah. Thank you." I smiled and yed along as if nothing had happened. I had no idea what he was nning, but I had always been fast to adjust to unfamiliar situations. I knew better than to make a scene here. Whatever he was nning, I hope it worked in my favor. "Let''s go." Owen came up to us and started to lead the way. -------- We entered a small room on the first floor. It was located quite deep into the building, but it was surprisingly just a normal-looking room, nothing out of ce. Even the door was so ordinary, just like the other doors inside the building. "Headmaster, we''re here." Owen bowed at the old man who was standing there, browsing through the books on the bookshelves, while a young man in a suit was standing beside him holding a ss of wine. General Zhang followed his gesture and also bowed silently. "Ho ho ho! I see you''re finally here!" The old man gleefully greeted us with grand arm gestures. I stayed silent, but I bowed. I didn''t want to risk saying the wrong words and got crushed for the second time. "I see you''re lively as ever, gramps!" General Zhang greeted him with a wide grin on his face. "Of course! After all, our mission has been aplished!" The headmaster picked up his ss of red wine from Gabriel''s hand. "...Indeed." Owen''s face hardened. Oh, the mission was cleared already? Now that he mentioned it, I haven''t checked my quest or mission windows at all since I woke up... I need to check them after this. "Now, spill your business with us, gramps." General Zhang said. "Ho ho ho, I think you all know what I want already, right?" He stroked his beard while smiling in delight. Why was everyone speaking like they were in some kind of a detective show? Just get straight to the point, old man. I looked at Owen to see if he knew something, but he just stood there without words. As I turned around to look at the other, more childish general, I felt something cold touch my wrists. ''ck!'' "There you go." General Zhang smiled at me. "Huh?" Did he just-- I tried to move my hands, but I couldn''t, because the handcuffs he just ced fitted so perfectly on my wrists. "Handcuffs secured. Should we imprison her now?" General Zhang crossed his arms proudly and smirked. Chapter 29: New mission (3) Chapter 29: New mission (3) "Hey, what is going on here?" I looked at each one of them one by one, confused by what was happening. "Ho ho ho! I''m afraid you''re bing pretty dangeroustely, young Miss," the headmaster stroked his beard, "after all. no one does the fusing like it''s just another normal Tuesday, you see. It''s kinda rare around here." I bit my lower lip. From their point of view, I was a stranger who suddenly appeared and who could suddenly use magic. And then, now I suddenly got myself a snakepanion. I would''ve done the same if I was in their ce, so I couldn''t protest. "How did you find out about fusing?" The headmaster questioned. "...I didn''t really know. I just heard Eli said something about eating it." "Eli? I didn''t know you guys are on a nickname basis already." He smiled at me. "I''m also on an animal nickname basis with that eel." I gestured towards general Zhang. Great, now I was suspicious because I identally called him by his nickname. I was careless. I mean, it was kinda hard to suddenly act like I didn''t know someone that I''ve known for years... "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you yet," he chuckled a bit, "but before I give you a verdict, do you want toe clean?" "Be more specific, old man." I remarked. So he knew my lies already. But to what extent? "Tell us everything. I know you didn''t lose your memory. And your prophecy is a lie. That said, will you do a little storytelling for us about yourself? Hmm?" He smiled and took a sip out of his wine ss. I hesitated for a moment. Would it be smart to spill everything? Which information should I keep and which information should I spill? "Go on, we''re waiting~" The headmaster cheerfully said as he plopped down on a chair behind the desk. I''ve made my decision. "Yes, it''s true that I didn''t lose my memory. But, that prophecy is real." I looked straight into his eyes. "Let''s take things slowly and start with the ''prophecy'', shall we? Tell us more about it." He leaned back on his chair. "All I know is I just suddenly woke up here with that message." I started exining. "How did you know about the message? Did someone tell you, or did you see it somewhere?" He inquired more. "I just kind of got the message in my head... Or something like that." I didn''t think I should reveal my RPG-like window to them yet. But, I wasn''tpletely lying, either. The room fell silent as the headmaster studied me with his eyes carefully, making me nervous enough to hold my breath. "eptable answer. And what about your memory? Where were you before this?" He stroked his long beard again. "In Korea." I answered short and simple to avoid oversharing. "Hmm... I feel like I''ve heard it somewhere before," he took a moment to pause and think, "and what were you doing in Korea, that made you suddenly appear here?" "I was just going about my day as usual, and then went to sleep, and that''s about it." I looked straight into his eyes again. It waspletely true. Except, I didn''t tell him about the most crucial part. -------- That day started with a gloomy rainy morning. I woke up earlier than most young adults my age. The birds haven''t sung its morning calls, and the sun hasn''t even peeked its face yet. After turning off my phone rm, I looked at the time. "It''s 4 a.m... I need to wake up," I murmured to myself in a tiny voice as I forced myself to get up and stretch my whole body. After taking a quick, cold shower that I''ve always hated, I picked out my old hoodie that has lots of threads sticking out of it. Once I had finished dressing myself, I walked out of my small truck house and took out the trash as usual. Then, I filled the bird feeder that was sitting on top of an apple tree branch near my truck. "Alright, let''s begin preparing." I tied my long hair into a bun and put on a pair of gloves. As I went inside my truck house, I started to prepare the ingredients for today like usual. I started by making my mandu fillings and the dough for my chapssal donuts, and then making the batter for bungeoppang. Lastly, I whipped up my secret tteokbokki recipe, and I was ready to really start my day. I opened my truck and converted it into a food truck. "Let''s make some money today, okay, truck?" I patted the inside of my truck yfully. Over the years, my loneliness had driven me to make small talks with the truck and the animals. I''ve been living alone inside a modified food truck for years now. It wasn''t the best, but at least I had a roof over my head. "Good morning, youngdy!" A sweet-looking old man who was holding a yellow umbre greeted me as I went outside to finish setting up my food truck. "Ah, morning, Kim-harabeonim!" I greeted back with a huge smile. "Always on time, I see. It''s rare to see young-uns like you being so hardworking. Ho ho!" Heughed. "Well, I need to work so I can afford to live. Haha!" I took out a foldable chair for him to sit on, "here, Kim-harabeonim. Sit down for a bit while I get you your food." "Thank you, my back has been hurting a lottely," he sits down with a satisfied sigh while rubbing his back, "sorry for the trouble, but my wife really loves your tteokbokki, you see." I smiled at him while I set up 2 other sets of foldable chairs and tables with parasols for customers to sit on, "don''t be sorry, you''re basically keeping me alive by buying my food, haha!" "You know, youngdy, if you want to, you can alwayse live with us. My wife and I will be d to have you around." The wrinkly old man said to me with a sad gaze. I said nothing and went inside to fetch some tteokbokki that I had made earlier, and turned on the stove. "You don''t have to struggle alone like this. You can rely on us, you know?" He kept talking as I began to cook. "I don''t want to trouble you guys, Kim-harabeonim." I politely replied with a smile while I continued cooking. "Silly kid. You won''t trouble us. In fact, we would be happy to havepany!" Heughed loudly at my remark. "Then I''ll visit you some time. How does this weekend sound?" I offered. "Don''t just visit,e live with us. You know how lonely we get since Woojin died..." His face suddenly got solemn. I kept my mouth shut, and packed up his tteokbokki in a paper bag. Once I''ve secured the bag, I stepped out of my food truck and sat beside him. "Here, harabeonim. Your and your wife''s favourite tteokbokki. I made sure to make it extra spicy, with extra sesame seeds," I tapped his shoulder and smiled warmly in an attempt tofort him, "and of course, more portion, special for both of you." He smiled back at me like he always did, almost every day for the past two years. Never have I seen him smile without reaching his eyes. "Thank you so much, youngdy. But, do consider my offer, will you? Think of it as helping a dying old man. Ho ho!" He jokingly said. "You''re not dying, Kim- harabeonim. If you die, who will buy my food?" I joked back at him, relieved that he had gotten his spirit back. "Those people will." He pointed at a group of students that were gathered in front of my truck, waiting for me to take their orders. "Excuse me, are you open?" One of the students who was wearing a raincoat with a red umbre called out to me. "Ah, yes, of course!" I ran inside my food truck, "what can I get for you today?" -------- My phone''s rm rang loudly, alerted me that it was already 7 p.m. The rm had a note saying ''finish up, and don''t forget to clean the stovetop'' on it. I let out a relieved sigh, "alright, time to close the shop." As I closed my shop and packed up my things, I noticed that the rain didn''t show any sign of stopping yet. "Why does it rain for so long?" I wondered as I looked up to the sky while I let myself get soaked by the rain. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs and nose with a pleasant smell that I had always loved, and hated. I used to hate it when it rained during my times in the warzone, because it meant less visibility and more unforgiving terrain, but the rain had saved me many times from my enemies'' fire, too. But now, I''ve grown to love rainy days like this one. I smiled bitterly and stepped into my truck. After cleaning up, it was time to prepare for tomorrow''s sale. "Alright, time to rx for a bit." I hummed happily and turned on some music using my phone. After that, I began preparing the ingredients for tomorrow until it was approximately 11 p.m. It wasn''t really how I like to rx, but this was the best chance to rx with the little time I had. Once finished, I stretched out my back, "hnggg--now it''s time to go hunting for real money." -------- *harabeonim: an honorific used by younger people to call a grandpa. *mandu: Korean dumplings, usually stuffed with meat and veggies, and also pan-fried until they get crispy on the outside. *tteokbokki: spicy rice cake, a popr street food in Korea. *bungeoppang: a fish-shaped pastry, often filled with sweetened red bean, but not always :D Chapter 30: The before (1) Chapter 30: The before (1) The long rain had finallye to a halt. I tidied up my things and packed tomorrow''s ingredients, before finally hopping inside my bathroom to take the second cold shower I''ve had this day. "Hng--," I winced a bit as the pricking cold water touched my tired body and sent shivers all over me, "I should save up to install a water heater. Ah, but will the bill rise? Should I just endure this...?" After I finished showering, I changed into a ttering white dress and tied my hair in a neat half-updo. To finish the look, I applied a coral tint on my lips. ''Knock knock.'' The sound alerted me, and I quickly grabbed my pastel yellow purse and rushed to the door to open it. "Yo! Ready for tonight?" Thedy in front of me smirked happily. She wore a dress shirt and a fancy-looking coat that matches her knee-length skirt,plete with a pair of ck heels. "Hmm, no. Come inside, I need to fix your outfit, Daeun." I smiled back at her and grabbed her hand, leading her inside the truck. "Oh, what''s wrong with my outfit?" She asked as she took off her heels and sat on my bed, since there was practically no other decent sitting space in my small truck. Instead of answering, I picked up one of her heels and opened my drawer to grab a ck marker. "See here, your heels need some revamping." I showed her a spot on the side of her heels that was peeled off. "Good eyes. Perhaps it''s time to buy a new pair? I know a ce where we can get fake fancy heels for cheap." She said as she fixed her wavy hair. "No need. We can still roll with this," I replied while scribbling on the peeled spot, trying to blend the colors as naturally as possible while covering up the patch, "there, all done!" Daeun smiled and took out her sunsses, "let''s go." -------- We took a bus to a faraway district, where there were quite a lot of bars and restaurants bustling with customers. The instant we hopped off of the bus, we immediately part ways without saying anything to each other. I wandered around for a few minutes, looking for a nice spot to make money. "Around here should be good..." I stopped in front of a small bar. The bar was not very bright and shiny as the other bars with neon signs and blinking lights, and the people who were gathered there were not exactly... Happy-looking. A young man who was wearing full-on branded clothing was smoking alone in front of the bar. His hair was gelled neatly and he was tapping his right foot on the ground repeatedly as if he was impatient about something. His face was a little flushed, but his movements indicated that he wasn''t very drunk yet. He puffed a cloud of smoke and let out a deep sigh. Perfect. I quickly hid behind a tree not too far from there and took out my blusher. After applying a considerable amount across my cheeks, I took a deep breath, before suddenly saying, "ahh... How could he do this to me, that damn yboy!" I started to walk wonkily as if I might fall with the slightest push, and exaggerated my voice so that man would hear me. "Even though you said you were going to marry me... Stupid yboy!" I sob loudly as I walked, pretending to be a drunk, dramaticdy. The young man stared at me the whole time, and his gaze slowly shifted from a shocked one to a scheming one. He walked closer towards me with an annoying smirk on his face. That was when I decided to trip myself and fall. "Oops, careful there, noona." He awkwardly caught me mid-falling as if he was an innocent young man who knew nothing, but his grin was still stered on his face. "Ah... Thank you..." I staggered a bit and sniffled. "Are you okay, noona? You don''t look too good..." He said while he pretended to be concerned. If I didn''t see his grin earlier, I might''ve really believed that he was genuine. "I''m okay... I just--I don''t know what I''m doing anymore..." I sniffled and blinked a few times while looking down until tears started to roll down my cheeks. "Calm down, noona. It''s okay. You can tell me what happened." He assured me while he circled his other arm sneakily around my exposed shoulder. "How... How could he do this to me?" I sobbed loudly and wiped my tears with my wrists, "how could my boyfriend of three years marry another woman?" "I see... That must''ve been hard for you, noona..." He said with a frown on his face while he tried to lean closer. I stepped back to gain more distance from him. "Even though I''ve been nning to give him this ring on our fourth anniversary today..." I took out a small red box from my purse and opened it, revealing a beautiful, shiny diamond ring. A fake one. "Don''t worry about him, noona. You''re a beautifuldy, I''m sure a lot of men would love to have you." He smiled with his disgusting eyes. ''Have'' me? Did he think women are some kind of property for men? "I-- urk!" I covered my mouth with my hand as I gagged. "Noona? Are you alright?" He asked me while patting my back to calm my gagging. "I--I need to go to the toilet, can you please hold on to this for a while? I--urk! I''ll be right back!" I pushed the ring box into his hands and scrambled into the bar. "Sorry, can I please borrow your bathroom?" I asked the waiter in front of the door. -------- The young man was confused, but epted the ring nheless. He examined the ring and whistled. "Whew... I thought today was a shitty day after what that bitch did to me. Not to mention that pushy bastard... Even though I said I will pay his money back soon. Tch." He cursed and kicked a nearby stone in frustration. "But to think that I''d meet a crazy drunk beauty here," he smirked looking at the ring, "I think I''vended a rich one this time. I wonder if she''ll be okay with a motel? Ah, no need to worry, she''s dead drunk anyway." ''ck ck.'' The sound of heels tapping the ground filled the air softly. "Excuse me, young man." A talldy dressed in a dress shirt and a coat approached the man. "Ah, yes?" The man looked up. "That ring in your hand, could it be the Marjorie 4-carat from 1925?" Thedy lifted up her sunsses and gave the young man an alluring smile. "Umm, what do you mean?" He said nervously. "Oh, so sorry if I surprised you. You see, I work as a jewelry appraiser in Seoul for an Americanpany," she chuckled and handed him a business card, "and that ring in your hand might be something I''m looking for. Would you let me take a closer look at it?" The man looked at the business card for a bit before saying, "sure, but just a look, okay? You can''t touch it. It''s not mine." "Of course. Thank you very much." She smiled and took out a pair of gloves and a magnifying ss. She started to inspect the ring closely, examining it from every angle. "My mistake. It seems that I was wrong. It isn''t Marjorie 4-carat from 1925, but instead a Holmese 4-carat from 1967." She sighed. The man still had this confused look on his face. "It''s still very valuable, though. Right now it''s probably worth around $90.000 in US dors. Do you n on selling it, by any chance?" The woman continued to talk. "N-ny thousand!?" The young man eximed loudly while his mouth was gaping open. "Yes. But it could be higher or lower, depending on lots of things." She said while putting her hand on her chin. "Th-this thing... Is worth that much..." The man''s hands trembled and his gaze was fixed on the ring. "If you don''t have a client yet, do you want to sell it to me? I can only offer you $80.000, though. You do understand that I have to make some profit, too, don''t you?" She smiled sweetly at him. The man looked back and forth between the ring and the woman, before he gulped and said, "u-um... Could youe back in 10 minutes? I''ll sell it to you, but I have to do something first..." "Sure. I''ll go grab a drink in that restaurant over there while I wait." She pointed at a fancy restaurant across the street. Once the woman had left, the manunched his fists in the air and jumped around excitedly, "yoooo! Today might actually be my best day!" "God, you must''ve sent me this money because you feel sorry for me, right? Hah! Finally! I''ve suffered long enough! Now that bastard can''t look down on me once I get this money... Oops, gotta be careful not to drop this precious thing..." His smirk got wider and wider. The people around him started to notice his weird behavior and he got a few odd nces. "Tsk. If only it isn''t so crowded here, I can probably just escape... No no, I will be caught before the transaction ispleted. I need to be smart about this..." He walked in a circle for a while, thinking about his next move. "It''s a shame. I was nning on bringing that beautifuldy home, but it seems that I will have to take $80.000 home instead," heughed wickedly, "it''ll be easy. I''ve always been popr with women. Now, how should I approach this, hm?" Chapter 31: The before (2) Chapter 31: The before (2) I peeked through one of the bar''s windows, watching the whole exchange took ce. "Good. Daeun has set up the bait. Now it''s time for me to act." I smiled and put on a little more blusher until I was convinced that my face looked a bit flushed. I stood up and messed with my hair so I looked a tad bit disheveled, and then crinkled my white dress. Once I was confident, I walked out of the door. "Cough! Ugh..." I stumbled out of the door while holding my stomach. "Ah, noona! You''re here!" The young man approached me with a huge grin. This dude really couldn''t hide his excitement, couldn''t he? "Yeah... Thank you for holding that thing for me..." I sighed deeply. "Noona, you were going to give this to your cheating ex, right? Where did you get this from?" He eagerly asked. His caring facade was long gone. "Huh? Yeah... But not anymore. It''s a ring that has been passed down in my family. But now I don''t even want to look at it anymore." I mustered up fake tears until they rolled down my rosy cheeks. "Don''t be so sad, after all, every ending is a new beginning, right?" He patted my shoulder assuringly. I sniffled back my tears, "I guess so... I still feel nauseous whenever I think about that man. Or is it just the alcohol?" "No, he''s not worth your time! Remember your worth, noona!" He cheered me on, "he''s the losing one. He lost someone amazing like you!" "He-he did?" I looked at him with teary eyes. "Yes! Believe me, noona. You''re a really, really beautiful youngdy. And you''ve got a loving heart, too." He smiled, or maybe grinned, at me. Gross. "You''re very kind to help a stranger like me," I smiled sweetly at him, "I guess you''re right. I''ll try to move on." "Great! Now, you know what would help you move on?" He asked me. "Um, if it''s finding a new one, I don''t think I can yet..." I looked down. Now, would he ask for the ring? Or would he genuinely help me and return the ring? "I know. It''s not exactly a great solution to look for a recement," he shook his head, "instead, you should get rid of everything that reminds you of him!" Ah. So he was greedy, after all. "Oh, I guess that could work!" I pped my hands together. "Yep. I''ve tried it, and it worked like a charm! Now, when you go home, you should throw away all of his stuff," he said, "and this one, too." He handed me the ring box. "You''re right... Every time I see this ring, I can only remember his face. I''ve been wanting to give him this ring for a year..." I frowned. Not because I was faking sadness, but because this man was pretty good in sweet-talking defenseless people. "Exactly. But, it would be a waste to just throw it away, right?" He smirked. Ah, shit. Here we go again. "How about this, I''ll buy this ring from you for 500.000 won. You can use the money to treat yourself or to fund your new hobby!" He said excitedly. "Ah, um... But, they''re passed down in my family." I hesitated for a bit. "No, no. You missed the point. By letting go of this, you would really be free! You can be whoever you want, and do whatever you want! Here, I''ll even give you an extra 250.000." He took out his wallet and pulled out a few 50.000 won bills. This dude walked around with so much cash money? Wasn''t he scared of getting robbed? Anyway, really smart of him to push his money on me so I wouldn''t refuse. "I see. Are you sure it''s okay? I mean, I don''t have the ring certificate on me..." I took the money that he offered me. "Yes, of course! Helping ady in need is my passion." He winked at me. Ew. "Thank you then. I appreciate it," I smiled, "now, I''ll go back to the bar where my friends are waiting. Thank you so much for taking care of me." "Alright, I also have to go somewhere~" We immediately part ways, and as soon as I was out of his line of sight, I rushed to the nearest bus stop, where a familiar face was waiting for me. "Chaerin! Hurry up, the bus is about to depart!" Daeun called out to me. "Okay!" I hopped on the bus alongside her as the door closed behind us. Right on time. "Phew. You got the money?" Daeun asked me as she took off her sunsses. "Sure do." I waved the paper bills in front of her, and put them on her hand. She counted it quickly and said, "750.000 won, huh. Today''s not bad." "Yeah, today''s victim was pretty easy. It''s bothforting and worrying." I sighed and sat down on one of the empty seats. "Don''t be sorry. We''re just trying to survive. And if he didn''t try to take advantage of a drunk woman and wasn''t greedy, he wouldn''t be conned anyway," she said with a straight face and sat down next to me after securing the money inside her purse, "I bet that fool is frantically looking for me now in that restaurant. Heh." "...Are we, though?" I stared out of the bus'' window. The nighttime in Korea had always been pretty, but distant. "You and I both know that doing honest work won''t cut it for us. I don''t need to remind you why, do I?" She leaned back into her seat and took off her coat. "You''re right. I don''t have the right to feel sorry, too, since I willingly did it." I let out a deep sigh and leaned back into my seat, too. Even though I know her words were true, I couldn''t help but feel the weight get heavier inside my chest. I''ve always brushed my guilty conscience aside using the excuse of ''they''re bad people anyway.'' While in truth, I''m just another one of those ''bad people''. "Anyway, here''s your cut for today." She handed me two 50.000 won bills. "Only 100.000 won?" I asked. "Don''t forget who brought you here. We have a lot of things to take care of." She casually said. "...Thanks." I dropped the topic and put the money inside my purse. "Anyway, I''m going to hop off at the next stop. You''ll be fine going home alone, right? You''re my most reliable underling, after all~" She patted my head while smiling. "Daeun, are you sure you''re going to the casino again?" I frowned at her. "Of course. We finished early today. Maybe it''s my lucky day~" She hummed, "if I win big tonight, I''ll treat you to a nice meal, okay?" She blew a kiss towards me. "You need to control your gambling addiction, Daeun... You could''ve saved your money for necessities." I said. "I''m a grown woman. I can take care of my finances." She took out herpact powder and her lipstick, and began fixing her make-up. ''Screeech!'' The bus came to a halt, and a soft ''pssh'' signaled the arrival of the bus as the doors were opened. "See ya! Wish me luck, Chaerin! Oh, and be sure to turn on your phone in case I need an emergency lift!" She quickly ran outside happily without sparing me a nce. I sighed for maybe the hundredth time today. No way I was going to pick her up in the middle of the night. Not especially when I only had around 3 hours left to sleep. As she said before, she was a grown woman, so she should be responsible for her own actions. I leaned my head on the bus'' window and let myself get lost in the beauty of the night scenery outside. -------- As soon as I''ve arrived at my truck house, I carefully took off my dress, heels, and purse and store them neatly in my closet to use again soon. It would be a waste toundry them after only using it once, I need to save money. I put the money I earned earlier into my savings box inside my tampon drawer. No robber would ever rummage through a pile of tampon boxes. As I changed into my pajamas, I peeked at my phone to make sure the rm was set for tomorrow. "Hmm..." I stared at my phone for a while. "Well... She''s a grown woman, but a grown woman needs help sometimes, right?" I unmuted my phone and charged it near my bed, so I could hear it if it rings, just in case. Yep, just in case. I tucked myself into my thin nket and hugged myself tighter to get a bit more warmth. "Well, if she loses today, maybe she would finally ept my offer to take her to therapy for her gambling addiction... If she could be free from her addiction, maybe I''d get a bit more share..." I muttered as my consciousness started to drift away. -------- [Hello, my child.] A smooth,forting voice tickled my ears. Was I dreaming? [Heed my call, for I govern over thend you were born in.] ...So today''s dream featured a snobbish king. Unique. I opened my eyes, and to my surprise, I was in apletely white room. No furniture, no colors, just white. In front of me stood a fair-skinned man with long, flowy white hair that touched the ground. He was wearing a white robe that covered everything from his head to his toes, and a white fox mask that covered his entire face. "Um... Am I maybe not creative enough to generate normal-looking people in my dream? Did I just spawn an unfinished 3D model or something? Sorry!" I apologized to the creature in front of me. [Do humans usually talk like this?] The man in front of me said as he brought his hand to his chin. "I don''t know, you tell me." I shrugged him off. What a weird dream I was having today. [I wouldn''t know because I''m not a human.] Chapter 32: The before (3) Chapter 32: The before (3) [I wouldn''t know because I''m not a human.] "Exactly. You''re a figment of my imagination. I created you." I made a finger gun gesture at him. [No. I created you.] "You have a wild imagination." Did my dream creature just pull a ''no u'' on me? [Listen carefully. We don''t have much time.] He held out his hand. "Sounds cliche, but okay, I''ll listen to you until it''s time to wake up." [I will ask you some questions and you will face a different fate depending on your answer.] "Alright." Interesting. This kinda feels like one of those online personality tests. [Do you truly feel like you belong here?] "Starting off heavy, are we?" I smiled sadly, "no, I don''t. I''ve tried, though." [Do you want to find your ce to belong?] "Look, man. I''ve tried starting over in a different ce. I''ve tried building rtionships with others, though it neversted long," I paused, "and I''vee to ept that I probably would never belong. It''s okay, though. I don''t even understand what it means to belong." I chuckled a little. [If I tell you that you have a chance to belong somewhere, would you take the chance?] "Just a chance?" I raised my eyebrow. [I cannot guarantee you anything.] "Where is this ce you''re referring to?" [That, I cannot tell yet.] "You, a thing in my dream, are telling me to abandon the things I''ve obtained by working like a horse for years, in exchange for a chance of finding my ce? You''re a bad businessman, you know. You should learn how to make a reasonable offer." [Will you take the chance?] "Well, yes." I instantly answered. Damn Chae, you desperate woman. I couldn''t believe I agreed to that so easily. I guess it''s okay since it was just a dream... Would be nice if it was true, though. [Very well. I have received your answer. You shall now forget any events that will take ce after this.] -------- ...And that was thest thing I remembered. I didn''t know whether I stayed around to chat or if that man instantly teleported me. Probably he did something that I shouldn''t see, and that''s why he erased my memory. Ah, now that I thought about it, I hope Daeun got home safely. And sorry, Kim-harabeonim, it seemed that my visit would not be possible anymore. "And after you went to sleep, what happened?" The headmaster asked me. "Then I woke up here, and met Jeanne." I casually answered him. "I feel like there are quite a lot of missing parts here. Ho ho!" "Same here, I wish I know more, too. Ho ho." I said with a t voice. "Very well, then. I take it that you''re not willing to speak," he smiled at me, "Zhang, take her to the underground prison." "Wait, what!?" I shouted in a panic. "Wait, headmaster. Our mission was a sess partly because of her. Would you please reconsider your decision?" Owen said. Ah, Owen! My guardian angel! "Ho ho, don''t you worry, Owen. She will be treated with respect there. I''ll have Elena watch over her." He chuckled as he took another sip from his ss of wine. Ah, you demonic old fart. "But--" "I gotchu, gramps." General Zhang grabbed my shoulder and pushed me slowly so I''d walk forward with him. "General Zhang, are you really going to throw her into prison?" Owen frowned at general Zhang. "Yeah, I''ve caused no trouble to you guys, so why should I be imprisoned?" I tried to shook him off, but his grip was too strong. "Owen, c''mon. Just because she hasn''t doesn''t mean she won''t." General Zhang shrugged him off. "Ho ho! I''m d you understand, Zhang~" The headmaster hummed in delight. "But--" As I was about to protest, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned around and found general Zhang smirking weirdly at me. "What are you looking at? Move." He said while he very slowly blinked. ...Perhaps? I silently opened my skill window, and activated my mentalist skill to send a secret message. [Please select a recipient.] "General Zhang." "Yes?" He tilted his head. [Recipient confirmed. Please enter your message.] I sent him a message saying ''you fucking eel, what are you nning this time?'', and red intensely at him. [Message delivered.] His eyebrows suddenly perked up, and his mouth made an amused grin. "C''mon, don''t stare at me like a cat. It''s freaky." He chuckled. "Yeah. So freaky." I slowly blinked and followed his steps obediently. To others, that may sound just like regr banter. But to me, it confirmed the fact that his n is probably good for me. Cats often used slow blinks to signal friendliness, so if my assumption was correct, he was trying to tell me to trust him. I guess my best bet right now was to follow along with his n until I could find a chance to turn the situation around. General Zhang led me towards one of the huge paintings that were hung on the walls. It was a painting of a middle-aged man wearing a suit and a monocle. General Zhang raised his hand, and the painting''s eyes glowed red. My eyes grew bigger in shock. I knew this world was full of magic that came from god-knows-where, but things like this still managed to amaze me every time. "Alright, little cub, let''s get you to your cage~" He teased me with a smirk. "Very funny. This little cub will grow big someday and eat you, you eel." I replied with an annoyed smile. "Ooh, can''t wait." This jerk. ''Bam!'' "Oops, my leg slipped." I grinned back at him as I kicked his thigh. ''Thud!'' "Oops, sorry, my hand slipped." He smiled from ear-to-ear as he pushed me into the painting with no mercy. "Huh?" By the time I realized that he had pushed me, I was already free-falling into the darkness. "AAAHH!" I shouted as darkness began to fill my vision. How could I be falling? Was there a pitfall inside the painting or something? I thought there would be a secret passageway or secret stairs like in those kingdom movies! But how could I be falling instead!? ''THUD!'' I fell with a loud and painful thud onto what I assume was a mattress. Thank god Inded on my side. If I was tond with my head or my spine, I''d probably be dead by now. I managed to sit up, though with much difficulty thanks to that eel who handcuffed me. My eyes immediately wandered around, trying to get a grasp of my new environment. It was no longerpletely dark around me. Instead, dim light was illuminating the room. As I followed the light source, I found a fewnterns hung on the brick wall. The light from thosenterns enabled me to see the steel bars that were keeping me from going outside. "My, my... Wee." A sweet but sultry voice came from the other side of the bar. The owner of the voice was a tall woman with very ttering curves. Her dark hair and eyes looked gorgeous under the dimntern light. "Uh... Thanks?" I was still too shocked to be able to properly use my brain. "Haha. You''re a cute little kid." She smiled at me with her full lips. "Where am I?" I stared at her. "You''re in my underground prison, my dear," she chuckled, "shocked, aren''t you?" "Of course I am. What do you want from me?" "Not much, dear. I just want a little chat." She chuckled at me. "About what?" My eyes carefully observed her from top to bottom. She maye off as careless, but her posture showed no openings. Thisdy was formidable. "Calm down, dear. You don''t need to stare at me like that, I''m not your enemy." "Oh no, no. I was staring because you''re beautiful. Sorry." I shook my head instantly. I mean, sure, I was suspicious of her, but I didn''t lie when I said she was beautiful. "Haha! You really are cute," she leaned closer towards me, "did general Zhang tell you about me already?" "That eel? I don''t think so?" I looked up, trying to remember if he left me any hints about her, but none came to mind. "You see, general Zhang and I had an agreement about you." She smiled at me and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I hope it''s a good agreement." I inched further away from the bars that were separating us. "It''s really good for you, don''t worry," she licked her lips, "I''m just going to do some experiments on you, in exchange for keeping you safe." "Excuse you!? I am a true believer of consent!" I scrambled backwards. Oh my god, was I going to get cut up and injected with a virus or something? "Haha. I''m kidding, you adorable kid," she chuckled in amusement, "but I was serious in keeping you safe. You have an important role in our n, so I need you to live." "Um, thank you, but what n, exactly?" I asked. "You don''t need to know yet. And it would be better for you not to ask." Her face got serious. I stayed quiet and just stared at her. "If you know more than you need to know... Well, we might have to remove you, dear." She smiled at me. What a polite way to threaten me. "Do you have any other questions you''d like to ask?" She inquired, but her mana was giving off a murderous aura. That wasn''t a question, but an obedience test. I opened my mouth slowly. "Where''s my toilet?" Chapter 33: Claim one of the cardinal thrones (1) Chapter 33: im one of the cardinal thrones (1) "Don''t worry about that, dear. We have a top-notch flushable bidet toilet with a shower here." She chuckled at me with her low, enticing voice. "You really do!?" I eximed in surprise. Oh my god, would I finally feel the luxury of a bidet toilet here? After all this time? "Of course, dear... Just, not exactly here." She smirked. "Then where? Can I pleasee?" My eyes twinkled like a child''s eyes when they got their favorite candy. "Oh, you wille with me whether you like it or not." Jackpot! "Um, could you please unshackle me, though?" I turned around and waved my handcuffed wrists at her. "I believe you can do it yourself," she pointed her finger at my wrists, "go on, try to turn your wrists and slowly wriggle them out." "Really?" I did as she told, and it worked like a charm. Even though it was a bit difficult, but with a little maneuver, I could get through it. "It seems that general Zhang is quite fond of you." Oh, so that eel purposely loosened it up for me. But why? Was he that confident that I couldn''t resist, or...? ''Click!'' She inserted a key into the cell''s lock, and opened the door for me. "Come, follow me." -------- We walked for a while along the long hallway, with the light from thenterns as our only guide. "Miss, can I get your name?" I asked while I walked behind her. "Ah, right. Where are my manners. You can call me Elena. Or you can call me mommy, special just for you." She winked at me. "Wow, you are spicy, Elena." Iughed. "Don''t be shy. After all, we''ll be spending a lot of time together, in my room." She smirked. "Your room?" "Yes. we''re here." We arrived at a dead-end with nothing in sight. Just a in brick wall with dim lighting. "...Are we going there with magic or something?" I asked her. "Correct." She chuckled. Ah, yes. Convenient magic. Every time. She chanted some weird stuff and a magic circle appeared over her extended arm. Then, the walls around us shook with such force that I almost fell. In no less than a minute, the brick walls around us were pushed backwards, creating arger space. Not stopping at that, the brick transformed into a luxurious-looking wallpaper, and the room around uspletely changed. It was now kind of like one of those 5-stars hotel rooms I''ve seen in movies. "The hell? Was that also magic!?" I was bewildered. "Correct again," she chuckled, "but probably not the kind of magic you''re thinking of." "What kind of magic, then?" I tilted my head. She smiled upon hearing my question, and held up 5 fingers in front of me. "Illusion magic," she said as her fingers became 6, and then 7, "I am a Monad-type. I can do lots of tricks using my illusion." "So we''ve been in your room this whole time? The prison was a lie?" I asked. "Well, yes, we''ve been in my room this whole time, but at the same time, we haven''t." She said as she walked over to her fridge. I followed her to the fridge to take a peek. And oh my, her fridge was full of fruits and beer. So healthy, but so unhealthy at the same time... "You see, that prison actually exists, but at the same time, it doesn''t." She tossed me an orange. "Stop talking all cryptic to me. I have a small brain." I caught the orange and just stared at it. "When someone, like you for example, is under the influence of illusion, the illusion bes their reality, but only theirs." She took out a bottle of beer and started chugging. "Ah, I think I kinda understand. So if you didn''t undo the magic, or if I wasn''t able to realize it myself, the prison would be a real prison to me even though it doesn''t even exist in the first ce, right?" "Correct. I love a smart kid like you." She sat down on a fluffy couch. "Wow, so a normal prison break by digging a tunnel with a spoon won''t work." I ced the orange back on her hands. "That''s exactly why I''m the best warden here. Out of hundreds of special prisoners I''ve watched over, only one has managed to escape." She chugged her beer again. "Oof, Elena, you''re quite a heavy drinker, aren''t you? And who''s that one person?" I asked. "Of course, beer is my life!" Sheughed and raised her bottle of beer into the air, "also, you wouldn''t want to know more about him." So it was a male. I wonder who he was and where he went. Still, I wouldn''t dare ask too much. She had warned me before. "By the way, you don''t like oranges?" She waved the orange around. "I do like them, but--" "Oh, do you want mommy to peel it for youuu~?" She teased me. "N-no, it''s just, it might be poisoned, you know?" I shook my head furiously. "Smart girl." She peeled the orange and ate a piece before tossing the rest of it at me again. "I don''t need poison to kill you, though." Elena said as she licked her finger that touched the orange. "That''s true. Thank you, then." I popped the orange slice into my mouth, and I unconsciously smiled in delight. Man, sweet food was the best. I felt like I was melting from its juice and pulp. Finally, some good fucking food. "Do you want some beer?" She asked me with a scheming smile. "No, I don''t drink, but thank you." I popped another orange slice into my mouth. "Have some iced tea, then." She pointed at a ss of iced tea on the kitchen countertop. "...What are you trying to pull? There''s no way that a random ss of iced tea is just conveniently sitting there, at the right timing, ready to be served." I frowned. "So cautious. Just like what general Zhang said," she chuckled, "take it." "Do I have a choice?" I asked while still munching on my precious orange. "Not really." I sighed and took a step towards the kitchen. ''Swish!'' A de suddenly appeared in front of my face, preventing me from going any further. "What''s this? You told me to go take the tea. Is this some weird code?" I turned around to ask her. I felt like one of those ''what''s wrong? nothing'' victim. "It seems that you''ve misunderstood," she smirked, "take it, but don''t move an inch from where you''re at." "...Did you hit your head?" I was legit confused. "Kid, don''t you think it''s weird how a warden like me gets to have a secret private room?" She asked. "Well, will you tell me if I ask?" I remarked back. "Snarky," she chuckled, "I have another job aside from being a warden." "A mommy?" I asked, sarcastically. "Well, that one, too, I guess." Sheughed at me. A glint appeared on her eyes, "my main job is a researcher. To be specific, I research about magic." I stayed silent and waited for her to finish her story. "I''ve known about fusing way before you came here. And I know what effects fusing can have on one''s body." She continued. "Nice?" I was confused about how I should react. She told me not to ask questions, yet at the same time, she kept on dropping random info. "Try to feel your mana. Don''t you feel like you''ve gained another power?" "...Okay." I said okay, but I wasn''t going to waste my time tuning in with my mana and such. I just opened my skill window. [Skill: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Fighting dirty: increases all stats by 3 when facing a stronger opponent] [Eagle''s eye: reveals enemy''s weak points if requirements are met (must only be a monster-type enemy, must know its stats, must look at enemy''s eyes)] [Animal''s beloved (passive): increases animal''s affection towards you] [The mentalist: enables you to send a message to someone''s head discreetly, but you can''t get a message back (effective range: 1 km)] [Psychokinesis (passive): allows you to move objects ording to your will. The maximum range and weight depend on your mana)] [Blessing from the God of ********: allows user to ess quest system] Wait. This skill... I could use psychokinesis!? Chapter 34: Claim one of the cardinal thrones (2) Chapter 34: im one of the cardinal thrones (2) "Headmaster, I''m afraid I have another bad news to deliver." Owen said after general Zhang finished pushing the poor girl into the painting. "Oh? Do tell~" The headmaster took a sip out of his wine ss until it was empty. Gabriel then swiftly poured another ss for him. "It seems that our prediction is correct. The new mission, the mission to upy a cardinal throne, refers to the monster kingdom in the north, east, south, and west, respectively." Owen opened his mission window that said "im One of the Cardinal Thrones" before continuing with his report. "And as we have predicted, the north one is probably the kingdom of the orcs, while the south one is the kingdom of the minotaurs. And as for the other two, we still have no idea." He continued. "Good, good. So, what is the problem?" The headmaster asked. "Well, we decided that the kingdom of the orcs might be the best option, and so we have started to prepare for that raid, but..." Owen clenched his fists. "The kingdom of the orcs have fallen." "Fallen? How did you know? Who took them out?" The headmaster''s gaze became sharp. "So, this happened yesterday--" -------- Yesterday morning, Owen gathered the special squad that he had chosen for the next operation. They were required to overthrow a monster kingdom, something they haven''t done before. So it was understandable that some of them couldn''t stop their trembling limbs, even though their hearts were eager to fight for the sake of their own kind. "Soldiers! We march today to the north! We will scout the kingdom of the orcs, ande back with information! Prioritize getting back unharmed and not getting noticed! Understood!?" Owen''smand echoed throughout the entire courtyard, alerting every soldier present. "Understood, general Owen!" They shouted back enthusiastically. "For the glory of humankind! Onwards!" Owen howled, and the sound of horses clopping and carts rolling soon followed. They had chosen the kingdom of the orcs because their power was considerably lowerpared to the minotaurs. A normal orc was just probably as strong as a normal adult with magic. Even though there were elites like ice orcs, which required lots of soldiers to take down, but Minotaurs were on a different level. General Owen had prepared for this raid the moment they came back to Alistair and a new mission window popped up in front of everyone. It was around midnight on the day they returned from the serpent''sir raid. The silent town suddenly went loud with cheers of joy, screams of excitement, and tears of despair. Some may felt like they were one step closer to discovering the truth, to finally end this ordeal and live peacefully. But to others who had epted their fate, a new mission just meant a new threat. People stopped their activities and even postponed their sleeping schedule to throw arge banquet in celebration of humanity''s progress. The banquet was held in the town hall, and luckily, the soldiers hadn''t gone to sleep yet as they were busy cleaning up after the raid. General Owen and general Jeanne were the two main figures in that banquet, while the other general, the white-haired one, went missing. They received praises and people thanked them for their valor. But the most important part was that they received a new order from the headmaster. The order was to start preparing for the conquest of the kingdom of the orcs. General Jeanne was tasked to prepare the logistics, while general Owen shall train the squad and lead them to scout the terrain beforemencing the raid, which was the reason why they were raiding today. "Halt! On your feet!" After several hours of horse-riding, general Owen cried out amand to stop and ditch the horses. Everyone pulled on their leash to stop their horses and jumped down. "We shall progress on feet from this point onward! Use signals tomunicate!" General Owen shouted. The soldiers nodded and marched on while spreading out in an organized formation. They advanced in groups of 5, and each group held a binocr and a re. Slowly but surely, they advanced through the terrain without making too much noise. Some of them could asionally be seen taking notes about the terrain and the weather. "There it is, general Owen! I can see their kingdom!" A soldier that was in Owen''s group eximed while pointing out towards the horizon. "Hand me the binocr." Owen opened his hand, and the soldier ced a binocr on his palm. Owen brought the binocr to his eyes, when suddenly... "What... Is that floating above the orc''s castle?" Owen''s mouth fell open as countless scenarios went through his head. There, above the kingdom of the orc, was a huge screen floating around, saying, [North Throne: upied] [Owner: Elf Alliance] -------- "--and that''s how we found out we were toote to take the throne." Owen concluded his report. "Hmm... Now that''s troublesome. Why would the elves invade the orcs? The timing is just too perfect for a simple feud between races. Perhaps they received the same mission as us?" The headmaster stroked his beard and an amused grin appeared on his face. "Now this is a first, topete with monsters..." He chuckled. "That''s not a problem. We''ll just invade the minotaurs then." General Zhang chimed in while he leaned on the wall, yawning. "That won''t be an easy feat. Our army is not in a good condition after the serpent''sir raid," the headmaster tapped his fingers on the table, "Owen, how many soldiers have faced a minotaur before?" "Not a lot, sir. Maybe less than a hundred or so." Owen replied. "Do you think it''s possible for us to invade the minotaur''s kingdom?" The headmaster asked. "...The chance is small, sir." "Great, that means we have a chance!" General Zhang pped his hands together in delight. "If youe, then maybe we could." Owen looked at the white-haired general who was busy eating a cherry-vored lollipop to keep him awake. "Nah. I''ll be busy for a few days, right, gramps?" General Zhang smiled at the headmaster. "He has his own mission for now. General Owen, I entrust you with this mission. I will also contact the third and fourth general." The headmaster gave his order and stood up from his seat. "Yes, sir!" General Owen bowed, even though he was frowning and sweat started to form on his forehead. "Prepare a scout team to monitor the minotaur''s kingdom, just in case another group is trying to invade them. Take your time to prepare, train, and form a n. But, make sure to be ready to strike at all times in case there''s a raid on the minotaur''s kingdom." The headmaster continued. "Yes, sir!" "I hereby dere a war against the kingdom of the minotaurs." Chapter 35: Claim one of the cardinal thrones (3) Chapter 35: im one of the cardinal thrones (3) "Well, do you feel anything?" Elena asked me while tilting her head to the side, letting her graceful dark hair fall on her shoulder. "I mean, probably?" I wasn''t really sure how to control this skill, but I could probably try? I extended my arm forward, and willed for the ss of iced tea to move slightly to the right. It trembled for a bit, but eventually stopped. "Huh. Strange. Let me try again." Probably too weak? Okay, let me try to forcefully lift it this time. I felt my aura surged as my mana continued to rise, and all I could feel wasfort. I wonder why it had always feltforting to use my mana? "Come on, iced tea! Come to me!" ''BAM!'' "Oh... I''m sorry, Elena..." I looked up to the ceiling and saw that I''ve crashed a whole kitchen counter up there. "You..." She looked at me with wide eyes. "I--I don''t have money to pay you back. Can I work to pay for the damage, instead?" I scratched the back of my head nervously. If only that eel had paid me properly, I wouldn''t be a homeless, cashless person. She let out a loud, amusedugh and said, "don''t worry dear, you don''t need to work. Instead, let me be your teacher for a while." "But why?" I asked. This development was far too smooth and too suspicious for me. "As I''ve said before, you''re a crucial asset for our n. I need to train you well." She said with her deep, sultry voice. She stood up and approached me, "anyway, I didn''t think you''d actually have the ability to control things from afar. Maybe it''s psychokinesis? Or is it the ability to possess an inanimate object? Or is it invisible strings?" "Psychokinesis, I think. I thought you already know about my ability and that''s why you tested me by telling me to move the iced tea?" I asked. "I kind of had an idea. You see, general Zhang was looking after you a lot when you were unconscious. He did not sleep for two days straight, I think." Elena said as she put a finger on her red lips. That eel did? He must''ve had a hidden intention. Maybe it''s for this ''n'' she kept talking about? Either way, there was no way he did that just for the sake of it. "He told me that on the night we got the notification for the new mission, you kind of attacked him." She chuckled. "I did? I was unconscious, though?" I tilted my head. Howe I had no memory of that? "Yeah, he said that you suddenly made random objects levitate while being unconscious. It was probably when the fusing was finished and you just gained a new power, so it went crazy for a bit." "Ah, so you already know beforehand, but still decided to test me." I sat on a chair in front of her. "Well, a researcher values proof over words of mouth." Her full lips curved into a smile. "Alright, that''s a fair point," I sighed, "so what do you want me to do, teacher?" "You have excellentbat ability andbat sense, and your magic abilities are not bad," she leaned in closer to me, "however, you control your mana like a five-year-old would." "Haha..." I avoided her eyes as my cheeks went pink from shame. Was I really that bad? I guess on the bright side, that meant I could still be stronger. "Don''t worry, that''s where Ie in. I will teach you how to properly control your mana," she grinned, "in secret, of course." -------- Back in the courtyard, general Owen was busy preparing for the next raid. He gathered his men around and purposely picked the ones proficient in close-rangebat. After that, he separated them into groups of 5, and instructed them to train as a team. "Ah, general Owen, there you are!" A blonde-haired general called out to him. She was walking alongside two expressionless men. "General Jeanne. I see you''ve finished your business." Owen stopped his training and wiped off the sweat on his forehead. "Yes. And third general Emilio and fourth general Enzo are already here, too." She gestured towards the guys behind her. "Greetings, general Emilio, general Enzo." Owen nodded his head a bit. "Greetings." The first man returned the greeting. He had short light brown hair that perfectlyplimented his pair of light green eyes that looked a tad bit soulless. A sleeveless turtleneck hugged his body tightly, and a pair of army jeans andbat bootspleted his look. "Hello." The other man looked exactly alike, except for the scar on his left eye. "Let''s start the meeting right now, shall we? Let''s head into the cafeteria." Owen stored his spear and led them away. -------- Once they entered the cafeteria, the first thing they noticed was that there was an unattended child in the middle of the cafe, on all-fours. "Um... You..." Owen froze at the sight. "Aren''t you... Wolf?" Jeanne eximed with surprise. "Yes." The child answered absent-mindedly. "What are you doing here, Wolf?" She approached him slowly. "Wolf wait for big bro." "Big bro? Who''s big bro?" Jeanne tilted her head. "Ah, Wolf! What did I tell you about sitting? Don''t sit like that!" A bear-like soldier came running from the cafeteria door, holding a bag of chicken skewers. "Wolf sorry." The brown haired child apologized and stood up to obediently sit on a cafeteria chair. "Good boy." Dmitri ruffled his hair lovingly. "Dmitri, why is Wolf here?" Jeanne asked, looking obviously confused. "Wolf is a part of our army now, right, general Emilio, general Enzo?" He casually answered while passing a chicken skewer to Wolf, to which the boy happily epted. "I haven''t heard anything about this." Owen turned towards the two generals. "We enrolled him." General Emilio said with an expressionless face and a t tone. "Yeah. He''s useful. And he''s cute." General Enzo added in the exact same manner. "He''s just a child." Owen frowned. "We don''t judge by age," general Emilio took a fluffy pink bunny doll out of his pocket, "here kid, for you." "And this one, too." General Enzo tossed Wolf a bag of candies. "Thank you." Wolf hugged their gifts while continuing his meal. The two generals said nothing, and although their expressions remained unchanged, a faint blush could be seen on their cheeks. "Ugh... How can these twins be so cold-blooded, but so weak to children and all things cute?" Owen sighed deeply as he facepalmed. "Let''s really start the meeting now, shall we?" Jeanne interrupted the exchange and opened a map on the table. "You''re right. We don''t have much time, so let''s hurry," Owen started, "the raid on minotaur kingdom won''t be like our usual raid." Everyone listened carefully and nodded. "I''ve picked out the soldiers that are proficient in close-rangedbats--including you, Dmitri, don''t you dare ditch training, and I intend to assign them into squads." He continued. "Wise choice." General Emilio nodded in approval. "I''m sure you understand why," Owen pointed at the map, "this minotaur kingdom, is a whole maze." Dmitri gulped upon hearing that. "Ranged attacks will most likely be less useful in a tight space, and I assume there will be traps in the maze that may separate us. So, they need to be able to work in groups." Owen exined. "True." General Enzo eyed the map intently. "The problem is, we have no info on what''s inside the maze. We just know that the walls are unbelievably high and thick, impossible to climb and destroy." Owen clenched his fists in frustration. "Don''t worry. That''s where our trump card wille in." General Emilio crossed his arms. "Trump card?" General Jeanne asked. "Exactly. That kid." General Enzo pointed at Wolf, who was chomping down his chicken skewer. "Yes?" Wolf''s ear perked up upon the mention. Chapter 36: Claim one of the cardinal thrones (4) Chapter 36: im one of the cardinal thrones (4) "U-um... Generals? Are you really going to bring a child to war?" Dmitri raised a question. He scratched his cheek in concern for the little boy beside him. "If he can be more useful than 10 soldiers, I don''t see why not." General Emilio answered. "What is he capable of, exactly?" Jeanne let out a nervous sweat. Instead of answering, general Enzo held out his two fists towards Wolf, both enclosed, "boy, pick a hand. You can have what''s inside." Wolf looked at Dmitri for a bit, until the older one noticed and gave him a slight nod. After he had gotten his approval, he leaned in closer and started sniffing both hands. "Wolf wants this." He tapped lightly on general Enzo''s left hand. "Smart boy." General Enzo opened both of his hands, revealing a piece of candy in his left hand. He gave it to the boy, whose eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the sweets. "As you can see, this boy has outstanding smelling ability. Last time we tried, he could smell even smell my candy stash from a few meters away." General Emilio exined to the rest of the group. "Oh, I see. So you want to use his smelling ability to navigate through the maze?" Dmitri pped his hands together proudly, thinking that he had cracked the case. "Well yes, but no." General Enzo said tly. "Aw, I thought I had it figured out." Dmitriughed in defeat, while Wolf patted his shoulder out of pity. "To navigate the maze, we will use his other ability, his magic," general Emilio turned towards Wolf, "boy, can you roughly tell how many birds there are around here?" Wolf nodded, "yes. Lots of birds. More than 10. Wolf only knows count 10." "Ah, he said there''s a lot of birds, but he can only count up to ten," Dmitri tranted, "sorry, Wolf. Big bro will teach you how to countter, okay?" He patted the boy''s head with a sad smile on his face. "Okay." Wolf answered him. "Alright, boy. Can you tell me what one of them is doing?" General Enzo asked him. "Hmm. Bird Jose is taking twigs. Heavy, but for home. Over there." Wolf pointed out of the window, where there was a little white bird flying around. The bird tapped the window a few times upon noticing Wolf, and then flew away shortly afterwards with a twig in its mouth. "Oh, that bird called Jose is picking up twigs for his nest. But twigs around here are pretty heavy," Dmitri fluently tranted, "by the way, I just knew that animals have names among themselves? And it''s just like human names." "Do you get it now?" General Emilio asked the group. His face was still as t as a newly fixed road, but everyone could tell that he was proud of the boy, seeing that he kept handing the boy candies. "Um, I''m actually still a bit confused... Sorry, my brain''s not really useful, aside from fighting, haha!" Dmitri scratched his head, "anyway, general Emilio, general Enzo, too many candies are really bad for a child''s health." General Enzo froze upon hearing that, and immediately pocketed the rest of his colorful candies. "It''s okay, Dmitri. I''ll exin it," general Owen sighed, "general Emilio was implying that we can ask Wolf to guide us through the maze using the information provided by the birds." "Ah! That''s a brilliant idea! Now that I think about it, the maze is just made of walls, and it has no roof! We won''t get lost, then!" Dmitri eximed with happiness. "No, it''s not that simple." General Jeanne added. "Yes. The birds may be able to see the maze from above, but theyck the ability to find the correct path." General Owen crossed his arms. "That''s true. We will ask the birds to tell us the maze''s shape and our position, even though that may be limited to a fairly close range. And then, we will have to deduce the solution ourselves. At least, we can know which path leads to a dead-end" General Emilio exined. "There''s still a possibility that we''ll be trapped for days, or even weeks inside the maze, but that''s our best bet for now." General Enzo continued his twin''s speech. "We shall go with that n for now. General Jeanne, remember to bring writing materials so that we can draw a map and keep a track of our progress." Owen looked at Jeanne. "Yes. I will also bring paint and I''ll go get spikes for our shoes to mark the walls and ground." "Should we use breadcrumbs? You know, like in those children''s stories..." Dmitri raised his hand. "No. Breadcrumbs can be blown away or stomped by the enemies." General Emilio immediately rejected his suggestion. "Ah, right. Sorry..." Wolf patted Dmitri''s slumped shoulders again in pity. "Now that we have a n for our pathing, it''s time to n for the traps." General Owen started. "There''s not much that''s known about the traps inside. The records in the library mentioned that the traps have kept them safe from the invaders for hundreds of years. Even though many were able to find their way inside the maze, none of them have been able to survive the traps." Jeanne exined swiftly. "That''s why I''m against this operation, honestly. But orders are orders." General Enzo said with a slight frown that was barely visible. "Well, since we have no choice, we shall use that boy''s help again." General Emilio gestured towards Wolf, who was munching down the candies he received. A faint smile could be seen on the twins'' faces upon seeing Wolf enjoying their gifts. "Wolf help." The fluffy-haired boy nodded in response. "How so?" Jeanne asked. General Enzo poked Wolf''s nose, and a slight blush appeared on the older one''s cheeks, "his sense of smell." Confusion could be seen in the faces of the entire group upon hearing that half-hearted exnation. "Boy, are you familiar with the smell of blood?" General Emilio asked. "Yes." Dmitri, Jeanne, and Owen simultaneously held their breath. It was hard for them to hear that a child as young as Wolf was already used to the smell of blood. "How about the smell of corpse? Decaying bodies?" He continued his questioning. "Wolf knows." "Excellent," general Emilio ruffled the boy''s hair, "we''ll look forward to your cooperation." "In case you guys haven''t noticed yet, it doesn''t matter what trap it is, as long as we know that they''re deadly." General Enzo stated. "We will ask for Wolf to sniff out the areas where there are strong smells of blood or corpses. That''s where the traps are." Chapter 37: Claim one of the cardinal thrones (5) Chapter 37: im one of the cardinal thrones (5) Hours passed as Elena instructed me on how to properly connect with my mana. I had to treat my mana as if it was a part of me, an extension of my body of some sort. She said that mana and the body are different. Mana was connected to the soul, so I had to understand my soul first. At first, I thought she meant something like emotional intelligence. But maybe I was wrong? If anything, I was probably the worst person when it came to emotional intelligence. I didn''t even truly know myself. But, it was pretty easy for me to work with my mana for some reason. "You''re a natural at this. I''m surprised. Are you sure you''re a newbie?" Elena asked with an amused expression on her face. "I didn''t even know magic existed before I came here." I answered while spinning a chair around using my psychokinesis. "Tell me more about where you came from." She popped open a new bottle of beer. "Only if you tell me about yourself, how does that sound?" I smirked. If she agreed, it would be a nice opportunity to dig up some information. "Hm, interesting. What do you want to know about me, exactly?" she smirked back, "I''ll even tell you my favourite lip product~" "How about you and general Zhang''s n?" This time I picked up an orange and flew it around in the air, making a wonky ''8'' shape. I sucked at controlling fine movements, apparently. "Aw, naughty kid. That one''s off-limit," sheughed casually, "by the way, don''t use your mana in bursts for fine movements. Think of it as if you''re ying the piano, or as if you''re a drop of water following a river current. Smooth, steady, but precise." "I don''t understand even one bit about what you just said, but let me try," I adjusted my mana ording to her instruction, and sure enough, my wonky ''8'' shape wasn''t so wonky anymore. "That''s it. Great job." She praised me with a smile. "If you can''t tell me your n, then how about you tell me where you came from? Equal exchange, right?" I asked again. "Haha, sure!" Sheughed. Nice. People would usually agree to a smaller request if you ask them a bigger request beforehand. Thanks for teaching me this, Daeun. "What do you think of my room?" She supported her chin with her hand while gazing around the room. Her room? That was random. "Well, I''d say it''s very luxurious. It''s the first time I''ve been--no, stayed, in a grand room like this. Why''d you ask?" I answered and asked her back simultaneously. What did her room have to do with her past? "Same here. I used to live in one of the poor neighbourhoods in the town with my parents." She started exining. I silently listened while I picked up 2 pillows using my skill. "Do you know what it feels like to grow up poor? We often don''t have food to eat, and when we do eat, it''s rarely a proper meal." She chuckled a bit. "Yes, I do. I also grew up poor... Sort of, I guess?" I scratched my cheek. Well, it was half-true and half-wrong. "Oh, so you do understand me!" She beamed, "it was not a pleasant experience, was it?" I nodded. "I was always searching for a glimmer of hope to get us out of that situation. Even though my mom worked hard every day, but my dad''s medical bills sucked our savings dry," she continued, "and one day, I discovered that ''hope'' by chance." My ears perked up as I listened to her intently. I remembered myself being like that, too, back when I was little. Just a desperate little girl, trying her best to survive and be with her loved ones. "My mother has always told me that I''m a bright child, but I figured that she was just being biased towards her child," she smiled, but her eyes were sad, "that was until my mother''s boss asked me to work under the headmaster." "Her boss? What did your mom work as?" I asked. "That''s still a secret for now," she winked yfully at me, "and thus began my career as a researcher." "And after that?" "Hmm, well... Let''s just say that I was a naive little girl who didn''t know better about the world. That little girl made one wrong choice, and that one wrong choice eventually led to this n." She smiled as she told her story, but her smile did not reach her eyes. "I feel like we skipped over a lot of important parts, but alright... I appreciate you telling me your story, even if it''s just the ''trailer''." I sighed a bit. "Haha! You have to pay to watch the ''whole movie'', right? Don''t forget that you have to tell me your story, too, as we agreed," sheughed amusedly upon my remark, "don''t me me, our n is connected to our personal mission. That''s why we can''t tell anyone." Right. I almost forgot about personal missions here. "You guys have the same personal mission? I thought no personal missions are the same?" I tilted my head. "Oh dear, you couldn''t have been further from the truth. General Zhang''s goal and my goal arepletely different. Even our ways of carrying out the n differ a lot. It just so happens that this time, we need to work together." She said as she drank a whole bottle of beer so easily. "I thought you guys are buddy-buddy with each other." I said while I lifted up another pillow using my skill. "Nah, we''re just using each other," sheughed, "now, why don''t you tell me about where you came from?" ''BOOM!'' Just as I was about to answer, the pillow I lifted burst into pieces, scattering the feathers all around the room. "Oh no, I''m sorry!" I honestly panicked when I saw that seemingly fancy pillow ripped to shreds. How much would it cost!? "You... How can your magic grow so quickly?" Elena observed me. "What do you mean? Anyway, I''ll pay you back, I swear, just let me save up first..." I sighed. Goodbye, future money... "Hmm... Is this an exclusive feature for those who fuse? But this didn''t happen in general Zhang''s case," she squinted her eyes, "your mana flow is already stronger than when you first came here. That''s why the pillow exploded without much effort. Do you have any idea what caused this?" I paused for a moment to think, before opening my status window silently. [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 23] [Intelligence: 40 (+5)] [Agility: 14] [Physique: 25 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 0] My eyes widened upon seeing the sudden increase in my stats. Sure, the fight with the serpent and Eli may have increased them a bit, but how could my intelligence stat rose this high? Was it the side effect of fusing? Or because I had used my psychokinesis non-stop sinceing here, even during bathroom time? ...Or maybe both? ...Either way, it seemed that I do have an idea why. Chapter 38: Claim one of the cardinal thrones (6) Chapter 38: im one of the cardinal thrones (6) "Elena, does fusing have an effect on someone''s magic? Like, can they improve someone''s ability?" I asked. "Not the ability, per se. Fusing will unlock your mana potential. That being said, higher mana flow and higher affinity with magic usually lead to stronger magic." She exined. "Ah, so basically mana is like the ingredients in cooking, and our ability is like our cooking technique?" I pped my hands together as my eyes lit up, thinking I had finally grasped this whole magic thing. "Like, better quality ingredients will make better dishes if cooked properly, but without proper technique, it''s useless. And likewise, proper cooking ability can bring out cheap ingredients'' potential," I continued, "I don''t really understand affinity, though..." Elena gave my head some pat-pats proudly, "yes, yes, exactly! Smart kid!" She grinned happily, "affinity is kind of like your familiarity." "Familiarity? Do you mean experience?" I asked. "Yes, but not always. Think of it like this. When cooking, there are ingredients you''re familiar with, like carrots or potatoes, while there are exotic ingredients you probably haven''t heard of, like dried lizard''s tail." She exined to me. "Who even eats lizard tail?" My face scrunched up in disgust. "But it''s broader than that. For example, if you''ve been working with a certain pot for years, you''d be better at cooking using that pot," she held up a finger while exining, "so I guess you can say that affinity is abination of familiarity and experience, but only because experience leads to familiarity." "That''s a whole lot of info to take in, but I think I kinda understand..." My eyes trailed upwards, trying to process the information. "But in your case, I think it''s safe to assume that you''re not going down the experience path. So how do you have such high affinity with magic?" Elena stepped forward and approached me closer, until we were just a few centimeters apart. [Yeah, I would like to know that, too.] A voice alerted both of us, and we quickly turned around to find a small, white snake with a hint of blue on his tail. His huge, dolly yellow eyes were staring at them intently. "You--" "The serpent! How cute!" Elena eximed while she put her hands on her cheeks and squealed loudly. [Yep. That''s me. No touching, though.] He slithered around my arm and pushed his chest forward, looking proud. "Why are you touching me, then?" I wanted to push him away, but I couldn''t deny that he was absolutely cute in this form. [I am allowed to touch you. But you aren''t allowed to touch me.] I ignored his words and scratched his neck, which earned me a soft hiss from him. So much for not touching. "By the way, serpent, why did you suddenlye out?" Elena asked while extending her arm to pet the smooth little snake. [My name is not serpent. And I came out because this kid''s mana went haywire and she was unconsciously summoning me,] he answered her as he backed away from her arm, [I said, no touching.] "Aww, not fair, I want to pet you, too!" Elena pouted. Hmm, so he wouldn''t let Elena pet him, but I was allowed. Maybe his favouritism stemmed from my ''animal''s beloved'' skill? [No touch. Praises only. Anyway, can you fix your mana problem quickly? I was sleeping on my bed inside you, and I was suddenly kicked out without warning.] He pecked my head a few times. "That''s what you get for not paying rent, you illegal snake." I ignored his advances. [My name is also not snake.] "Then who''s your name, snakey boy?" Elena grinned. [I don''t have one yet. Hey, kid. You''re supposed to give me a name.] He turned at me, and his yellow orbs met mine. "Uh... I''m kinda bad at names. How about... Luke?" I scratched my head in nervousness. [Hey, that''s not bad. Call me big bro Luke.] He tried to sound like he didn''t care, but the apparent blush on his little cheeks gave it away. "You''re okay with that?" I asked again, making sure he was satisfied with his new name. [Yeah. Why did you name me Luke, by the way? Was it the name of someone you knew? Ooh, maybe a past lover?] He asked eagerly. "No, it was the name of my pet rat. It died within a week, though." I answered nonchntly. [Hey! Then why did you name me after it!?] I ignored his protests and pretended like I couldn''t hear him. Wait, if I got to name him, then did that eel get to name Timmy, too? Oh, poor Timmy, to have received such a name... ''BANG!'' "Yoooo, what''s up? Your favourite eel is here, little cub!" Always on cue. This time, the voice interrupting us didn''t belong to a snake, but a particr slippery white eel who had just kicked the door open as if he owned the ce. "The hell are you doing here?" I threw the handcuffs he used on me earlier straight to his face. "You look healthy, little cub~" he caught the handcuffs easily, "what''s this? Do you want me to handcuff you again? Do you like to be handcuffed by me so much?" He grinned slyly. "I''m losing brain cells talking to you." Iunched a pillow to his face using my psychokinesis. This time, he didn''t dodge. "What''s your business here?" Elena asked him with a stern face as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "To rx!" He grinned. "Get out." Elena growled at him. "...And to ry precious information! Tee-hee!" He added. "Tch." Elena clicked her tongue before kicking a beanbag towards him, which prompted him to take a seat. "Thanks for your non-existent hospitality~" He grinned, but I could feel a murderous auraing off of him. "What precious info do you have?" I quickly butted in, not wanting to be caught up in a fight between two monstrously skilled people. "Ah, the first one is regarding your gun. I''ve bought you a new one. Same model, but I had old man Koji modify it a bit so it can withstand stronger mana and generate stronger firepower." He held out one finger, as if he was counting. "Hey, thanks. Don''t forget to pay the money you still owed me, though." I grinned at him. "Sure, little cub. I can be your sugar daddy." He teased me, earning a hiss from both me and my new big bro. "Anyway, the other one is regarding the uing raid." He continued, ignoring us. "Oh, right. There''s that orc kingdom raid." Elena said as she leaned back with a sigh. "No, that one''s canceled already. They''re nning on raiding the minotaur kingdom now." "How so?" Elena turned her head in shock. "The elves have imed the orc kingdom. They were faster than us. We didn''t expect them to take part, too." General Zhang picked his ears. "Minotaurs? Are they worse than orcs?" I asked while I concentrated on moving a ss slowly and carefully using my skill. "Obviously. But, the worst part is that their kingdom is basically one huge death maze," he yawned, "by the way, little cub, it''s your fault I''m so sleepy. I''ve looked after you for days, at least give me a massage or something." I stomped on his feet harshly and said, "there, free foot massage." "Go prepare for the raid, then. Keep yourzy ass away from my room." Elena clicked her tongue again and chugged a whole bottle of beer. "No, we won''t be participating in this raid." "We?" I asked as I stomped on his other feet. "Yeah. You and I, we have another business~" Chapter 39: To the minotaurs kingdom (1) Chapter 39: To the minotaur''s kingdom (1) Several days passed by peacefully as the Vanguards prepared for the next raid. Too peacefully, even, considering that they were in a race against time and against monsters. "All soldiers, gather!" Owen''s voice thundered in the courtyard, alerting everyone in hearing range. The day they were preparing for had finallye. Soldiers gathered in front of Owen and the other 3 generals in just a matter of seconds. All of them donned their armor and wielded their weapons of choice, consisting of mostly spears and shields. "We shall march towards the south, to the kingdom of the minotaurs! Soldiers, remember your formations and proceed with caution!" Owen bellowed with a determined face. "Yes, sir!" The soldiers shouted and raised their weapons in response. "For humanity!" With onest cry of hope, everyone kicked their horses on the side, prompting them to start running towards Alistair''s south gate. -------- "Big bro, how long we reach kingdom?" Wolf looked up to Dmitri as he held the guy in question tightly, to not fall from their shared horse. "Umm, it would probably take a little longer than thest time we went out, Wolf, haha!" Dmitri smiled cheerfully at the boy while holding the horse''s leash. "How long?" He asked again while he stroked the horse''s mane gently. "General Jeanne said it''ll take around a day if we keep up this pace," Dmitri answered, "don''t worry, Wolf! If you''re hungry, I have some candies in my pocket! I also have your favourite chicken skewers in my bag, haha!" "No, not Wolf," the boy said, "but horse. Horses don''t like heat. Sun heat." He pointed upwards. "Aw, Wolf, you''re such a kind-hearted kid," Dmitri ruffled his hair affectionately, "don''t worry, we always bring enough water and food for the horses, too!" "Dmitri!" General Jeanne called out from her horse. "Ah, yes?" He looked in her direction and saw that she was already closing the distance between their horses bit-by-bit, until they were riding next to each other. "Here, take this." She tossed him a little red bracelet with a button on it. "What''s this?" He caught the bracelet with one hand and observed the shiny thing in his palm. "Press the button when you feel like Wolf''s life is in danger. It will alert me and send me your position. I wille immediately if you press this button." She showed her arm which had the same bracelet like the one she just gave him. "Are you sure it''s okay?" He hesitantly asked. "Yeah. Don''t tell a soul, though. This is not in our n, but I don''t want to risk letting a child die because of our ipetence." Jeanne answered, looking straight to the front with determination in her eyes. Dmitri smiled upon hearing her answer, "thank you, general Jeanne. I couldn''t agree more. After all, we''re fighting for their sake, aren''t we?" Jeanne smiled back at him, "thank you for understanding." -------- The night fell on them as they were riding their horses through the dark, damp forest. They weren''t able to go fast due to the mud and the abundance of trees around them. "Squad leaders,nterns, please!" Owenmanded, and soon after, a yellowntern was lit for every 5 soldiers by their squad leaders. Each squad consisted of 5 people, and no two healers were put on the same squad. They were spaced out far enough to be able to scout the surroundings and give a signal if a monster was sighted, but close enough for theirnterns to be able to be seen by other squads nearby. "General Emilio! To your left!" Jeanne shouted when she saw that one of thenterns on the left was colored red instead of yellow. "I know." The man himself just casually raised his right arm, and dozens of needles shot out from his arm. ''RAWR!'' A loud whimpering sound came from that way, followed by a heavy ''thud''. "That kind of sounds like a bear?" Jeanne wondered as she rode her horse. "Hey, you!" General Emilio called out to the squad leader who was holding the redntern, "learn the signals properly! Red is for monsters, while blue is for wildlife or civilians!" "S-sorry, sir!" The soldier quickly tapped his magicalntern until it changed color into yellow again now that the bear had died. "Tch. What is the use of buying all thesenterns if the soldiers can''t even use them properly." General Emilio frowned at the soldier. "Hey, tap out!" Jeanne gave amand to the soldier earlier, and he immediately handed hisntern to another soldier in his squad. "Maybe he''s nervous. Not a lot of people have fought against a minotaur. It''s probably best for him to hand over his squad leader position for now." Jeanne said as she tried to calm the fuming general down. "We have no ce for easily-agitated soldiers. I''ll have their training regime changed after wee back." General Emilio stated with an expressionless face. "Over there!" A soldier cried out, alerting everyone nearby including Jeanne and the twin generals. Upon seeing a whitentern which was a sign for a minotaur sighting, general Enzo immediately abandoned his horse and shot upwards, with ck wings spreading wide from his back. "I see it." He mumbled to himself, took out a gun, and aimed it towards the minotaur that was charging at them. ''PEW!'' Instead of a bullet, a light green liquid shot at a tremendous speed towards the minotaur. Uponing in contact with the said liquid, the minotaur''s eyes melted and it screamed loudly for a second before another shot of liquid got into its mouth and burned its tongue and vocal cord, which robbed its ability to scream. "Nice, general Enzo!" Owen stabbed his spear on the ground and dragged it as he rode, and from the crack he made, a bunch of earth golems emerged. The golems approached the injured minotaur and immediately stormed it with attacks until it stopped moving. "Everyone, halt! We move on to our second phase!" Owenmanded, and everyone obeyed instantly. They pulled the leash on their horses and gathered around the dead minotaur''s body. "Wow, what was that gun?" Dmitri amusedly said as he helped Wolf down from the horse. "Oh, you don''t know the twins'' magic?" Jeanne approached both of them and checked on Wolf for a bit, making sure the kid was unharmed. "I''ve only heard a bit, like they''re both Agio-types. General Emilio can turn his hairs into a porcupine''s quills, while general Enzo has some sort of vulture power?" Dmitri scratched his cheeks as he tried to remember what he knew. "That''s true, but the important thing to notice is that both of them have evolved their magic. General Emilio''s hair doesn''t break anymore when he turns them into quills, so it''s kind of like infinite ammo," Jeanne started exining, "while general Enzo can turn his back muscles and scap bones into wings." "I see... I wish my magic can evolve too, someday, haha!" He scratched his head, "what about the gun, though?" "Right, I almost missed that one. That gun was specially made for general Enzo. You see, aside from wings, he can also convert his stomach into a vulture''s stomach, producing very corrosive stomach acid," she continued, "and that gun can store that acid and fire it." "Wow, very convenient... Must be a pain to cough up all those acid before, though..." "No, he just--" "Hey, stop chatting and get on with it." General Owen scolded the both of them before Jeanne could finish exining. "Sorry. You''re right." Jeanne sighed. "Yeah, sorry, sir..." Dmitri looked down, feeling a bit ashamed. "Forgiven. Now, hurry up and cover yourselves with this minotaur''s blood." Owen said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Chapter 40: To the minotaurs kingdom (2) Chapter 40: To the minotaur''s kingdom (2) "Ah... I know this is for the mission, but I can''t help but feel a slight disgust..." Dmitri frowned as he smothered his palm with the blood from the minotaur''s severed arm. "Can''t help it. The minotaurs have a strong sense of smell, but their eyesight is pretty bad. This blood might save our lives if they think we''re one of them." Jeanne casually said while she applied the blood on her armor and her weapon. "Sorry, Wolf, but bear with this for a bit..." Dmitri crouched down in front of Wolf and helped him apply the blood. "Yes." Wolf stood there patiently, and not even a tiny bit of horror was visible on his face. Jeanne silently observed the little boy, and felt her chest tighten a bit. She wondered what kind of life the boy had gone through to made him unfazed by this. "We should be able tost roughly half a day until the smell starts to fade. Soldiers! we rest here for now! Eat your fill and then we will continue!" Owenmanded, and the rest of them started to disperse and look for afortable spot to eat and rest. Wolf walked over to Owen and pulled the hem of his shirt that was sticking out of his armor, "mister, the birds. Food, too." "Huh?" Owen raised one of his eyebrows in confusion. "Ah, he''s trying to say that the birds also want some food, they''re getting hungry. Haha!" Dmitri came over and ruffled the boy''s hair. "Right. Go feed the birds, Dmitri. They''re a crucial part of our n." Owen replied and walked away. "Eh? Me?" -------- It was around midnight when the group reached the outskirts of the minotaur kingdom. They had filled up their stomach, but now they were faced with two choices; to invade without proper sleep, or to wait until dawn and hunt another minotaur that might or might note in hordes. "Should we just risk it?" General Enzo said as he observed the minotaur''s kingdom using a binocr. "Maybe. The blood''s smell won''tst long. It''s best to invade while it''s still there." General Emilio replied while sitting on his horse. "But our soldiers are weary from the trip..." Jeanne chipped in, frowning. "Then do you suggest we wait and sleep while we rely on our luck to find a new minotaur to kill? What if we''re unlucky and a horde of theme instead?" General Emilio turned to face her. "No, but the oue will be equally as bad if we''re too weary and get surrounded by them inside the maze." Jeanne exined. "Silence, you three." Owen interjected as his horse clopped to the front. "General Owen..." Jeanne''s worried frown still hadn''t gone away. "That is true, general Emilio. We don''t rely on luck here." Owen stared at him with a stern look. "But, general Owen--" "But, I also won''t allow my soldiers to fight without proper preparations. Sure, sometimes fighting without preparations is unavoidable, but not this time." Owen cut her off. "Then, what do you propose?" General Enzo asked. "Both of you,e with me. We will look for a new minotaur and get its blood. General Jeanne, you stay with them here and keep a lookout." He replied. "And how are we going to find a minotaur?" General Emilio inquired. "I''ve found a horde over there to the south, probably around 5 of them." Owen held up his binocr for them to see, indicating that he had been scouting the area even before they started arguing. "Obviously you''re not going to have us 3 fight them head-on, right? Spill your n." General Emilio said with a straight face. "That''s true. You and me, we will be the bait. I have my golems with me, so we should be able to lure them without dying," Owen said to general Emilio, "we will lure them back into the forest we passed earlier." "I see. You want to split them up using the trees." General Emilio brought his hand to his chin while he nodded. "Correct. And general Enzo will keep his distance and kill the farthest one from the group using his gun. Once it''s down, we will use my golems to distract them while we sneak out through the forest and regroup outside." Owen concluded his exnation. "Not what I would choose, but I''ll follow my orders." General Enzo said as he clicked his gun, prompting the acid to swirl, getting it ready to be fired. "...That sounds good. Thank you, Owen." Jeanne thanked Owen before turning her horse around and galloped back to the soldiers who were waiting anxiously behind them. "Good. Now, shall we start?" Owen looked at the twin generals, who answered his question with a simple nod. They parted ways, and Jeanne immediately ryed the n to the soldiers. Murmurs of relief started to fill the air as the soldiers made themselves asfortable as they could. They were just d that they were given the chance to rest. Some of them simply leaned against the tree, and that alone earned them a satisfied sigh, and off they went to sleep. Some of them gathered to light up a small fire with their magic to warm their shivering bodies, even though some of them wouldn''t stop shivering even with the heat from the fire. "It''s okay, we will invade them fast, and then get out of here alive, alright?" One soldier said to the other soldier who was shaking near the campfire. "I-I know... It''s just-- it''s scary, you know? To go out there and not knowing what will happen every time?" He answered while he hugged his trembling legs, "you don''t know if you will die, or if your friend will die..." "...I know. We''ve lost a lot ofrades." The other looked down in pain. "I wonder if they''ve said goodbye to their families before they die?" He looked at the flickering campfire, "and I wonder if they''ve attended their children''s football game?" The first soldier stayed silent while he, too, stared at the beautiful but fickle fire in front of them. "I regret not eating my wife''s breakfast today. Even though she had prepared it for me since dawn..." He sighed. "That''s why we have toe back alive, alright? After this, you should go to your son''s football matches more often, and you should always eat what your wife cooks for you!" His friend punched him lightly on his shoulder, trying to cheer him up a bit. "...Thanks, man. You should spend more time with your father, too. Your father was sick, right?" He smiled. "Yep. I''ll buy him his favourite flower after this." Both of them shared augh in the midst of chaos around them. It was brief, and it was not much, but to them, that short conversation reminded them of their reason to fight. "Big bro, why no fight?" Wolf tugged at Dmitri''s shirt as they were warming up around the campfire. "Oh, right. Wolf, you''ve never been on a raid, haven''t you?" Dmitri asked. "Yes. Wolf never, but Wolf fights." He answered while chewing on his gummy bears. "Alright, big bro will tell you a story, okay?" Dmitri covered the boy with a nket and patted his head gently. "A bedtime story? Mom used to tell Wolf bedtime stories." He snuggled closer to the older man. "Um... Well, not really," Dmitri scratched his cheek in nervousness, "you see, Wolf. In raids, or wars, I guess. Fighting is actually only a small part of it." "Uh-huh." The boy listened intently. "Stuff like nning, supplies, and other things behind the curtain may make or break the war." He continued. Dmitri hugged the little boy closer, "and that''s why we have to be patient sometimes, and endure the cold, the hunger, the diseases... And the sadness. Sometimes, the winning side is not the strongest one, but the most stubborn one. The one who''s most stubborn to live." Chapter 41: To the minotaurs kingdom (3) Chapter 41: To the minotaur''s kingdom (3) Dmitri''s eyelids fluttered open as the sun rays were peeking through the horizon. He rubbed both of his eyes with the back of his hands, when suddenly he felt something soft was brushing his arm. "Wolf?" Dmitri blinked a few times looking at the boy who was snuggling close to his chest. The boy''s face looked very peaceful, as if nothing malicious was happening around him. "Hngg." The boy shifted his position a bit, trying to make himself morefortable. Dmitri moved very slowly and carefully, making sure he won''t wake the boy up. He pulled the nket to cover the boy, and then he ced his bag under Wolf''s head, recing his arm that was used as a pillow. "There we go." He smiled, proud of his mastery of babysitting. "How''s the boy?" Jeanne''s voice abruptly came from his right. He turned to find the owner of the voice covered in blood. Her face was stern and her eyes were in full focus. She wiped the blood off of her cheek and approached them casually. "General Jeanne? What happened?" Dmitri asked in surprise. Even though he couldn''t hide his surprise, he still managed to keep his voice hushed to not wake the boy. "Minor inconvenience happened. Don''t worry about it." Her eyes darted towards the sleeping boy, and she let out a relieved sigh. "But, general--" "You should join the others and have some breakfast. We''re going to invade the minotaurs in a bit." Jeanne cut him off and turned around, walking away. "A-alright..." The stunned Dmitri blinked a few times again, before he stood up to get himself and Wolf some food. He approached the soldier who was distributing the rations from their cart, and greeted him with a bright smile. "Good morning, Will! How are you feeling today?" Dmitri waved his hand. "Morning, Dmitri. Cheerful as always, eh? I''d say I''m pretty damn nervous today. Here, your ration!" The soldier handed him a piece of dry chicken sandwich and a canned soup. "Thank you! Don''t be too nervous, man. You''ll lose focus, haha!" Dmitri patted Will on his shoulder. "I''ll try, man. Anyway, here''s another portion for that kid you''re babysitting," Will said as he took out another ration and gave it to Dmitri, "also, here''s your bottled water. And that kid gets a bottled water plus an orange juice." "Wow, thank you! I''m sure Wolf will be happy!" Dmitri beamed. "Courtesy of the twin generals. Meanwhile, we always get water. Haa..." Will sighed. "Eh? What''s wrong with water?" Dmitri tilted his head innocently. "Nothing''s wrong with water. But sometimes I just want to be able to eat to my heart''s content, you know? We''ve been serving in the Vanguard for years, and yet we rarely get to experience what normal people do..." He answered while he continued to hand out rations to other soldiers. "Haha! That''s true!" Dmitri scratched the back of his head. "If you know, why are youughing, then?" Will sighed. "Well, the way I see it, they''re able to enjoy good food precisely because we served for years in the Vanguard, right? After all, we also scavenge for resources aside from killing monsters to keep them safe," Dmitri exined, "so I''m already happy enough to be part of the reasons why they can eat good food, even though I can''t enjoy good food often, myself! Haha!" "You... I swear, no one can ever beat your positivity." Will chuckled and tossed him a candy bar. "What''s this?" Dmitri asked as he caught it with his hand. "That''s good food. Eat it, so I can be the reason you can enjoy good food." Will said as he gave Dmitri a huge grin. Dmitri''s eyes widened a bit, and he smiled, "thank you, Will." After he got the rations he came for, he walked back towards where Wolf was sleeping and found him right there, sitting down while talking with the birds casually. "Oh, you''re awake, Wolf! Good morning!" Dmitri sat beside the boy, "here, eat these. We will be having a long day, so make sure to finish them all and chew carefully, okay?" "Okay." Wolf replied as he took the sandwich Dmitri gave him. The little boy immediately ripped the top sandwich bread into little pieces, and scattered them for the birds. "I thought we feed the birds already?" Dmitri said, dumbfounded. "They eat. But no full. You no ask." Wolf responded casually while eating the leftover sandwich he had. "Ah... Now that you mention it, you''re right. We just assumed they were full. Sorry, birds." Dmitri looked down and ripped his bread into pieces too, so the birds could have some. "Birds say it''s okay. Humans always like that. Humans think only humans matter. Birds say they''re used to it." Wolf tranted what the birds said. "Y-you''re right... Sorry." Dmitri scratched the back of his head. He nced at the bag of bird feed they had brought, and saw that not only was the bag too small for the number of birds they''ve brought, but the feed was also mixed with some pebbles. He winced at the sight. Now that he thought about it, they had been turning a blind eye to other creatures'' suffering, so that they, humans, could have more resources, which could lead to a better life. For a moment, he doubted whether it was the right thing to do or not. After all, other creatures would love to have a better life, too, wouldn''t they? "Attention, all soldiers!" Owen''s voice snapped him out of his trance, and he instantly turned towards Owen. "Finish up in five minutes! We will coat ourselves again in new minotaur blood, and then we will advance in 30 minutes!" "Yes, sir!" Everyone answered, and they all began scattering about. "Wow, they really did it. They really killed a minotaur, and one from a horde, no less..." Dmitri muttered in awe. "Yeah, man. Our generals are crazy strong, right? Even general Jeanne, who stayed up all night fighting off small monsters and wild animals doesn''t look tired at all!" A soldier near him said as he offered Dmitri a bag to throw his waste in. "Ah! So that''s why she was all bloody this morning." Dmitri gasped while putting their waste inside the bag. "Yeah. Now I feel better about this raid. It''s amazing how they could raise our morale even without saying anything." The soldier closed the waste bag and moved on to another soldier. Dmitri watched the generals'' back as they drifted away towards the frontline in silence. Sometimes, he wondered if one day he could be as reliable as them, too. After letting out a sigh, he quickly helped Wolf to get ready for their raid. Once the promised 35 minutes had passed, everyone was already lining up in groups of five. They wouldn''t be riding anymore. Instead, a few men would stay behind to watch the perimeter and guard the horses while the rest of them invade. They couldn''t afford to lose their horses inside the minotaur''s kingdom, as it would severely damage their economy and resources. "Alright! Remember your duty, and follow the n! Now, we march to the minotaur''s kingdom!" Owen howled as he raised his spear. "Yes, sir!" The soldiers followed his lead and raised their weapons in unison. "For humanity!" And with one final cry, the air was filled with the sound of armors nking as they closed the 1 km distance between them and the minotaur''s kingdom. Chapter 42: To the minotaurs kingdom (4) Chapter 42: To the minotaur''s kingdom (4) "This is kind of scary..." Dmitri said as he trudged the ground between the maze walls. He was walking with his squad while gripping his spear tightly. Each squad walked with a 30-meter distance between them, with generals stationed at the front, middle, and back. His squad was one of the foremost squads, because Wolf''s smelling ability was crucial for the n to work. "Don''t worry, big bro. Wolf strong." Wolf said as he walked beside Dmitri with his dagger. "Aww, Wolf. Thank you, big bro feels much safer now!" Dmitri tried to sound as positive as possible, but it was impossible for him to not break a nervous sweat. "Hey, isn''t it weird how we haven''t encountered any minotaurs or traps?" Their squad leader, Caleb, questioned as they carefully advanced. "I guess so...The minotaurs are known to be very confident with their maze, so they never really guard the entrance," Dmitri looked around him, "but yeah, it''s strange that we haven''t seen any traps. Not that Iin, though. Haha!" "Boy, do you smell anything?" General Emilio, who was walking at the front, questioned Wolf. "No. No blood, only mud." Wolf said to him. "Hmm," general Emilio thought for a moment, before stopping on his track, "let''s backtrack a bit. We''ll take a different path." "Yes, sir!" The soldiers passed the message on and they turned around to find another path. "I wonder why he told us to backtrack..." A soldier who was in Dmitri''s squad mumbled while they walked back. "Fool. Minotaurs are known to be confident, that''s true. But their confidence is grounded. They''re so confident because the only path towards their city is the path that''s filled with so many traps, no one had ever crossed it alive." General Emilio answered with a frown. "A-ah, sorry, general..." The soldier covered her mouth, shocked that he was able to hear her mumbling. "Sierra, just follow the order!" Caleb nudged her, afraid of getting scolded by the general. "That''s why you should read the records carefully. I bet you didn''t even read the past raider''s diaries about the maze. If you got time toin, you better use that time to study your enemy or train." General Emilio clicked his tongue and continued walking. "Yes, sir. My apologies..." Sierra looked down and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "It''s okay, Sierra. General Emilio meant well. Next time, I''ll study with you before raids, okay?" Dmitri patted her on the back. "Alright..." She bit her lower lip. Once they had backtracked a bit, they took another turn and carefully walked along the new path. "Wolf smells corpse." The boy pulled Dmitri''s sleeve with one hand, while the other was used to pinch his little nose. "Halt." General Emilio, who was walking in front of them, extended his arm to the side, indicating them to stop. Dmitri gulped. He clenched his spear and stood in front of Wolf with his shield ready. "Can you tell me the exact location, boy?" General Emilio asked without ncing at Wolf. His eyes were busy scanning their surrounding, looking for any clues. The path in front of them branched into two. "No. Just front." Wolf said with a frown. ''Hmm. The boy said he smelled corpse, but there is no trace of blood here, much less any signs of struggle,'' general Emilio thought in silence, ''then are the corpses underground? Above ground?'' After contemting for a bit, he raised his hand, "give me some pebbles." "Yes, sir." Caleb handed him a bag of pebbles that they had prepared. General Emilio threw some pebbles to each of the two paths in front of them, but nothing happened. "Perhaps it needs more weight to activate? Give me the waste bag." Caleb then handed him two waste bags full of trash that they had collected from earlier. General Emilio immediately threw the bags again, and to their surprise, the bag on the left path fell through. ''THUMP!'' The ground beneath the bag opened up, revealing a pitfall filled with sharp woods, corpses, and skeletons. From the skeletons, it was apparent that the victims didn''t consist of only humans. Instead, a lot of wild animals and even weird monster skeletons were there. "That''s horrible..." Sierra''s face was stricken with horror and she unconsciously took a step back. "We''re going to the right." General Emiliomanded, looking unaffected by the sight in front of him. "Thank god, I thought we would need to travel where the traps are..." Sierra sighed. "Fool. We need to seek the traps, but not cross the traps. Even the minotaurs need a path to get to their city. How can you not understand something as simple as that?" General Emilio frowned and walked to the right path. "Ah, sorry..." She looked down. "Don''t worry, Sierra. I''m also a bit lost, but I have faith in general Emilio, haha!" Dmitri reassured her for the second time today. At general Emilio''smand, they advanced towards the right path in the agreed formation. "Proceed with caution. There might be more traps ahead." General Emilio warned them. "Yes, sir!" Caleb''s squad followed behind general Emilio, and they ventured further in for quite some time. ''CREAK-- THUMP!'' "What was that!?" General Emilio turned around, noticing the abrupt sounding from behind them. "G-general! The wall--!" Caleb cried out in shock. "The walls are closing in! Everyone, run!" Dmitri shouted at the squads behind them. The walls behind them suddenly moved, and the long hallway that was around 8 meters wide was now reduced to 7, and then 5 meters. Caleb''s squad was fortunately already at the long end of the 100 meters hallway, so they managed to get to safety just by taking a few steps ahead. The three squads behind them, however, were not so lucky. "Run to the nearest exit! Go back if you''re near the entrance!" General Emilio was quick to think, and instead of telling everyone to run through, he instructed the squad at the farthest back to turn around and get to safety. "Run! Faster! Don''t get crushed between these walls!" One of the soldiers from the squads behind them shouted as he ran as fast as he could to reach the end of the hallway. "Ditch your shield! They''re wide and heavy!" "Hey, move over! Don''t block my way!" "Ahh! Don''t push me!" Dmitri watched in horror as the once organized squads became a panicking mess behind him. He could only watch as the walls were slowly closing in until it was only around 3 meters wide. "Come on! Move!" "Thank god I made it!" The squad that was right behind Caleb''s had sessfully gotten out of the enclosing hallway withplete members. There was only 1 squad left in the hallway, which was the middle squad. The furthermost squad had already reached safety, too, by running backwards. "Ah!" A soldier inside the wall tripped on an abandoned shield and fell down, twisting his ankle. He extended his arm for help, "Will! Help me!" The man he called Will looked back at him for a second, and in that instant, he could see fear in Will''s face. "Sorry, Austin! I''m really sorry!" Will shouted as he turned his back away from him, leaving him behind to die. "Will! No! Don''t leave me behind!" Austin cried out in desperation. "I''m sorry!" Will still persisted to run, even though tears were streaming down his face as he neared the exit. The walls were now only barely 1.5 m thick, and 2 of the middle squad''s members had gotten out safely. "Dmitri! Your hand!" Will reached out his arm as the walls around him hugged his armors. He was merely a few steps away from the exit. "A-ah, yes!" Dmitri immediately extended his arm towards the enclosing wall to pull Will out. However, Dmitri hesitated for what seemed like a fraction of a second. The thought of possibly crushing his own arm in an attempt to save his friend, who had a tiny chance of survival, struck fear in him. How would he work and save up for his mother''s treatment if he lost his arm? But, that fear did notst long, because he quickly decided that the teeny-tiny chance of saving his friend''s life was far more important than him losing his arm. "I got you!" Dmitri grabbed Will''s hand, and he pulled the guy with as much force as he could. "Thank-" ''SPLAT!'' Chapter 43: To the minotaurs kingdom (5) Chapter 43: To the minotaur''s kingdom (5) "A-ahh..." Dmitri stuttered. His eyes were wide, his pupils trembled at the sight in front of him. "Oh my gosh!!" Sierra gasped loudly, even with her two hands covering her mouth. "Will! No!!" Caleb grabbed the hair on his head so hard a few strands fell off. "W...Will..." The usually cheerful soldier fell down on his knees, unable to form proper sentences. His eyes wavered between the bloody wall in front of him that was once a long, calm hallway a few seconds ago, and his hand that was holding another hand tightly. "I-I''m sorry..." Dmitri muttered with a shaky voice while he held the severed arm of his friend. He struggled to keep his breath under control. The smell of blood that filled his nose didn''t help much, either. "Big bro. Let go." Wolf came over and grabbed Dmitri''s fingers, prying them open one by one until his grip loosened and the severed arm fell on the ground. "Wolf..." Dmitri looked at the unfazed boy, in contrast to his horrified state. "It''s okay," Wolf grabbed his hand that was empty after letting go of Will''s arm, "hold Wolf''s hand. Not that." "I..." "Soldier Dmitri, snap out of it!" General Emilio gave Dmitri a smack on his head. "G-general?" The soldier nced upwards to find general Emilio standing behind him with a huge frown on his face. "You were entrusted to guard the kid, not your teammate," general Emilio said, "why do I see the kid guarding you, instead?" Dmitri''s eyes widened upon hearing that. He turned his head to look at Wolf who was grabbing his hand. Wolf looked visibly ufortable, seeing that he winced every now and then, but he was able to keep it to himself. Dmitri bit his lower lip and wiped Will''s blood off his face using his other hand, "my apologies, general. And I''m sorry, Wolf. I was just a bit shocked..." General Emilio observed the man who seemed like he was about to break just a moment ago, and noticed that the determination in his eyes was finally slowlying back. "Good. We still have a long journey ahead of us. I trust you''ll not be a burden." Having said that, general Emilio turned his back and began walking to the front of the group. "Yes, sir!" Dmitri answered. He then looked at the boy, and his lips formed a smile, even though his brows were frowning, "thank you for saving me, Wolf. I don''t know what I''d do if you didn''t help me there." Wolf just nodded slowly, still holding his hand tight. "It''s okay, Dmitri. It wasn''t your fault." Caleb approached him and helped him up. "I..." Dmitri looked down. "Yeah. He just didn''t make it in time. Don''t be too hard on yourself, okay?" Sierra chimed in. "But I hesitated--" "Quit your chattering. Stop grieving and focus on our mission if you don''t want other casualties." General Emilio cut him off. He sounded stern, but everyone could see the angry expression on the general''s face. "Yes, sir!" Caleb responded. "Tch. I didn''t think they''d put a trap on both paths, but dyed the other so we wouldn''t notice... I have to be more cautious," general Emilio clenched his fists, "those minotaurs... I won''t stop until I wipe them clean." -------- Meanwhile, on the other side of the long hallway, general Jeanne approached the wall that had just closed in on them. She was stationed close to the wall, while general Enzo was stationed a few squads behind them, and general Owen was stationed at the furthest back. "Give me a report." She said to the squad leader who had just barely escaped his death. "A-all members of our squad is safe... But... I think there were casualties... From the other squad..." He answered in-between his ragged breaths. Jeanne frowned, but then said, "good job. You kept your members alive." "Th-thank you... General..." He panted. She reached into her cor and pulled out a small whistle that she wore as a ne. After inhaling deeply, she blew into the whistle. She waited for a bit until she heard the same whistle sounding from the opposite side of the long wall. Then, the same sound came from behind her twice, making a total of four whistle sounds. "So general Emilio''s fine. That''s good," Jeanne let out a relieved sigh, "I wish we won''t need to use this life signal whistle, but I guess it''s unavoidable, huh?" "Um, general, won''t the minotaurs notice us if you blow into that whistle?" The squad leader asked. "We hope not. These whistles produce a sound of roughly 50.000Hz, which should be audible for most humans, but not for cows," Jeanne answered, "anyway, I''m pretty sure they have noticed us already even without these whistles." "But... They have bull heads, right? Not cows?" He kept asking. "That''s why I said ''hope''. If you don''t have a better n, I advise you to stopining and start moving, because we still have a long way ahead of us." General Jeanne answered him and walked back. "Fall back! We''ll try another path!" Shemanded, and the troops began to move backwards until they find another branching path. -------- "Wolf, we''re going to release a bird. Can you please tell it to guide the others to our ce?" Dmitri said while he grabbed a birdcage. "Yeah. But bird Juan wants bread. No bread no help." Wolf answered. "Ah, sorry, bird. The bread are with the others. I''m sure they''ll give you bread if you help them out, okay?" Dmitri said to the bird. For a moment, a frown appeared on his face as he remembered the sandwich he ate earlier, which was given to him by Will. "Bird Juan says okay. But double bread." Wolf tranted. "Sure, sure. Now, off you go!" Dmitri opened the cage and let the bird flew away into the sky. "Good. While we wait, let''s advance." General Emilio interrupted. "Shouldn''t we wait for the others, general?" Caleb asked. "No. Those minotaurs are most likely already aware of our positions now. Do you want to just stay here and get ambushed by 10 minotaurs?" The general answered with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "N-no sir. Let''s go..." The group continued their journey with utmost caution. They eyed everything around them, from the textures of the walls, the contour of the ground beneath them, to the moss that was growing between cracks. They managed to avoid small traps like swinging axes and fallen boulders with ease due to general Emilio''s heightened sense of perception and Wolf''s extraordinary smelling capability. "Great job, Wolf!" Dmitri patted the boy''s head lovingly after the boy had managed to warn them about the oing pitfall yet again. "Keep your guards up. We have to stay alive until we regroup," general Emilio said, "speaking of which, where the hell is that bird? What took it so long?" As if right on cue, a whistle sound was heard from far away. General Emilio immediately responded by blowing on his own whistle. Then, another whistle sound appeared. But this time, it came from a different direction from the previous whistle. "...They got separated." General Emilio said to the rest of the group. "What happened during that short amount of time!?" Caleb said, panicking. "Shh." General Emilio brought his finger to his lips, telling the squad leader to shut up. Caleb immediately closed his mouth and nodded, even though he had no idea why he was told to shut up. After stayingpletely silent for a while, general Emilio finally spoke. "I could only hear 3 whistles." Chapter 44: To the minotaurs kingdom (6) Chapter 44: To the minotaur''s kingdom (6) "Damn it, who didn''t blow their whistle?" General Emilio cursed. "W-what do we do, general?" Caleb asked. He was starting to feel better about the operation a while ago, but now he could feel his heartbeat getting faster and faster again. "We stick to our n. Remember, we only go back if we''re missing 2 whistles," General Emilio answered and he continued to walk forward, "we should pick up our pace if you don''t want to lose another whistle. The sun is starting to set." "Yes, sir..." Caleb answered weakly. "Dmitri, release the birds again. Keep 2 for us, and tell the rest of them to go assist the other groups." Hemanded. "Yes, sir!" Dmitri answered and then turned to face the boy who was holding his hand tightly, "Wolf, we need your help again." "Yes." The boy''s reply was short, but he delivered their order wlessly. After the birds had been released, they immediately continued their journey carefully with the help of the other bird and Wolf. -------- Meanwhile, a moment ago when the sun was still at its highest, general Jeanne was leading the group to navigate through the maze. After witnessing the hallway trap, tension could be felt rising among the entire group. When they stumbled upon 2 choices of pathways, they were forced to stop and carefully weigh their options. "This is troublesome... We got separated from Wolf..." Jeanne mumbled under her breath. ''Chirp, chirp!'' "A branching path... We should check for traps." She put her hand on her chin. ''Chirp, chirp, chirp!'' "Ah, what to do...?" ''CHIRP!'' A bird swooped down andnded on her head, gently. "Huh? Oh wait, are you our bird?" Jeanne asked, finally noticing the little bird that was flying around her since a while ago. ''Chirp, chirp!'' The bird flew on top of her hand and jumped a few times in approval. "I see. Sorry, I didn''t notice you there," Jeanne smiled and stroked its head gently with her finger, "now, would you kindly lead the way for us?" ''Chirp!'' With a little chirp, the bird shot up towards the sky, and flew towards the path to their left. "So the right path leads to a dead-end... Now the problem is, does the left one have a trap?" Jeanne muttered under her breath. "General, should we check?" The squad leader who was with her, Oliver, walked beside her to ask. "Yeah. Try throwing some rocks." She answered. "Yes, general!" Oliver threw some rocks at the ground, and then at the walls, but nothing happened. "Phew... So it''s safe!" Oliver eximed happily as he took a few steps ahead. "No, wait a moment." Jeanne tried to stop him. "Eh?" ''Pssht!'' An arrow flew straight towards the space between Oliver''s dark brown eyes. Thankfully, Jeanne was fast on her feet, and she instantly grabbed the arrow right before itnded. "A-ah..." Oliver stuttered as he looked at the arrow that was just 3 centimeters away from his forehead. "Don''t move carelessly. I thought you''ve learned your lesson from thatst trap, but apparently you haven''t." Jeanne red at him angrily. "Yes, general. I''m sorry..." He backed away slowly. Jeanne observed the slimy arrow she just caught and said, "this is most likely a poisoned arrow. We don''t know the effect it may have, so let''s avoid touching it." "Eek--!" Oliver squeaked. "Everyone, crawl! This trap is probably activated based on height, so we will crawl through this path! Make sure to cover yourselves as much as possible to avoid idental poisoning!" General Jeannemanded to the group behind her. "Yes, general!" They advanced through the path by crawling, and sure enough, general Jeanne''s hypothesis was right. Not a single arrow was fired at them, and they sessfully crossed that path. "Now, where do we go next..." Jeanne stood up once they had finally passed the long hallway, and gazed upwards to look for the guide bird. ''Chirp!'' The bird flew away to the path to her right. "Okay, we''ll go this wa--" ''Chirp!!'' ''THUD!'' "The bird!" Jeanne cried out in surprise. The bird who was just flying around cheerfully had been knocked out by a rock that came from their right path. Its little body flopped to the ground, and it twitched a few times, trying its best to fly away. However, its wings were already bent the wrong way, and the blood stter showed how much of an impossible feat that was. ''ROAAAR!'' A deafening and angry roar came from the direction of the rock, and from there emerged a huge, huffing minotaur. It was carrying a huge rusty axe that was chipped all over. "A minotaur! Prepare to engage! Take formation!" Jenne immediately shouted an order, and everyone followed. The tanks gathered at the front, forming a barricade with their shields while leaving small spaces here and there to poke their spears out. Behind them, the attackers were ready to mow down the huge minotaur, and the mages and healers were positioned at the very back. ''ROAAAR!'' The minotaur charged at them at full speed and swung its axe. The ground seemed to shook a little with each step the minotaur took. Everyone managed to dodge the iing attack as its huge axe hit the ground, and the tankers took this opportunity to pierce the minotaur''s wrists with their spears. ''ROARR!'' The minotaur let out a loud cry in response, and raised his arm again to attempt another swing. "Not this time!" Jeanne used her wind magic to propel herself upwards, and immediately sliced its wrist off, earning another cry from the minotaur. With a loud thump, its axe fell to the ground, and the soldiers quickly closed in to deal some damage to the weakened minotaur. ''RAAAH!'' After losing its hand, the minotaur thrashed around with its other arm, hitting a few soldiers to the wall. "Urgh--!" Blood spurted out from a soldier''s mouth as he crashed against the wall. "Healers! Take care of everyone!" Jeannemanded while she clung onto the minotaur''s hand, and summoned two spears to pierce the minotaur''s eyes. "Yes, general!" The healers responded, and immediately got to work. After some time, they had managed to subdue the minotaur pretty smoothly, due to Jeanne''sbat prowess. A few soldiers were injured in the process, but it wasn''t anything healing magic couldn''t fix. "Good. We should quickly smear this minotaur''s blood on ourselves before we advance again." Jeanne said as she wiped the sweat on her forehead. "G-general! This is bad!" A soldier approached her in a hurry. "What''s wrong?" "Th-there... I see minotaursing from there, too!" The soldier pointed at the left path. "Wha--" "General Jeanne! Reporting! General Owen is currently engaging with a horde of minotaurs that wasing from the back!" Another soldier ran up to her. Jeanne''s eyes went wide upon hearing those reports, "we''re surrounded." Chapter 45: To the minotaurs kingdom (7) Chapter 45: To the minotaur''s kingdom (7) ''nk!'' "Ugh--!" Owen''s spear shed against the minotaur''s fist, effectively making his arms tremble upon the force. "General Owen!" A mage from behind shouted and cast a strength buff on Owen. Owen''s entire body glowed yellow for a bit, before he managed to push the minotaur back a few steps. "Arise, my golems!" He shouted, and from the ground emerged 10 earth golems in different shapes and forms. ''ROAR!'' The minotaur thrashed around as a few lion golems pounced at it and bit its limbs. It swung its axe towards the owner of the golems to kill him off, but another bigger golem took the hit instead. "Now, soldiers!" The huge golem hugged the minotaur''s axe tightly, locking the minotaur''s hand movement. Owen immediately gave the order to attack, and the minotaur was swarmed with attacks from all sides. ''Thud!'' The first minotaur fell lifeless on the ground. The soldiers let out a relieved sigh, but Owen didn''t miss a beat and immediately charged towards the next minotaur in line. ''ROAAAR!'' The second minotaur pounded on its chest a few times before it swiftly charged towards Owen. Just before they crashed into each other, Owen sidestepped to his right, letting the minotaur run past him and straight into his huge golem. ''CRASH!'' The huge golem and the minotaur collided, shattering the former''s body into pieces and blocking thetter''s vision. "You die here!" Owen took this chance to cut off the minotaur''s toes. And with one loud roar, the minotaur fell on its knees. "I got you, general!" Another soldier used her ice magic to pierce the minotaur''s head using an ice spear, effectively ending its life. "General, behind you!" Owen''s squad leader shouted as he ran towards Owen. Owen reacted fast and immediately dodged the iing axe from a new minotaur while shing a huge, vertical wound on its entire forearm. ''ROAAR!'' "Tch. Onwards, my soldiers!" Owen bellowed while he charged towards the horde of minotaurs, and everyone soon followed suit. Spears shed against axes, and shields shed against fists. The battlested for a while without anyone stopping even for a bit to catch a breather. Surprisingly, the minotaurs were slowly pushed back against the soldiers'' continuous advances. "Keep going, everyone!" The squad leader shouted. "Protect the healers! We got a lot of wounded people here!" Another one cried out. "Let''s charge!" The squad leader ran towards the minotaurs who were slowly backing off. Owen was about to join the charge, when he noticed something was a bit off with the minotaurs. The minotaurs who were aggressively charging against them a while ago, was now slowly backing off. ''Are they retreating?'' Owen thought as he raised his spear, ready to attack. ''Wait. No.'' He stopped on his track right as he was about tounch his spear. His eyes went wide the moment he realized that the minotaurs weren''t retreating. The bloodlust was still apparent in their eyes, and they weren''t even struggling that much. "Everybody stop! It''s a trap!" He immediately shouted with horror. "Huh?" ''Pssht!'' s, it was toote and arrows showered those who charged too early. The minotaurs had pulled a hidden string, activating the trap and sessfully injuring the soldiers. "AAAHH!" "Urk! Wh-what!?" "UAAGH! It burns!" "Save me!" Screams echoed throughout the long hallway as some soldiers started to fall down. Those who were lucky enough to be saved by their armors hurried back while they tried to keep avoiding the iing arrows. "Fall back!" Owen shouted, beckoning them to get out of harm''s way, "healers, quick!" "Yes, sir!" The healers immediately approached the injured and used their healing magic on them. ''Cough! Cough!'' "Sir! Something''s weird! Our healing is having trouble keeping up!" Kang Hayun, who was healing a soldier, said to Owen. Owen checked the arrows on the ground, and to his surprise, it was slimy all over. "It''s probably poisonous! Everyone, cover yourselves up as much as possible! Healers, try using our medicinal herbs!" Owenmanded, and Hayun nodded. "Damn it... We are way too outnumbered now..." Owen cursed under his breath. ''ROAAR!'' Now that the trap had beenunched, the minotaurs were ready to attack again. The minotaurs started to charge at the disorganized soldier, when suddenly, a ''st'' sound was heard, followed by the minotaur''s scream. "That''s--" Owen looked up to see a winged man with a gun flying above them. "Tch. Don''t rush in like idiots, that''ll cost you your life!" General Enzo frowned and fired 2 more shots at the iing minotaurs, hitting them right in the head. ''ROOOOAR!'' The minotaurs screamed as their head slowly melted off. "Soldiers, attack!" Owen immediately followed up and used this momentum to kill the minotaurs. "I''ll lure them away. Split them up and defeat them one by one." General Enzo said as he flew towards a different direction while firing more shots, melting another minotaur''s head. Some of the minotaurs roared with rage and followed after him, while some of them stayed behind to fend off Owen''s army. "General Enzo, watch out!" Owen shouted, alerting general Enzo of the iing rocks that were thrown at him by a minotaur. "Ugh--!" The winged general spun around, narrowly missing the huge rocks, "tch. This is why I don''t n to fly in this maze. These barbarians are great with anti-air defense, even though all they do is throw some rocks." ''Pew! Pew!'' General Enzo flew away while he continuously fired shots after shots against his pursuers. Even though he managed to kill a few minotaurs, but they just kepting and kept throwing rocks against him. After a while, he finally managed to gain a considerable amount of distance between him and Owen''s group. Fortunately, that reduced the number of minotaurs that the others had to face. The horde had started to split ways, and it was looking better for them. ''Thud!'' "Ugh--!" General Enzo winced as a rock hit his left wing. He immediately stabilized his flying and fired a few more shots at his attacker. ''ROARR!'' One of the minotaurs hurled another batch of rocks at him, and two of them ended up hitting general Enzo on his right wing and shoulder, which caused him to falter. "You damn cows!" He cursed while he fired more shots, killing 2 minotaurs at once. ''ROAR!'' Suddenly, a minotaur crouched down, and its friend used its back to jump towards general Enzo. The minotaur jumped so high that even general Enzo had a surprised look on his face. Before he could react, the minotaur already had him in its fist. "Damn you--" he immediately pointed his gun at the minotaur''s face. ''Click.'' "Huh?" The minotaur in front of him was still perfectly unscathed, and was now opening its mouth wide. "Damn it, I ran out of ammo." Chapter 46: The outing (1) Chapter 46: The outing (1) "This... This is the business you were talking about?" I asked general Zhang who was standing there proudly wearing a pair of gloves. "Yeah! Someone has to take care of them, right?" He grinned at me. "...Do you expect me to take care of them while being handcuffed?" I said as I raised both of my wrists that were handcuffed by him. "You''re a prisoner, so yeah~" He waved the chains that he had connected to my handcuffs, making me look like I was on a leash. "How did you even convince the headmaster? He wouldn''t even budge when I was the one who did the talking." I sighed. "Well, that''s because he thinks I''m his loyal dog. He''s convinced that I won''t ever do something against him." Heughed casually. "Hand." I grinned and offered my palm. "I''m not your dog. You should be the one giving me a hand." He suddenly pulled the chains, and the sheer force jerked me forward. "Ack--!" I shrieked a bit from the shock, but he quickly caught my hand, preventing me from falling down. "See? You gave me your hand. Now that''s a good dog~" He smirked yfully at me. "Oh, really?" I smiled back and scratched his forearm until 3 red stripes were visible on his ssy skin, "good dogs don''t scratch." "Yeah, I changed my mind. You''re a crazy little cub. So mean~" He pouted at me. "C''mon, we have a lot of things to do." I sighed and walked away from him. He had brought me here under the pretense of ''prisoners need to do social service work''. And for some reason, the headmaster easily gave him permission, as long as I was handcuffed and watched over 24/7. I nced over at my surroundings, and it looked pretty bad. We went to the poorer side of the town near the edge of the walls to help the family of the injured soldiers. But after seeing its state, I didn''t even know where to begin helping. Most of their houses weren''t built with proper bricks and cement, but with a mix of rocks, woods, and dirt. There were hardly any streetmps, and not even a proper, smooth road to walk on. But even though their living conditions were awful and their clothes were dirty, they still weed us with a big smile on their faces. "Ah! General Zhang! You''re here!" An elderly woman came up to us while holding a huge basket full of firewood. "Heya, granny Maria! How''s your son?" General Zhang greeted cheerfully. He would''ve looked like a normal friendly neighbour if not for the chains nking every time he moved. "He''s still holding on, that boy," the old woman answered and turned to face me, "and you are?" "Ah, I''m--" "She''s my little lion cub." General Zhang cut me off. "No, ma''am. Ignore him," I stomped on his foot, hard, "my name is Yoo Chaerin. Pleased to meet you, ma''am." "I see! d to meet you, miss Chaerin! I see you''re getting along with general Zhang!" The grannyughed happily. "No, we actually don''t. Anyway, let me carry that for you, ma''am." I took the heavy basket from her hand, and was quite surprised by the weight, which made me worry for the fragile-looking granny. "Ho ho, thank you! My house is this way." The granny thanked me with a smile and led us to her home which wasn''t too far from where we were. Her house was small, with only one window and dim lighting. The moment we stepped in, I could see how messy the house was. There were random things scattered on the floor, the dishes were piling up in the sink, and a thinyer of dust was coating every surface. "Granny, could we visit your son?" General Zhang asked. "Sure, sure! He''s sleeping in that room over there." She pointed at a room on the edge of the house. "Then, excuse us~" General Zhang pulled the chain, forcing me to follow him into the room. "Ack--! Stop pulling!" I protested. "What do you think, little cub?" He ignored my protest and gestured towards the person inside the room aside from us. I looked at the man who wasying on the bed as if he was peacefully sleeping. He looked very thin and pale, as if he were barely holding on. One might mistake him for a corpse if they didn''t know better. "He''s Dan. One of our members in the Vanguard." General Zhang said to me as he stared at the unmoving man. "Ah... I see. I don''t recall seeing him." I said while I observed his face. I already knew we were here to help the families of the wounded soldiers, so it was obvious that we would see some casualties here, but I just couldn''t help to feel sick every time I see an injured teammate. "Of course you don''t. He''s been in this state for months even before you came here. They said he got attacked by a monster on a raid." He exined to me. "Wait, and he hasn''t woken up since then? What about the healers?" I asked. "Don''t know, didn''t work," he vaguely answered, "anyway, let''s get to work. Go change his clothes or something, I''ll go fix the roof." "What? Hey, you didn''t even give me a clear answer! And why should I change his clothes?" I pulled my chain to prevent him from going. "Just listen to me." He gave me onest grin before he released the chain and went outside to fix the roof. "What the hell? That was so random..." I frowned, but I still did what he told me to do. After all, we were here to help, so might as well do it. I asked granny Maria for a change of clothes and a wet towel so I could help her son get cleaned up. As I propped Dan''s thin body up with my knee, I could clearly feel his bony figure, and it pricked my heart. "What monster did this to you..." I mumbled as I undid his buttons and threw his dirty shirt to the side. I dipped the towel inside a bowl of water and squeezed it before I started to wipe his face and upper body with it. I tried to think about other things to distract me from negative thoughts, so I started to make a list of things I would do after this. "First, I will have to sort out the scattered stuff, take out the trash, and then I''d be able to clean the dust... Oh, I shouldn''t forget the dishes, too." My mind wandered off, thinking about how hard it must''ve been for granny Maria to live alone in this house while caring for her sickly son. "Hmm?" My hands stopped as I suddenly noticed something weird. I was wiping his back when I felt like there was something... Off. If general Zhang was telling the truth, and he really was attacked by monsters, the scars would''ve looked pretty obvious, like probably a scratch or bite marks, or maybe blunt traumas and stabby scars. And yet, I spotted 3 little red dots on his back, the spot where most people would miss when checking for wounds. If there were only 2 dots, I would''ve suspected a small snake monster bit him or something. But was there a monster who attacks using 3 little sharp objects? Maybe, maybe not. The point was... "These... Kind of look like needle marks." Chapter 47: The outing (2) Chapter 47: The outing (2) I slowly trailed my fingers around the little red dots, and felt that the area around them was slightly warmer than the rest of his back. "They''re still red... does that mean these are recent?" I frowned. "Hey, little cub, are you done yet?" General Zhang suddenly appeared from behind me and surprised me with a tap on my shoulder. "Ah! Where the hell did youe from? You really need to learn to knock before entering a room!" I shoved his hand off my shoulder. "But the door was open, you know?" He pouted. "I-- just knock..." I ignored him and proceeded to help Dan put on a shirt. He just hummed and sat on the edge of the bed while he observed me struggle to put on a simple shirt on Dan. His eyes wandered around until they eventuallynd on the little red dots that I saw. I waited for him to say something, but instead, he just kept staring straight into my eyes, as if waiting for me to ask him about those marks. Finally, I gave up and sighed, "hey, what''s up with these marks?" His grin immediately went wide upon hearing my question, "oh~ What do you think?" "I think he either got bit by a weird-ass snake, or someone came over to stab him with needles recently." I answered him while Iid Dan back on his bed, finished with dressing him up. "Oh~ So you noticed it was recent~" He amusedly stroked his chin. "Does that mean you acknowledge that these are needle marks?" I picked up the wet towel and the bowl of water and started walking towards the small kitchen. "Who knows, probably he got bit by a weird-ass snake recently, right?" He said with a sarcastic tone as he followed me into the kitchen. "So you deliberately brought me all the way here and told me to change his clothes just so I know that there are weird-ass snakes out there?" I started to wash the dishes as my mind began to wander. Why would he show me, a stranger, something like this? What was he scheming? "Why not? Snakes are cool. You got one yourself." He poked my cheek yfully. "Don''t touch my cheek if you haven''t washed your hand." I inched away from him. "C''mon, we should wrap this up fast, we need to help other families, too." He ruffled my hair and started to sort out the scattered stuff on the floor. I said nothing and just continued to wash the dishes one by one as I tried to sort out my thoughts. Those marks... They actually could''ve been from a monster. After all, there were all sorts of monsters here, right? Heck, they might be from a tiny three-wed flying bear for all I knew. But it didn''t add up. They said that monsters couldn''te inside the town''s barrier, except for fused monsters like Luke, apparently. And general Zhang just kinda confirmed that those were recent. So, if I were to draw a conclusion, those marks were probably man-made, right? "Hey, eel--" "Let''s go, little cub. The longer we stay here, the fewer people we can help." Before I could ask him anything, he yoinked my shirt''s cor and dragged me out of the perfectly clean house. "How did you clean up so fast!?" I asked while I squirmed around to release myself from his grip. "You''re just slow at cleaning up, even the germs grew tired of waiting." He smirked. "Argh, whatever. By the way, about that mark--" "Oh hi, Mark! What''s up~" He waved at a young man who was busy carrying a bucket of water. "General Zhang! Good day, sir!" The young man bowed, and his face instantly beamed upon seeing the white-haired eel. "How''s your wife and kids? Do you need anything from us?" He approached the young man and took the bucket of water from his hand. "They''re doing okay, general, thanks to your continuous help!" The man bowed again. "That''s great to hear. What can we do for you guys today?" General Zhang asked as we walked towards the young man''s house. "No, no, general. We don''t want to trouble you again. We''re already grateful for your help." "Don''t be like that, we came all the way here to help, so why refuse?" General Zhang chuckled, "c''mon, little cub. Let''s get to work." "Ah, yes!" I nodded. I followed general Zhang around for a few hours until the sky turned orange-red, and the air was starting to get pleasantly colder. We did a lot of household tasks and even stuff like brushing cows and helping a kitten that was stuck on a tree. Surprisingly, almost everyone here was happy to see that eel, and that eel knew most of them by name. From their conversations, I learned that he visited this area regrly when he had some time off. And it turned out that he regrly visited other neighbourhoods, too. "Hey, eel. Do you think those marks--" "Ah, look at the time! We should hurry to the forest and get these poor vigers some woods and stuff!" He cut me off deliberately. "No, listen to me--" "C''mon, those woods and stuff are waiting~" He yoinked me again before I could even finish my question. During the times we helped around, I discovered that there were more people with the three dots mark, and most of them were located on their backs. However, not all injured soldiers had that mark. I''ve been trying to find the pattern, but I just couldn''t. And every time I tried to ask, he would always cut me off and change the topic. "Timmy,e out." Hemanded as a wisp of smoke came out of his body and formed a giant, fluffy tiger. "Rawr." Timmy purred at us, and licked me a few times before we hopped on his back. In just a few minutes, we were able to reach the city''s gate, and we ventured a bit further until we stumbled upon a forest. "We''re here, let''s go fetch some woods and stuff~" General Zhang said as he picked me up and jumped down from Timmy''s back. "What''s the other ''stuff'' I''m supposed to look for, exactly?" I frowned. "Well, stuff. Just go get some firewood, I''ll go look for the other ''stuff''." He grinned at me. "You''re weird as hell today. Whatever, let me down." I sighed. After he let me down, he wandered off on his own to do whatever he needed to do, but only after telling Timmy to watch over me in case I ran away. "Firewood, huh? I wonder how much is enough..." I muttered to myself as I walked deeper into the woods. Even though I was pretty sure that I won''t die from a monster considering I have Timmy with me, I still kept my guard up just in case. After all, my colonel had always taught me to be observant and ready. "How does he even expect me to chop up some woods if he didn''t give me an axe, that eel bastard." I cursed as I looked around to find something sharp that I could use. But, the more I looked around, the more I noticed that this forest was weird. There were very few animal markings on the trees or ground, and there were barely any fruits growing on the trees, or even on the ground. "That''s kinda weird. If there aren''t many animals here, shouldn''t there be lots of uneaten fruits or something?" I mumbled, "hmm, maybe it isn''t time to bear fruits yet... But I''m sure I saw a lot of these types of fruits in the market... Oh, well." I went deeper and deeper, and I noticed something strange yet again. There were human footprints, lots of them. Most of them were already smudged, but I could still clearly see the foot shape. The weird thing was, the sole pattern was very different from our army''s. Not only that, but I found an empty stic bag, which was pretty weird considering our town mostly used paper bags. "This is spooky, man. Timmy, what do you think?" I sighed as my old habit of talking to animals popped out. "Rawr." He just snuggled closer to me and rubbed his cheeks on me. "Haha, that tickles, Timmy!" I patted him happily. ''Rustle.'' "Who''s there!?" I immediately jumped into mybat stance upon hearing the rustling sound nearby. "It''s me, little cub, your favourite eel." General Zhang waved at me. "Oh, bummer. What are you doing here? I thought you''re gathering ''stuff''?" I let out a disappointed sigh. "Hey, why do you sound so disappointed?" He pouted, "anyway, change of ns. We''re going back. I just got a message from gramps." "How''d you get a message from this far away?" "Every man has secrets," he winked at me, "anyway, the raid failed." "What!?" I eximed in surprise. Then, Jeanne and Owen...? "Yeah. And the troublesome thing is, the minotaurs took Owen and one other general." Chapter 48: The outing (3) Chapter 48: The outing (3) "Took them!?" I eximed in surprise. The word ''took'' could be interpreted in so many ways, like, took their life? Took hostage of them? Which one? "Let''s go back first. They should be in the courtyard right now. We''ll discuss the details with them over there." "...Okay." I clenched my fists and mounted Timmy with general Zhang''s help. I knew that I''ve known them not for long, but for some reason, I couldn''t help but feel a little worried about Jeanne and Owen... I couldn''t care less about that damn senile old man, though. He could go missing in the sea for all I care. -------- We quickly returned to the courtyard, and found a crowd of gloomy-looking soldiers roaming about while being dirty and bloody. The atmosphere was heavy seeing that nobody had a smile on their face as far as I could see. "Healers! Come quick, we need extra hands!" "Oi, don''t get in my way!" "No! Abby! Don''t die, please!" Chaos ensued as they scrambled to save those that could still be saved, and mourn those who were long gone. Glows of various colors appeared here and there, indicating that the healers were hard at work. Some of the soldiers were busy organizing the supplies, and some others were grieving next to the lifeless bodies they managed to bring back. "This... Are all raids always like this?" I felt like my breath was stuck in my throat as I saw the scene before me. It reminded me of the scene I often saw during my time in the frontline. "No, not always. The aftermaths have always been gloomy, but not to this extent," general Zhang hopped off of Timmy''s back, e." He extended his hand towards me, and I flinched a bit. For a second there, his hand looked like my colonel''s hand that was about to drag me away for some beatings. "What''s wrong? Hurry up, little cub." He tilted his head to the side. "Ah, nothing... Sorry, I must''ve zoned out for a bit there." I extended my arm and took his hand. I shook my head to try and clear up my mind. C''mon, Chae, you knew that this wasn''t Korea. And they weren''t your army brigade, but the Vanguards. Wake up! As I grabbed his hand, I noticed that his eyebrows twitched for a bit, but I brushed it off. I needed to concentrate on the real problem here. The failed raid and the missing generals. "...Thanks." As soon as my feet touched the ground, I immediately started to walk towards the group of soldiers. We needed to hurry and evacuate, before the enemy attacks again-- "Wait." "Huh?" I blinked. General Zhang grabbed my shoulder, stopping me from going. He stood behind me and covered my eyes with his other palm. "Calm down, little cub. Stabilize your breathing," he said to me, "focus on my voice." "Ah--" "You''re trembling and your breathing is uneven. Concentrate on your breathing and listen to me." I nodded slowly and took a few deep, controlled breaths. Soon, I felt my shoulders loosen a bit as my breathing started to stabilize, and my tremblings stopped. It was easier to calm down because he covered my eyes, so my focus wouldn''t be ced on the grim scene in front of me. "...Right. I''m sorry." I grabbed his hand that was covering my eyes, and took it off. What was I thinking? Evacuate? Enemy attack? This wasn''t the army brigade. Once again, Chae, this was the Vanguard. Get a grip. General Zhang sighed and ruffled my hair, "you don''t need to be scared, you''re not going to die." "I mean, technically, we''re gonna die one way or another. You and I, too. Who said that I''m afraid of dying?" I snickered. "Heh. Finally back to your feisty self," he pped my back so hard I almost threw up, "but you won''t die soon, not without my permission. I''ll definitely keep you alive, because I''m strong~" "I''m also strong. I don''t need your protection." I frowned. "Hey, Jean-jean! Mind telling us the situation?" General Zhang ignored me and called out to Jeanne, who was holding a handkerchief against her head in an attempt to stop her bleeding. "Jeanne! Oh god, let me help you!" I ran towards her and hurriedly scanned her for wounds. "General Zhang, Chaerin... The raid was a mess." She grimaced. "Where are the healers?" I asked as I helped put pressure on her wound, "ah, your leg is messed up again!" "I told them to prioritize the dying soldiers first..." She winced a bit at the pain. "Oi, exin the situation." General Zhang asked again. "I--I was careless, yet again. They took general Owen and general Enzo to their castle. I think they n to use them as hostages." She exined. "Tell me everything, in chronological order." He said as his gaze became sharper. "Can you wait a bit? I''ll go get the first-aid kit first!" I said as I rummaged through the half-empty supply bag. We listened carefully to Jeanne''s story as I patched her up the best I could, which was not much. She told us everything from the start of the raid, to theirntern strategy, and even about their secret card, Wolf. "You guys brought Wolf, too!?" I eximed in surprise. "Yes... I tried to prevent the worst from happening by lending them this bracelet, which can send me a signal with the press of a button, but.." She paused. "But?" "But, I ended up being the one to press the button." "What? How did that happen? How is Wolf right now? Where is he?" I asked repeatedly, worried about the little boy. After all, I knew too well how it sucked to be forced to go to war as a child. "We were surrounded, and all four generals got separated from each other. General Owen managed to hold on for a while with general Enzo''s help," she started exining, "but, general Enzo soon got caught by the minotaurs..." "That creepy bird was caught? I didn''t expect that." General Zhang chimed in. "He was chased by lots of minotaurs while he flew, it was impossible to not get caught," she answered, "after I saw general Enzo getting caught, I blew my whistle to alert general Emilio that we lost one general, and joined forces with general Owen." "And then?" I patted her back slowly, trying to reassure her a bit. "We were only able tost for a short while, until a minotaur grabbed my leg and threw me into a wall." "Oh, the leg that hasn''t fully recovered yet?" I looked at her swollen leg worriedly. "Yes. I think I identally pressed my button when my wrist was mmed against the wall. After that, the minotaurs tried to take me away, but general Owen threw me to the side, and he was taken instead." "That''s weird. How did you and general Emilio make it back here after that?" General Zhang questioned sternly. "They let us go." "What do you mean?" I tilted my head, confused. "The minotaurs let us go." Chapter 49: New plan (1) Chapter 49: New n (1) "Why would they let you go...?" I frowned, trying to sort out what little info I had. "So it seems that they''re smart enough to use hostages." General Zhang put his hand on his chin, as if he was busy thinking about something. "Hmm... That''s a usible theory. Luke did say that some monsters have high intelligence." I pondered for a bit. It would be troublesome if one day we had to face a crazy smart, crazy strong monster. Just thinking about it made my heart race a bit in nervousness. "That''s pretty unheard of, but that could be the case." Jeanne agreed. "Alright. I kinda get the situation now," general Zhang said as he ruffled his hair, "aah, so troublesome~ Now we have to rescue 2 hostages while taking the throne." I stayed quiet for a bit, thinking about what step we should take next to get out of this sticky situation. I actually kind of had a vague n in mind the moment I heard the word ''hostage'', but would it be wise to share it? After hesitating for a bit, I finally decided to open my mouth, "Jeanne, sorry to ask this, but how long would it take for you and the other general to recover?" "Oh, already nning for the next course of action? Good job, little cub~" General Zhang smirked at me. "You''re making it sound like I''m a heartless demon who doesn''t care about missing teammates." I said as I threw a bloody gauze, which I used for Jeanne''s wound, at his face. "Probably around 3 days..." Jeanne answered between her ragged breaths. "No, I''m talking about full recovery, perfect condition." I replied. I didn''t think it was a smart idea to rush into a new raid with suboptimal conditions. Especially since we were short of 2 generals. "Make it around a week, little cub," general Zhang answered it for me, "I''ll go think of a n. Ahh~ I should''ve gone instead. Now we got extra work." "Hm... I see." I weighed my options for a while. It would be hard to rescue them with less manpower, especially when they had hostages. If 4 generals couldn''t even reach the middle of the maze, how could we? "Anyway, you should ask Dmitri and Wolf about their report too, since we got separated inside the maze," Jeanne told general Zhang, "I would advise you to ask general Emilio, but right now he''s training, and he gave a strict warning to not bother him." "Oh, that''s right. We need to hear their side of the story, too. Where are they?" General Zhang asked. From what I''ve heard, general Emilio and general Enzo were twins, so it would make sense for him to be devastated right now. Most people would react the same way if their family was kidnapped. Not that I would understand though, I had no family. Anyway, it was good that general Emilio had a reason to train harder, I guess. I could only hope that he would be stronger in our next raid. Normally, bringing emotional people into the war would be bad, but since he was a general, I''d just assume that he was great at managing emotions. "Dmitri should be in the infirmary right now, alongside Wolf. Go ahead, I''ll catch up to you guyster. I still need to organize the soldiers here." Jeanne answered. "Alright. C''mon, little cub, let''s hurry. I still need to meet the headmaster after this." I nodded and followed general Zhang towards the infirmary. While we walked, I could see that he was pretty deep in his thought, considering that his trademark grin wasn''t visible and his gaze felt a bit more dangerous. "Hey, eel." I pulled on the chain that was connecting us to get his attention. "Hmm?" His reply was short and he didn''t even spare me a nce. "Do you n to participate in the next raid?" I asked. "Most likely." "With the other generals? Will there be anyone guarding this city while you''re out?" "I don''t know yet." It was rare to see him be all serious like this, but it wasn''t a bad sight. I guess he was still a general despite his childish tendencies and annoying pranks. "Well... Can I go with you?" I asked. Finally, he stopped and turned around to face me, "do you want to?" "I mean, kinda." I scratched my cheek. "Why? Are you even confident you''ll be useful if you go?" He eyed me for a while, and then there it was. His trademark grin was back on his face again. "Oh, I see now~ You''re nning something, aren''t you, little cub?" He tilted his head a little bit while leaning closer to me. "Nah, I can barely call it a n, but I do have something in mind." I told him as I took one step backwards to put a little more distance between our faces. "Let''s hear your thoughts." He grinned amusedly. "Can you really convince that old geezer to let me tag along, though? I''m pretty sure he wants me tied up in the underground prison, or hotel, I guess." I asked. Maybe, just maybe, if I continued pursuing this main mission thing, I could meet Eli again. "Of course I can. He thinks I''m his most loyal dog, after all~" "I hope that''s the case," I sighed, "if we end up going with my ''n'', can you not tell that geezer that it''s mine? Just say you came up with it while taking a dump or something." "Now I''m even more curious," he crossed his arms, "sure. It''ll be more exciting that way. But why?" "Well, it''s because my ''n'' kinda sounds bad, really bad, actually..." I scratched my cheek again and averted my gaze, "that''s why I chose to tell you first, not Jeanne. She won''t be pleased to hear it after experiencing such things. And you''re kinda messed up in the head anyway, so I figured you''d be willing to listen." "Hmm~ Thanks for calling me crazy, little cub," he pulled the chain, bringing me closer to him until we were only centimeters apart. He then grabbed my chin and tilted my head upwards until our gaze met, "now let''s hear your n and see who''s crazier between us." I gulped. "I... I think we shouldn''t go get the hostages." Chapter 50: New plan (2) Chapter 50: New n (2) "Little cub, you..." His eyes widened upon hearing my pretty unreasonable idea. Well, I thought so. It sounded ridiculous and I couldn''t guarantee it''d work, anyway. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything." I stepped back and sighed. "Ahahahah!" "What?" I annoyedly asked, although hisughter did catch me by surprise. "Ahaha! You-- you never fail to amuse me, little cub!" He keptughing while holding his stomach. "And you never fail to give me the creeps." I frowned. "I didn''t expect you to be this ballsy." He grinned and wiped the little tears from hisughter that was forming on the edge of his eyes. "I''m not ballsy, I''m just trying to find the most reasonable solution." I pouted. "Exin to me how is it reasonable?" His eyes glinted. "Alright, let''s confirm what we''ve gathered so far," I started exining, "we have 4 possible targets, but we only know the exact location of 2." "Yeap, yeap." "And the weakest one, the orc kingdom, is out of the list because the elves were faster, so we''re kinda stuck with the hard one, the minotaurs." "Yeah, true. And then?" "If we look at it from our perspective, we''re pretty fucked because it seems like we have to rescue the hostages with even less manpower than before, which is pretty impossible." "That one''s not true. I''m stronger than them, so it''s more manpower." He said as he proudly crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You''re awfully confident for someone who got beat up by Eli." I snickered. "He and I have aplex rtionship." He smirked at me. "Anyway, we''re at a heavy disadvantage if we see it from our perspective," I shifted the topic back, "but, our position is actually not that bad." "How so?" "You see, the minotaurs have to keep them alive so we won''t attack them, right? So they''re not going to die as long as we don''t attack, even though they may not be treated so nicely there..." I looked down. I felt bad for postponing hostage extraction and making them have to wait a little longer, but I thought it was better than risking so many of our soldiers'' lives in an impossible mission. "Yeah, but it would be better to get them fast before they break." General Zhang responded. I bit my lip, "I agree. That''s why we will immediately get them after we''ve gathered enough army." "Army? We have an army at home." He raised one of his eyebrows. "No, not our army. We''re going to yoink another army." I sighed. "Oh~? Does that mean you want to work with monsters?" He hummed. "Almost correct. But not entirely." I scratched my cheek while looking upwards. "Exin~" "We''re going to join forces with the orcs and fuck up those elves." I dered. "Heee?" His eyes widened again. "If the elves have taken over their kingdom, the orcs should be oppressed now, yeah? Isn''t it the perfect timing to help them overthrow the elves and help them reim their throne?" I shrugged. "Oh, the mission never mentioned that you can''t overthrow a imed throne, indeed." He raised a finger in realization. "True that. If we join forces with the orcs, I''m pretty sure that we''ll be able to handle the elves, right? I mean, you did boast that you''re strong, so we should be fine, right?" I snickered. "Passing the responsibility to me. Very sly of you, little cub." He grinned. "After we sessfully defeat the elves, that will be the perfect timing to force them to help us conquer the minotaur''s kingdom. The elves will have no choice but to obey us, while the orcs will hopefully lend us a hand too, after we help them. What do you think?" I looked into his eyes as my heart kept racing. Was my n too absurd? "That..." He paused for a bit. I clenched my fists in nervousness. "That''s actually not bad~" He chuckled. A long, relieved sigh came out of my mouth once I heard his response. "Defeating the elves shouldn''t be a problem for me," he hummed, "but I doubt most of our soldiers can get out unscathed. Tee-hee!" "Tee-hee your ass. Let''s not bring too many soldiers, then. No point in raking up casualty count." I said as I kicked his knee lightly. -------- We finally arrived at the infirmary that was packed with injured soldiers everywhere. New patients just kepting in even as we searched for Wolf and Dmitri''s room. "The nurse said it was room 204, right? Should be around here..." I mumbled to myself as my gaze went right and left repeatedly, scanning every room number carefully. "Ah, there it is~" General Zhang pointed at a room on the right side of the hallway. I immediately ran towards the door and opened it, only to find those two happily ying with a cat. "You guys look fine?" I sighed as I approached them. "Ah! Chae! We missed you!" Dmitri greeted me with a huge, beaming smile. "Fooddy. Fooddy not dead?" Wolf scooted over his bed and tugged my sleeve. "Dmitri, how''s your condition? And Wolf, long time no see!" I ruffled his head affectionately and hugged the little boy tightly. "Our injuries are not that bad, I guess. But I still worry about Wolf, haha!" He scratched the back of his head. "Wolf, are you hurt anywhere?" I asked as I scanned him from head to toe. "Not really. Wolf strong," he replied while he snuggled under my neck, "Wolf happy fooddy is alive." "Well, yeah, I''m alive? By the way Wolf, next time you have to go somewhere dangerous, remember to take me with you, alright?" Why was he surprised that I wasn''t dead? Did he want me dead, or..? Anyway, I was worried that he''d suffer some serious trauma like I did when I first saw the warzone, but I guess he was fine. Not sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign, tho. "Ah, Wolf said you should be dead... I''m not sure why, though." Dmitri exined. "Nah. This boy makes it sound sinister. By dead, he meant ''no-mana'' dead. He thought humans work the same way as monsters. You know, just like how having no mana means death for monsters. He doesn''t discriminate creatures." General Zhang patted Wolf''s head that was resting on my neck. "How''d you know that?" I asked while I squirmed a bit since he was now standing very close to me and Wolf. "Huh? How would I not know my own godson?" He tilted his head innocently. My eyes went wide, "your what!?" Chapter 51: New plan (3) Chapter 51: New n (3) "I''m kind of his godfather, but also not really." General Zhang picked his ear casually. "How''d you be his godfather?" I asked, surprised by the sudden revtion. "By killing his parents." "Oh. That made sense." I nodded. A bit funky, but if Wolf was okay with him, who was I to judge? "What!?" Dmitri eximed with surprise. "Yeah, he kind of stuck with me after I killed his parents. Kinda bothersome if you ask me, but I don''t really want to leave him to die, too." General Zhang sighed. "Why''d you leave him in the forest, then?" I questioned. "I''m not good with children. At least I''ve taught him some basic survival skills before I left." He shrugged. "So you''ve been an absent father figure," I pouted and turned to the little boy, "don''t worry, Wolf. I''ll try to apany you from now on, even though I''m also inexperienced." I patted his head and smiled. I knew that I may not be a good guardian, but I knew how hard it was for a child to be left alone by their parents. "No, no, wait. Why are we ignoring the fact that general Zhang killed his parents?" Dmitri panicked. "Oh, I''m not ignoring it. I just thought that there might be more to the story, since Wolf seemed to like that eel," I answered, "I don''t think anyone would normally like their parent''s killer, right? I bet it''s not your typical murder story. That eel is click baiting us." "Click baiting? What''s that? And I mean, you have a point, but..." Dmitri hesitated. General Zhang smirked, "then why don''t you ask him the reason yourself?" Dmitri gulped, before he turned around and faced the boy, "Wolf, do you like general Zhang? Aren''t you... Scared of him?" "Wolf like. No scared." Wolf answered while staring at general Zhang. "Can big bro ask why?" Dmitri questioned while trying to put on a smile. "Mr. White hair never hit me. Mr. Tiger y with me. Wolf like." He said. Never hit...? Ah, I understood a bit more now. "Wolf, did your mom and dad hit you?" I inquired. "Yes. Lots. Wolf don''t like pain." He answered with a straight face. "I see," I stroked his hair, "then let''s say thank you to Mr. Ugly white hair!" "Thanks, Mr. Ugly white hair." "Hey, don''t add a random adjective on my title," general Zhang sighed, "but there you have it. I think he approves my decision." "I guess so..." Dmitri agreed, even though I could still see confusion and shock on his face. Why was he so surprised over crimes? I thought crimes existed everywhere. Besides, didn''t his crime ultimately brought good to a defenseless child? "His parents were just a couple of good-for-nothing scum who thinks being abusive is ''teaching''," general Zhang sighed, "and it''s my job to take out the trash." "Ahh, so that''s how you two met. So you can be useful sometimes too, eel." I teased him. "I''m always useful, little cub," he grinned, "now, let''s get you back to your cage." I smiled, before kicking him right between his legs, "you mean my hotel suite." "Ouch... So violent..." He grimaced. "I''ll visit youter, Dmitri! And I''ll bring souvenirs next time!" I said as I tucked Wolf into his bed. "Where is he taking you, Chae? Are you going to be okay?" Dmitri asked as his worried puppy-eyes stared straight at me. I was quite shocked to see that he cared enough to worry about me, especially since we just met not too long ago. I almost forgot that he was a soft little cinnamon roll who instantly cared about everyone he met. My lips curled upwards at the thought, "I''m just going to get some special training, Dmitri. Don''t worry." "I see..." He nced down, looking obviously troubled. Seeing his reaction, I paused. Something wasn''t right. He may have smiled a lot while we were here, but I didn''t think any of those smiles reached his eyes. What happened to him? ...Was something bothering him? "Hey," I reached out to grab his hand and linked our pinky fingers together, "I''ll listen to your story after you recover, okay? That''s why you have to focus on your recovery, don''t think about useless things. Promise?" "Wha--" The startled Dmitri gasped and looked at me like I had just eaten a lizard''s tail, raw. "Is that a no?" I tilted my head to the side and smirked at him. His eyes widened a bit, and a brief silence followed. But after seeing my smirk, he burst outughing, "hahahah! Of course it''s a yes, Chae!" Finally, hisugh reached his eyes. I let out a small, relieved sigh. "Thank you, Chae. You sure know how to ease my mind." He beamed. "Not really, I''m just incredibly good at not giving a fuck. Don''t let every bad thing get to you, you''ll go crazy." I grinned as I tapped my finger on the side of my forehead. After all, I had to learn to just not care sometimes. At first, I was devastated by every single death my fellow soldiers experienced. But eventually, I had to learn to control my emotions and not let them get to me. I''d probably be busy building a burrito in some mental institute if I didn''t learn. "Oh yeah, why are you wearing handcuffs?" He asked as he eyes my wrists that I had just lifted. "Eh? I--" "Let me try to help you..." Dmitri leaned in closer to take a look at my handcuffs. "Oh, no need--" "Aight, enough with the chit-chat. Let''s go." General Zhang yoinked my shirt''s cor before Dmitri could get even closer, and carried me over his shoulder, with me facing backwards. "Ah-- let go! I can walk by myself!" "Stop thrashing around little cub, you''re gonna make us fall." He ignored my protests and walked out of the door. "Then fall!" I thrashed even harder. "By the way, Dmitri. I was the one who put the handcuffs on. If you dare release her, that means you''re defying me, your general." General Zhang smiled sinisterly at Dmitri, who was just standing there, confused. "He doesn''t have the key anyway, you stupid eel. He couldn''t release me even if he wanted to." I bonked his head. "Anyway, toodles!" And after that one final greeting, general Zhang mmed the door shut and headed towards the town hall. -------- "...So we''re back here." I sighed when we entered the huge building that I hated with a passion. "Yep! I''m gonna drop you off at that crazy scientist, and then I''ll go meet the headmaster." He hummed as he walked towards the room that gave me bad memories. "You''re not going to meet that geezer here?" I asked. "No. Do you think the headmaster has nothing to do besides sitting behind that desk all the time? Geez, sometimes you''re so dense, little cub." He sighed. "Hey! How could I know? All he ever did was act crazy and be drunk in front of me!" I pped his back in annoyance. "Whatever. Anyway, I''ll be away for a while, maybe around 2 to 3 days. The headmaster won''t be around here either." He opened the door and let me down right in front of the painting that led towards Elena''s prison... Or room. "Why so long?" I asked while he took out a key from his pocket and grabbed my hands to unshackle me. "Because we have business somewhere else," he exined as a clicking sound was heard, and I was finally free from my handcuffs, "you''ll understand my reason one day, little cub. But not now." I was about to retaliate again, but then I saw a hint of emptiness in his eyes. His gaze looked eerily simr to Eli''s gaze after I met him here. "...Okay." I swallowed my insult and looked away while I rubbed my red wrists. He grinned again, just like always, and patted my hair, "oh well. Now my job to escort you back is done. Anything beyond this won''t be my job anymore." "Um, thanks?" I raised one eyebrow. "All I''m saying is that you''re not my responsibility anymore if you cause trouble, alright? Ahh~ I''m sure this little cub will be obedient and not wander off somewhere while I and gramps are away, right~?" He winked at me. Oh. Oh my. This slippery eel! I smirked, "yep. There''s noooo way I''ll run off. Toootally." Chapter 52: New plan (4) Chapter 52: New n (4) As soon as general Zhang locked me alone in the room, I immediately threw my handcuffs and my tracking bracelet into the painting. I was a bit unsure if they would notice me taking off the bracelet, but I was sure Elena could help, right? "Alright. This should be fine... Now, I have to goplete a more pressing matter." I grinned. I checked my quest window again to decide my next course of action. [Quest: get a kill using the skill ''psychokinesis''] [Reward: 500 gold, 5 stat points] Hmm, that seemed doable. Pretty easy, in fact. But, I wanted to try something with this quest. "Luke, can youe out?" I whispered in a low voice. [I said call me big brother Luke. Is your memory that bad, kid?] My smile got wider once I saw a little white snake materialized in front of me. It slowly slithered towards me and wrapped itself around my shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, big brother, whatever. I get it, you''re old and grumpy." I ignored him and walked towards the window behind the only desk in the room. [As I said--] "Yup. You''re almost the same age as me in human years. I know," I cut him off, "anyway, can you do some magic stuff with this?" I pointed towards the window. [Do you seriously expect me to teleport us beyond the window or something?] He looked at me as if I just said something ridiculous. Well, I just thought I''d ask, since magic could do some funky stuff in this world, right? "Can''t be helped, then, if you can''t. Watch your eyes." I ripped off one of the curtains and wrapped it a few times around the edge of a chair. [What? My eyes?] "I''m going to vandalize this window. Watch out for shards." ''CRASH!'' As I thought, this was a double-zed window. Simply hitting it in the corner did the trick. Furthermore, the sound was quieter than I thought. Thank god they use curtains here, they were pretty okay as a muffler if you couldn''t find a nket or something. [Oh, nighttime stroll~] Luke hummed as he slithered through the crack on the edge of the window. "Sort of." I grinned and broke the rest of the window until it was big enough for me to crawl over. [Let''s go, then.] He flicked his tail, as if inviting me to cross over already. "No, no. We can''t go leave the crime scene just like this." Iughed a little before I start to mess up the desk and bookshelves, not forgetting to take a few important-looking documents and other stuff. [What the hell? Have you finally sumbed to your monkey instinct?] He asked. "Ugh, you''re one to talk when you''re a literal snake," I frowned, "this is to cover it up. I made it look like a thief broke in and stole some stuff so we won''t get suspected." [You seem awfully sharp at this, kid. Are you a wanted felon? Should I report you to your parents?] He bombarded me with questions. "Ahh, shut up. Why is a snake talking, anyway?" I grumbled as I crawled through the window, finally leaving the room. I didn''t use gloves or erase my fingerprints, but they shouldn''t have the technology yet, right? ...Or? Anyway, I need to milk the hell out of these 2 to 3 days. As much as I''d like to discover the mysteries regarding the needle marks, I ultimately chose to strengthen myself first. Those shady needle tracks were not my problem, anyway. "C''mon, big brother Luke. Let''s go outside." -------- After sneaking around the town, we finally reached the gate. We hid behind the bushes, watching the guards from afar. Thankfully, it was already night time, so we were pretty well-concealed. Now the problem was how to get around the guards. "Hmm..." I contemted for a moment. Should we just knock them out and go for it? But what if we got caught? [Hey, kid. What are you doing? Hurry up, use that.] He nudged me with his tail. "Huh? That?" I tilted my head in confusion. [Your psychokinesis, silly. Hurry.] Oh, right. I forgot about my new skill, again. A grin crept up my face as I suddenly thought up a perfect n. ''CRASH!'' "What was that!?" A soldier shouted "It came from outside!" "So, a monster? But how did it get this close unnoticed!?" I watched happily as the soldiers scrambled around in panic. If only they knew that they were making a fuss over a fallen tree. I just used my psychokinesis to pluck out a tree outside the walls, and drop it on another tree. There weren''t any monsters involved. "Go check it out! I''ll stay here!" "Okay!" The soldiers split up, leaving one guy behind to guard the gate. "Tch. That guy''s annoying. He''s doing a great job, though. But annoying." I pouted. [Don''t worry. I got this. Watch me.] He winked at me before slithering off to wherever he wanted. "What is he doing...?" I wondered. Oh well, let''s just see. I better watch over the guy instead. "KYAAA! Help me!!" The hell? I quickly looked over to my right and found a shrieking woman a bit far from where the soldier was standing. "A snake! Help meee!!" She screamed as she iled around, trying to avoid the little white snake that was circling her feet. "Ah! I''ming, Miss!" The soldier quickly ran over to help her, leaving his post unguarded. Nice, big bro! Be careful to not get stepped on, though! I quickly dashed past the gate and slipped away as far as possible to not get caught. As soon as I managed to reach a forest area, I felt something started to materialize on my shoulder. And yep, as I thought, it was a little, adorable white snake. [Ugh. That woman kicked me by ident.] He said grumpily. "Haha. I must thank herter, then." I snickered. [Don''t be rude to your big bro. Weren''t you taught by your parents?] He said as he poked my head repeatedly with his tail. "Nope. Got no parents." I answered casually while I stopped to open up my quest window. [Oh. I didn''t know that.] "Now you know." I shrugged him off and read my quest. [Quest: get a kill using the skill ''psychokinesis''] [Reward: 500 gold, 5 stat points] I grinned. Sometimes these quests are so vague it was annoying, but this time I was pretty d to have a vague quest. I picked up two stones using my skill, and kept them hovering around me as I observed my surroundings. [Okay, what weird shit are you up to this time?] He sighed. I stayed quiet and kept turning around, searching for something. "Ah! There!" I pointed towards a butterfly that was flying nearby, and crushed it with both of my stones. ''Ding!'' [You havepleted your quest] [Acquired 500 gold, 5 stat points] [Quest: get 30 kills using the skill ''psychokinesis''] [Reward: 2000 gold, 5 stat points] My eyes widened upon seeing the quest window before me. It actually worked. Killing an animal was counted. "Ahahah!" Iughed happily. Man, if only all the quests were this easy. [Don''tugh after killing an innocent butterfly, kid. Kinda creepy.] He poked my cheek. Ah, right. He didn''t know about my quest. Ah... I must''ve looked like an absolute lunatic who enjoyed killing insects. I grimaced at the thought. "Hmm... Twenty kills, huh?" I put my hand on my chin, "that ridiculously high number is probably to prevent me from killing more insects." I grinned. "But too bad, I won''t stop." I crouched down and inspected the ground carefully. [...At this point, you should just narrate your thoughts, kid. Or else I''m going to tell that white-haired dude to take you to a therapist.] "Ugh, so you''re a nagging big bro type," I frowned, "help me look for an ant''s nest." Chapter 53: Lets grind! (1) Chapter 53: Let''s grind! (1) ''Ding!'' [You havepleted your quest] [Acquired 2000 gold, 5 stat points] [Quest: kill 5 monsters of different species] [Reward: 3000 gold, 5 stat points] "Hehehehhehe..." I chuckled as I saw gold finally rolled into my ount after so long. [Why do you keepughing after killing insects? Do you need professional help?] Luke slithered around my shoulders worriedly. "Shut up. You''re a snake anyway, you eat bugs or something. Or rats." I frowned. Now, how should I clear this new quest? The system had made it clear this time that I should hunt monsters, not animals. [I don''t eat bugs or rats. I feed on your mana.] He responded happily. "Oh, so now you''re leeching rent and food." [Hey, you''re the host. The host should provide.] He pouted. I ignored him again and opened the shop window instead. After trying several keywords like ''attract'', ''gather'', ''call'', and ''bait'', I had finally found what I was looking for. [Would you like to purchase the item ''Monster Bait'' for 100 gold?] "Yes. Inventory, please." Another new window appeared before me, and I took out the creepy-looking bottle from it. It was ck with some beautiful, but ominous-looking golden details, and the liquid inside was as dark as the container itself. It didn''t faze me, though. I''ve drunk something worse than this back in my soldier days. I gulped down all of the liquid while holding my breath, and surprisingly, it kinda tasted like apple juice. [The item ''Monster Bait'' is now in effect. You will attract nearby monsters for 10 minutes] "This should do it." I adopted a wider stance and got ready for the attack. There was one thing that bothered me, though. This item was suspiciously cheap despite its powerful function. While it looked disadvantageous at first nce, but this was basically a murder tool. If I were to use this on an average person, they''d be dead in a matter of minutes. Heck, even for a strong soldier, if I used this in a dangerous area, they might also die. Did the designer of this system assume I''d be a good girl? Or was there something else? ''ROAR!'' I didn''t get enough time to process my thoughts before a boar-like monster charged towards me. [Hey, kid. Where''s your weapon?] Luke asked me as he hissed at the iing boar monster. "I don''t want to use weapons." I said as mes began to swirl around me, engulfing my arm in bright red me. ''BAM!'' With one hit, the boar was ttened to the ground, and the ground even cracked a bit from my punch. I could''ve used a stick or something, but it''d be a waste to not use this opportunity to increase my strength stat. "Woah~ So this is the benefit of high intelligence. Even though my strength wasn''t that high, but if I use magic with it, I can dish out some damage." I hummed happily. "Let''s go, big bro! We''re going on a walk!" I eximed happily as I grabbed him by the neck and started running as fast as I could around the forest. [W-what? Why are we running from the monsters!?] He asked. "Of course we''re not. Just trust me!" I yelled while I ran across the trees and through the bushes. We ran for quite a while until there were several boars chasing after me at once. After I counted at least 10 of them, I turned around and sted all of them with my me. ''BOOM!'' ''ROAAR!'' [I see. So you''re trying to conserve mana by hitting multiple enemies all at once.] Luke nodded. "Perhaps." I answered shortly because while he was wrong, I couldn''t tell him the real reason. It would expose my system. My main goal for tonight''s ''walk'' was to increase my agility, which was the stat that Icked most. I figured that I couldplete my quests and raise my intelligence too, while I''m at it. The reason for that was because I only got 2 to 3 days free, and the rest of the days until the raid will be spent inside Elena''s room. Over there, I could freely practice my magic and strength by abusing my skill and working out, but there was no way I could run around in a room and increase my agility. ''BOOM!'' Another batch of boar monsters was pulverized as I kept running around to force my agility to increase. "Hmm... This is troublesome. I need to kill other species too, or else, the mission won''t beplete," I pondered, "big bro, you used to live here, right? Do you know a ce where there are various monsters?" [Of course I do. Go to the spider''s nest. They usually have lots of different monsters trapped in their webs.] He exined proudly. "Perfect. Lead the way!" -------- ''SPLAT!'' The spider''s body fell onto the ground with a loud thumping sound. It squirmed for a bit beforepletely stopping its every movement. "Phew. That should do it." I wiped my bloodstained face and sighed. Ah, that took longer than expected to wipe everything out... [Did you also ughter my underlings so casually like this?] Luke asked while he wrapped around my arm. "No, it was hard for me. But now I kinda understand how to work with my magic, so it''s a bit easier." I grinned. Well, the sudden increase of my intelligence stat also certainly helped. "These spiders were just unlucky, too. My element is fire, and their cobwebs are weak against fire, so it was perfect for me," I said with a littleugh, "let''s rest for tonight. What do you think?" [Yeah, I''m sleepy, too. But can we not rest in the middle of these monster corpses?] "Sure, sure. We''ll go sleep in the forest." I pranced happily towards the forest with Luke. It had been hours since our ''walk'' started. And we started right around when the moon was just shyly peeking. Now, the moon shone brightly above us, unobstructed by the clouds. I looked up and admired the view for quite a while. I knew that the sky here was much clearer than in Korea, but looking at a clear sky had always helped me to calm down a bit. I wonder if Eli still looked at the sky from time to time like he used to? [This spot should be good. Let''s sleep.] Luke pointed at the ground beneath a tree using his tail. "No, not yet, we have to set up some traps for precautions," I said as I began to gather some dried leaves, "just a simple one will do since we''re short of materials." I scattered piles of dry leaves in a huge circle around us, about 10 meters in diameter. After I finished scattering them, I went to sit down under the tree to finally sleep. [What are those leaves for?] Luke questioned. "They''ll alert us if something''sing. And dry leaves are good fire starter. I can just shoot a small me from here and burn them." I answered as I leaned back to find a morefortable sleeping position. [Hmm, you suspiciously know a lot of survival skills. What did you do beforeing here?] He asked as he curled up on myp. "I pretend to be a drunk, broken-hearteddy and borrow toilets." [What?] I acted as if I didn''t hear his question and opened my status window silently. ''Ding!'' A familiar screen hovered in front of me, and my eyes widened. Chapter 54: Lets grind! (2) Chapter 54: Let''s grind! (2) [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 28] [Intelligence: 48 (+5)] [Agility: 20] [Physique: 27 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 15] I grinned excitedly upon seeing my stat growth. It wasn''t anything major, and I was nowhere near general Zhang yet, but it was nice to see that I could increase my stats this much in just a few hours. Moreover, I still got 15 points to spare, which was nice. Speaking of which, I should''ve got a new quest now, right? After all, I ughtered way more than 5 different monster species during our trip to the spider''s nest. [You havepleted your quest] [Acquired 3000 gold, 5 stat points] [Quest: im a throne] [Reward: ???] What? How did the quest''s difficulty jump this far ahead? Did the creator of this system deliberately set this up so I couldn''t speedrun my stat anymore? "Tch." I clicked my tongue and huffed angrily. [What got into you? One minute you''reughing, and the next you''re angry.] Luke opened one eye to peek at me. "Ha... Why does something always get in my way?" I sighed. [That''s just how life is. You''ll get used to it if you''ve lived over a thousand years. Obstacles will always be there, and you just have to either get used to it, or get around it.] He yawned and snuggled closer to me for more warmth. "Yeah, it''s kind of like in video games, where you always encounter enemies on your path. If you don''t see enemies, you''re taking the wrong path," I patted his snake head lightly, "but those are games, and this is real life." I was about to close my eyes to drift off to dreand, when I suddenly remembered that I could actually ''get around it''. "...Inventory?" I whispered in a very hushed voice, so Luke wouldn''t notice. ''Ding!'' A familiar screen appeared in front of me, and to my delight, it was filled with new items. "Huehehehe." Now that I thought about it, the auto-collect system is too powerful, man. Now let''s see if there was anything useful in here... [Stopughing and sleep, kid. It''s midnight.] "I''m not a kid. You can sleep first if you''re that sleepy." I shrugged him off and read all of my items one by one. Aside from the items that I got from the serpent''sir raid, I got a few useful drops. [Earth Boar''s tusk (material) x20] [An earth boar''s w. Might be useful for crafting] [Earth Boar''s nail (material) x25] [An earth boar''s nail. Might be useful for crafting] [Water Duck''s bill (material) x5] [A water duck''s bill. Might be useful for crafting] [Fire Deer''s antlers (material) x5] [Fire deer''s antlers. Might be useful for crafting] [Electric Spider''s web (material) x10] [Webbing from an electric spider. Pretty useful for crafting if you ignore the fact that it came out from its butt.] [Electric Spider''s poison sac (consumable) x5] [A poison sac that was extracted from an electric spider''s stomach. Rapidly decreases user''s health.] Hmm. The most interesting one out of them was definitely the poison sac. What bothered me was, how potent was it, exactly? Could I kill monsters using that? But which monsters? And was it possible to use it on a human? I rubbed my temples as I thought hard about what I could do with these. I still didn''t understand what crafting could do even though the majority of my items were materials. After weighing my options for what seemed like forever, I finally decided on the most profitable solution I could think of. I remembered Daeun''s words, which went something like, ''10.000 won today has a different value than 10.000 won next month''. Simply put, if I had resources, I should try to invest some, rather than just let it sit around and gather dust. The value would decrease, so sometimes, it would be better to invest to get even more profit. "Shop." I muttered almost inaudibly. A window popped up in front of me, and I clicked ''sell''. And after a few more clicks, I have put up all of the materials I just got. I kept the materials from thest serpent''sir raid, because they might be hard for me to obtain in the future in case I needed them, while today''s materials came frommon monsters that I could find nearby, so I figured it was okay to sell. "Woah!" I gasped quite loudly when I saw the amount of gold they got me. Thankfully, Luke just shot me a weird look and went back to sleep without questioning my sudden gasp. I couldn''t believe those items earned me 1600 gold. Was I a richdy now? Should I retire and livefortably in the countryside? Man, at this rate, I could stay up all night finding ways to exploit this system. Anyway, on to the next step. I opened my inventory and took out one poison sac carefully to not break it. At first nce, it seemed like a regr purple water balloon. It was only as small as my palm, and the texture was simr to rubber. I was pretty sure this thing wouldn''t break easily. "Hmm... So I can''t just throw it to my enemy as it won''t spill the poison. Do I have to open it first? But then the poison will touch me, ew." I muttered to myself as I poked the purple sac on my palm. "Oh, should I just throw it super hard so it breaks on impact?" I beamed, "yeah, yeah! That''s a solid n! I can test it out on that eel when I get back!" Now that I''ve decided on its use, time to open the shop and get the other crucial item for my n to work. "Hmm, maybe... Poison? Spider? Spider antidote?" I tried several keywords as usual, before finally finding that precious item. [Would you like to purchase the item ''Spider''s poison antidote'' for 1000 gold?] "Hell yeah. But man, this one''s expensive... The creator''s economy perception is wack." I scratched my cheek. So life-saving items were expensive, but dangerous, life-threatening items were cheap? "Oh well. Time to eat." I sighed as I opened my mouth wide, putting the poison sac inside. ''Crunch!'' Chapter 55: Lets grind! (3) Chapter 55: Let''s grind! (3) "Akhh--!" I gagged as soon as the small purple sac burst open inside my mouth, releasing all of its bitter liquid down my throat. [Hey, are you snacking in the middle of the night? It''s not good for your health, you know.] Luke sighed, but his eyes remained closed. "Ow ow ow..." I wanted to argue with him about the pleasure of midnight snacking, but it was getting harder for me to form a proper sentence when my whole throat and mouth felt like it was burning to crisp. I managed to grab the antidote from my inventory window, but my hands were trembling so bad, I was unable to put it into my mouth. [Oi, oi... Kid, are you sure you''re okay there?] Luke finally opened his eyes and looked at me with a shocked, but slightly concerned face. "Hnggg..." Instead of saying yes, a grumble escaped my mouth, which rmed Luke, who suddenly morphed into his human form. "Hey! What the hell did you eat? Spit it out!" He grabbed my chin and put his thumb softly on my lower lip, pulling it down to open my mouth, before finally giving up his gentle method and violently shooking me. I gasped and tugged at his wrist, desperately trying to have a firm grasp before Ipletely lose my vision. Everything was getting very blurry and shaky, and I could barely make out his face out of the color blob in front of me. "Why are you always trying to get yourself killed!?" He panicked as heid me down on the ground, which eased my breathing a little bit, though not much. As my breathing got more and more unstable, and my heartbeat grew wilder, I managed to raise my numb arm a little, trying to get Luke to notice the antidote in my hand. "This... Isn''t this a spider antidote? Where did you get it?" Finally, it worked and he took the bottle of antidote from my palm and examined it. "Hrngg--" I just growled in pain as I began to feel my entire upper body bing numb. Argh, would you please skip the questions and just give me the antidote!? "Gah! Don''t die yet, kid! Drink this, quick!" He opened the bottle and poured all of its content into my mouth. A small amount spilled from his rough handling, and trickled down the sides of my lips. "This should be fine, right...?" He propped me up and bit, and leaned my back against his broad chest. ''Cough! Cough!'' I let out few coughs as soon as I started to feel my airways clearing up, and my senses began to recover. What seemed like a blob of colors was now a concerned face, framed with blue locks. A pair of beautiful, glowing yellow eyes were staring intently at me. "You... Have clothes?" I asked with a hoarse voice while I stared at him. "I saved your life and the first thing you do is question my fashion sense? Tsk, tsk. You need to be taught etiquette." He shook his head and sighed. "But you didn''t wear anything as a snake." I pouted. "Who said my robe is a normal robe? That white-haired friend of yours also kept his clothes intact even after transforming into water." He answered. Wait, he was right. How could I not notice that sooner? Had my perception skill dulled over time? But then, did that mean his water magic actually came from his fusing? "Mm... Okay. Thanks, I guess... By the way, how did you know that was an antidote?" I pointed at the empty bottle that was now rolling slowly on the ground. "Hello? I''m a monster? And a high-ranking one at that?" He frowned and looked at me judgingly. Hearing that, I grumbled and leaned my head on him and opened my skill window to check if my n worked. Man, it better work after I almost died. And sure enough, there it was. My new, hard-earned skill. [Poison resistance (passive): increases resistance against poison] I grinned. As I thought, skills could be earned through other means, too. It would take too long to collect skill books, and I didn''t think earning skill through fusing is amon urrence. So in conclusion, it would be better to farm for skills using this method. "Now you''re grinning just after you almost got yourself killed," he sighed and flicked my forehead lightly, "it looks like I''ll have to work extra hard to keep you alive." "What? I can watch after myself." I pouted and rubbed my forehead. "Then stop trying to die, you suicidal rat." He frowned at me. "Ah actually, I will try to die once more. Look out for me, will you?" I gave him the sweetest smile I could muster. "The hell?" He raised an eyebrow. I quickly opened the shop and purchased another antidote, before taking it out of my inventory alongside a familiar purple sac. His eyes widened upon seeing me open my mouth again, ready to bite into the disgusting, shiny poison sac. "Don''t tell me you--" ''Crunch!'' "Hey! You''re really a problematic child, you know that!?" He immediately tried to snatch the antidote from my hand, but I was faster and managed to keep it away from his reach. "No, wait," I gulped, "I think this time it''s pretty okay?" I was pretty shocked to know that I could move my arm normally this time. Not only that, but I no longer spew gibberish. "How--" Luke gasped in bewilderment. "Yay! It worked-- Ack!" Just as I was about to celebrate my newfound skill, a sharp pain prated my chest and stomach. I immediately curled up in Luke''s arms while holding my stomach, trying to ease the pain as much as possible. What the heck, though? I thought my new skill would protect me! "Hey, kid! Get a grip! It will be okay, we got the antidote here!" "No no no! Wait!" I curled more, hiding the antidote from his reach by tucking my hand inside. "Oh my god, you suicidal rat. Listen to your big bro for once! How problematic can you be!?" He shouted frantically. "I''m training, can''t you see!?" I shouted back, but it was more because of the pain I felt. "What training!?" "Ah, let me concentrate!" I ignored his rant and bit a piece of his robe in an attempt to endure the pain while not biting my tongue off identally. Meanwhile, he kept ranting on and on, and did not protest even in the slightest even though I ruined his perfectly silky robe with my chewing. Instead, he patted my head and back sometimes between his rant about ''don''t-be-a-suicidal-rat-just-be-a-normal-rat''. After quite a long time of panting, grunting, and cursing my own choice, I finally heard that satisfying sound in my ear. ''Ding!'' [Poison resistance (passive) --> Poison resistance +1 (passive)] ...Huh? Plus 1? Chapter 56: Lets grind! (4) Chapter 56: Let''s grind! (4) I blinked a few times in confusion. I thought I would get a new skill again, but it turned out that skills could evolve. To what extent, though? And what about the requirements? "Does it still hurt?" Luke asked me with a frown. "Oh, now that you mention it, I''m starting to feel better." I answered happily, even though my breathing was still uneven, and I still haven''t stopped sweating. "Ck. You gave me a shock there." He clicked his tongue, but I could see his shoulders eased a bit after hearing my words. "You''re easily spooked, aren''t you?" I grinned and teased him by pinching his cheeks. "I''m not. You''re my host, so naturally I need to be alert, you know?" He cleared his throat, "anyway, let''s really sleep this time. Don''t try anything stupid or I''ll tie you up." "Okay, okay~" I hummed and released myself from his arms before patting myp, e here!" I beamed. With a small ''poof'', he transformed back into his cute little snake form and curled his body on myp. [So are you going to tell me why you did that?] He questioned while he plopped his little head down. "You know those spiders earlier, right? So they have this poison sac--" [I know that part. I''ve lived as a monster for so long, there''s no way I''d miss that detail,] he sighed, [what I mean is, why would you drink that poison willingly?] "To... Train my body against poison?" I scratched my cheek. It would be weird if I say something like, ''yeah I have this weird system that helps me get skills by torturing myself'', right? [Normal humans don''t get used to poison that easily. But I guess you''re not normal.] He peeked at me with one eye. "Hush now, it''s bedtime. Let''s not worry about the nitty-gritty details, alright?" I patted his head softly until he slowly rxed back and closed his eyes. I let out a sigh of relief. If it were someone else, I would be questioned to no end. I guess it kinda felt nice to have someone who was also a ''stranger''. We both know that we weren''t the original resident of this ce, and therefore, we both just kinda shrugged it off if we did something out of the ordinary. "Sleep well, big bro." I smiled genuinely at the sleeping white snake on myp. Honestly, not having to constantly worry about being suspected didn''t feel so bad. I could get used to it. Before I also get some rest, I made sure to store the antidote back into my inventory. It might be useful someday, right? Ah, that was intense, but at least I got a useful skill today. To be honest, I kind of didn''t expect to get a skill. But I figured that if I didn''t get a skill, at least I''d understand how the poison worked, how potent it was, and how long did it take to kill a person. All in all, not a bad bet. I got both the skill and the info. "Hngg-- Now it''s time to really sleep." I stretched my arms up and finally closed my eyes. It was cold and we didn''t even have proper bedding, and we might get ambushed by monsters anytime. But, for some reason, I felt morefortable sleeping here rather than sleeping under their watch. -------- ''Chirp! Chirp!'' Ah, yes. The sound of clingy birds. My usual morning ever since I got that passive ''Animal''s Beloved'' skill. Mmm, exquisite. ''Chirp!'' "Ugh... Yeah, yeah. I''m awake..." I said as I yawned and rubbed my barely open eyes with the back of my palm. "So... Are you a princess or something?" "Huh?" I blinked a few times in an attempt to adjust my vision, and saw Luke in his human form sitting beside a bonfire, surrounded by animals of all kinds. There were deers, bears, ducks, monkeys, and even butterflies flying around. "Are YOU a princess!?" I was taken aback by the crowd of animals that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "No, they gathered here because of YOU." He pointed his long finger at me while his other hand was busy grilling something. As if on cue, the animals started to inch closer towards me, and showered me with little boops and licks. "Ah, hey! Haha!" Even though I was reluctant at first, I couldn''t help but pet them one by one as I enjoy their affection. "Here, have one." Suddenly, Luke squeezed through the flock of animals surrounding me and handed me a skewered roasted meat. "What''s this?" I asked. "Bird meat. I''m pretty good at preparing food, right?" He puffed his chest out, proud of his creation. "Thank you. But, um..." I looked around and pulled him closer to whisper in his ear, "is it okay to roast and eat a bird while they''re watching?" I gestured towards the animals around us, which also consisted of fellow birds. "Of course. Why not?" He tilted his head. "Well, why yes?" I asked back. "Humans sure have a weird sense of morale. Don''t they eat meat on a regr basis anyway? What''s the difference between eating it here and inside their home?" "There''s a difference. Some people prefer white lies. Some people can''t handle the truth and would prefer to be kept in the dark. Maybe it''s kind of like how we don''t deliberately show some people gruesome scene to protect them from mental damage?" I answered. "Yeah, but that''s different for animals. They''ve witnessed hunting almost every day. While some might think it''s cruel, I''m sure most of them won''t get mentally hurt by the sight of its own kind being eaten," he exined, "they will probably just go ''oh it''s dangerous here'' and leave, since they were so used to be hunted." He shoved the meat into my mouth, preventing me to speak further. And surprisingly, it tasted pretty okay. At least it was way better than those cardboard cafeteria foods... "Humans were so used to not be hunted by other species, that''s why they had this weird sense of morale. Well, I guess that was in the past. Now they got monsters as their predator." He said casually as he kept shoving food into my mouth. "Wait-- The past? How''d you know about the world before the monsters appeared?" "Eat first." He said as he stuffed my face with another piece of meat. "Hrngg??" I grumbled in confusion with my full mouth. Chapter 57: Lets grind! (5) Chapter 57: Let''s grind! (5) "How''d you know about the past? Have you met humans from before monsters popped up!?" I quickly swallowed my food and grabbed the sleeve of his robe to stop him from going away before answering my question. "Huh? Of course. I don''t think they recognize me, though," he answered, "go take a bath, I''ll clean up the campfire." "What do you mean? Exin it to me like how you would exin to a 5-year-old." I pouted. "Did you hit your head? Or do you seriously have no idea where monsters came from?" He paused and raised an eyebrow towards me. "How would I know? I''m the most clueless person in this whole town." I huffed and crossed my arms. "Hmm..." He stared at my face for a while, "then it''s probably better for you not to know." "What the hell is that reasoning?" I kicked his leg in frustration. "I''m serious. I thought since you''re not exactly human, you''d have an idea. But if you don''t, then just stay in the dark until you figure out where you wanna stand." He stood in front of me while his tall and broad figure cast a shadow over my smaller one. I looked up and my dark brown eyes met his bright yellow ones. The sunlight made them glimmer like gold ores, creating a beautiful sight despite his stern expression. His eyebrows made a little frown, but not enough for him to look pissed. "I stand by myself." I answered with no hesitation. Right now, I belonged to nobody and I pledged no alliance to whomever. I was a soldier, my nation''s property. But right now, I didn''t want to be shackled anymore. "Do you even know who you are? I''m a monster, a special one at that. And yet, even I don''t know what you are. You are neither a monster nor a human, and yet you act like a human." He took a step closer, lessening the distance between us. "Bro, like I said before, I''m a human... I''m just not from this era." I sighed. "Hmm, is there a human from another world? I''m not sure if you''re a human or not, kid. But I know for sure that you''re not from this world, much less this era." I was about to retort, but then I swallowed back my words. I was so sure that I was a human, but what really constituted a ''human''? Living, breathing, reproducing mammal with high intelligence? DNA? What if there were creatures from another world that looked and behaved exactly like humans? Oh my god, what if I was an impostor? No no no, Chae. You watched too many sci-fi movies. Get that idea out of your head. This ce was a fantasy magic world, not some sci-fi alien world. "Now hurry and take a bath. I''ll watch the area." He put his hands on my shoulder and spun me around until I was facing the other way, and nudged me to go. "Bath? Where?" I asked. "Just follow the ducks. They showed me theirke earlier," he shrugged and walked away, "don''t worry kid, I won''t peek." "Hey!" ''Quack!'' The ducks suddenly came flopping towards me, as if they knew what we were talking about. "Ugh... If you peek, you''re gonna lose those golden shiny eyes of yours!" I came up to a nearby bear and scratched its neck, "beary, you understand me, don''t you? Rip his balls off if he ever dared toe close to theke, okay?" ''Rawr!'' The bear purred and closed its eyes in delight as I continued scratching its neck. -------- As I stepped into the clear blueke, my body shuddered slightly from the cold. The dawn had barely passed, and the sky was just starting to get brighter. The water, which hadn''t got a chance to be properly warmed up enough by the sunlight, prickled my skin. "Hng..." I frowned a little. The coldness reminded me of my days living inside that truck-kun. I wonder what happened to my ce over there? ...Wait, did I really have a ce over there? "Haa... Let''s just worry about getting stronger first. I can''t afford to die in the next raid," I sighed, "and there''s no way I can beat Eli like this. I need to think of another way to raise my stats quick." While bathing, I made sure to keep my psychokinesis active by ying with the water. It was pretty fun and I got to train my stat. Not bad, I''d say. Satisfied with my bath and training, I finally took a step out of theke, only to find out that my clothing were all gone, except for my underwear. "What the hell!?" I panicked and immediately hopped back into theke, hugging my body. ''Quack!'' "Huh?" As I turned towards the quacking sound, I spotted two ducks, trotting side by side while carrying a piece of cloth and a towel. ''Quack!'' "What... Is happening?" I stared at them, who were just patiently waiting there while they kept quacking. "Are those for me?" ''Quack!'' Huh. Weird. Did that freaky old snake prepare this for me? But why? And where did he get this clothing? I slowly stepped out of theke, still covering my body with my hands. After I took the towel and dried myself, I put on my underwear and the robe that these duckies brought for me. I named them Bobby 1 and Bobby 2, but they didn''t seem to like their names. Should I rename them? ''Quack!'' They both ran off somewhere, and after around 5 minutes, I heard a rustling sound came from a nearby bush, and I immediately jumped into my stance. "Rx. It''s only me. The ducks kept quacking at me, so I figured you''d either be dead or done bathing." Luke said as he came out of the bushes with a sigh. "Ah. It''s just you," I eased up, "did you prepare this for me?" "Yep! I made it myself, just like how I made my own robe. Impressive, right?" He grinned while puffing out his chest. I caressed the fabric of the white robe he gave me, and I was pretty stunned by the softness of it. Back in my era, this thing would sell for quite a lot. The design wasn''t terrible, either. The v-neck showed a little bit of cleavage, which I didn''t really mind if it wasn''t for the fact that we were literally in the middle of nowhere surrounded by monsters. It also had a slit on the side of my right thigh, making it easier to move around while keeping the ttering look. There was one huge problem, though... "Yeah. It''s pretty impressive, I like it, but..." I scratched my cheek and looked away from his eyes. "What do you mean, but? What''s wrong with my fashion sense?" He raised an eyebrow. "Could you, uh... Could you please put a little more fabric in the back? Like, could you cover my whole back? Haha..." I nervously said while my left hand was busy fiddling with the smooth, silky fabric of the robe. "Why? You look good like this." He frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I appreciate yourpliment, but you know, isn''t it bad to show too much skin or something? Haha... I mean, we may get attacked and all, and the forest vegetation will graze our skin... Right?" I chuckled awkwardly. "Nah, my robe is pretty durable. There''s nothing wrong with my fashion sense." He insisted as he stepped closer and grabbed my shoulders. "Here, try turning around." "No, wait--!" "Don''t worry, just pretend like you''re doing a fashion sho-- what the hell is that?" I immediately pushed him back and took a few steps away from him. My eyes went wide when I realized that he had seen the state of my back. "You. Where did you get those scars?" Chapter 58: Lets grind! (6) Chapter 58: Let''s grind! (6) "Why do I have to tell you?" I asked while trying to sound as unbothered as possible. "Hey hey, rx. Having scars is normal, okay? I just want to know how you got it because that doesn''t look idental." He raised both of his arms in a ''calm down'' gesture. "I--it was." My voice cracked a bit. Silence fell upon us, and for a moment, we just stood there, staring into each other''s eyes. My heartbeat grew faster as the seconds passed. Did he notice? Did he realize that... "Haa..." He let out a sigh. I flinched a little, but I was able to keep my face straight. "Listen here, kid. You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to," he lowered his hands, "I just want to assure you that having scars is not something to be embarrassed about, okay?" I gulped and nodded slightly. I knew that. I knew that scars were not embarrassing at all. In fact, some scars were attractive, they weren''t ws, and some of them held stories that only the owner knew, just like mine. "You''re looking like a scared kitten right now," he chuckled and extended his arm towards me, e. You don''t need to be scared around me." After taking a few deep breaths to calm me down, I finally took a few small steps forward and took his palm that was surprisingly smooth, unlike my calloused ones. "Here. Wear this." He loosened the sash around his waist and draped it over my shoulder, covering my entire back. Fortunately, he had more than one sash, so his robe didn''te undone. "...Thank you. And I''m sorry." I pulled the sash closer and looked down. I felt kinda bad for overreacting like that, but... "Don''t worry, kid. C''mon, let''s go." He ruffled my wet hair a bit before immediately brushing it tidy again and walking away. ...But, I didn''t want him to know that these scars were grim reminders for me that I''vemitted war crimes. ------- We hurriedly went back into the forest, and he turned back into his snake form, since as he said, he ''no longer need to cook and take care of a kid'', which was me. After sulking for a bit, we continued our grinding and hunted down some monsters just like how we did yesterday, but without quests. This time, we went to a few monster camps and wiped them out one by one without having to use any baits. ''Stab!'' "That should do it for this camp." I withdrew my hand that I had just used to stab the worm monster, leaving a hole in its chest. It turned out that I could just make a knife shape out of my fire magic and use it on my arm, and bam! I was now Stabby McStab. [Yup. Let''s go to the next one.] Luke said as he wrapped himself around my shoulders. "Let''s!" I answered happily. [Alright, follow my direction.] He pointed towards my right using his cute little tail. "On it, captain!" I skipped towards that direction while humming, "oh yeah, big bro, you don''t mind me treating monsters like free real estate?" [Not really.] He shrugged. "How so?" [Why should I care just because I''m the same species? I like my life right now as it is.] "Hmm. Well, alrighty. I guess that makes sense." I nodded. [You''re not going to lecture me?] "Nah bro. That''d be hypocritical of me." I brushed it off and continued speeding towards the direction he pointed. -------- For hours upon hours, we kept piling up monster carcasses on our way around the town''s outskirts. We only rested when it was time for lunch and dinner. As the moon started to rise higher and the air around us grew colder and prickly, we started to look for a proper ce to rest. "This here should be good..." I nced around as we stopped under a tree which was pretty hidden from outside. We weren''t too far from the town, which was perfect since I would need to return tomorrow to be safe. It''d be bad if that eel and that senile geezer came back early and found us missing. [Are we done for today?] Luke asked as he poked my cheek with his tail. "Yeap. We need to wake up early tomorrow at dawn and sneak in, remember?" I said as I sat down under a tree and leaned back. [Aww, and I was starting to enjoy our walk. But I guess rxing in hotel rooms ain''t bad, either.] "Yeah, you''re probably going to be able to rx, not me though." I sighed because I knew that I would start doing exercises and practice my psychokinesis over at Elena''s room. [Why are you so caught up in training, anyway? What''s the hurry?] He asked. "I want to smack a certain person''s memory into existence, I guess," I shrugged while closing my eyes, "he''s apparently crazy strong for some reason, and I might meet him in our next raid, so I can''t waste any time." [That''s a wacky motivation, but I guess you do you.] He said as he curled his body onto myp again. "What''s so wrong with wanting to live a normal, peaceful life with someone? Not my fault I''m not someical viin whose life purpose is to dominate or destroy the world for no reason." I sighed. [Nothing''s wrong with that. It''s just that most humans I''ve met usually harbor grand desires like wiping out all monsters, saving a nation, be a king, saving someone, or something.] "Living peacefully with someone is pretty grand for me." [Haa... I can''t tell if you just had a messed up life or a messed up definition of ''peaceful'',] he sighed, [but I''ll support you, kid.] "Thank you." I patted his head lightly until he closed his eyes and dozed off. I let out a long, deep sigh. Conquering the world or bing the strongest somehow never really appealed much to me. What would I even do after that? What was the point of being at the peak of everything? Not to mention the fact that there will be a need of a whole lot of unnecessary bloodshed if you wanted to stand on top. Well, not that I mind spilling some blood for my goal, though. But at least I wanted it to be a sensible bloodshed. Anyway, now that he was asleep, it was time for me to check my stats and sell my loots~ Gold, here Ie! Chapter 59: Before the conquest (1) Chapter 59: Before the conquest (1) [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 32] [Intelligence: 52 (+5)] [Agility: 24] [Physique: 30 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 15] My smile instantly got wide upon seeing the tremendous increase of my statspared to when I first came here. I was probablyparable to Jeanne now, if I exclude our experience. After all, fighting monsters were differentpared to fighting humans. I had little experience with the former, unlike Jeanne... And perhaps, she would have already grown stronger by now, too. After selling today''s loots, my gold totaled about 8500, which was a lotpared to yesterday''s farming. "Shop." I whispered quietly. ''Ding!'' A familiar screen appeared in front of me, and I began searching for a certain item. If there was anything I knew about games, it was that equipment were important. Since that eel said that he''d get me a gun, then my primary concern should be either a secondary, smaller weapon, or armors. "Hmm... Most of the armors are either ugly or too heavy-looking..." I sighed. It would be nice if there was a light, flexible armor that I could use. "Oh? This one''s unique." I raised one of my eyebrows when I saw a weird item mixed among the armors section. [ck Dragon''s Gem (equip: armor)] [A gem containing the defensive prowess of a ck dragon. Attach it anywhere, activate it with mana, and the blessing of the ck dragon will be with you, even if your eyes can''t see it. +15 Physique] Hmm, at first sight, this thing seemed too good to be true, and it might just be. For a mere 3000 gold, 15 physique was a blessing. But if I was to read the description carefully, it said ''activate it with mana''. As I continued patting Luke lightly tofort him while he sleeps, I wondered if it was worth it to drain my mana while using this armor. I mean, Elena and Luke did say that my mana pool increased by a lot, so might as well, right? Since other armors with the same stat were astronomically expensivepared to this one. [Would you like to purchase the item ''ck Dragon''s Gem'' for 3000 gold?] "Yep." I nodded, and the item popped up inside my inventory as my gold count dropped to 5500 gold. Once I took out the item, I was so surprised by how light it was. Even though it was armor, but it was actually more like a brooch. It had this intricate golden rim around the beautiful ck jewel. Upon closer inspection, there was something red glowing inside the jewel, but it wasn''t very distinct, almost like a puff of glowy red smoke. [Would you like to equip the item ''ck Dragon''s Gem''?] Of course my answer was yes. In an instant, the brooch that was inside my arm disappeared, and materialized again on my chest, right where the v-neck started. "So how do I activate this...?" I wondered as I poked it a few times, heeding no result. I tried a different approach and flowed my mana directly into it as I did with my previous gun, and sure enough, it worked like a charm. A dark red aura began enveloping my whole body ever so slightly that it was almost invisible to my eyes. Scales of various sizes made up the armor, and they weren''t heavy nor stiff at all. Perhaps it was because they were made of mana. The best thing was, these mana scales were practically invisible unless I really tried to look. Thank god I didn''t have to walk around in a silly outfit. "Hehe." I hummed to myself as I tried to move my arm around in weird angles to try its flexibility, which heeded great results. Just as I was about to try moving more, I felt Luke shift in his sleep, and immediately refrained from moving too much to not wake him up. "I guess we''ll really call it a day now, eh?" I smiled and closed my eyes, but not before I removed the sash Luke gave me earlier and used it to cover his little snake body. -------- "Hey. Wake up." Ugh... Was that Luke''s voice I heard? "Kid, wake up." "Ah, shut up..." I rolled on my side, expecting des of grass to touch my hand, but instead, it felt... Sturdy? "Hey, where are your manners?" ''Smack!'' "Ow!" I yelled as I felt something hit my head. "That''s why you should respect your big bro. Nowe on, wake up. You said we have to leave at dawn." He shook my shoulders roughly to snap me out of my soulless slumber. "I get it, I get it!" I grabbed his hands to make him stop, "I''m used to waking up early, you don''t have to yell!" "Lies. You didn''t wake up even though I called you a few times." He said with a frown. "That''s because you were the one calling. Go back into your snake form or something." "You can''t say that after you used my hand as a pillow this whole time." He smirked. "I did what!?" So that was why it felt sturdy! "Don''t worry about it. Come on, I''ve cooked breakfast. We gotta get moving." I didn''t have time to retaliate as he shoved some roasted meat into my mouth like he did yesterday,plete with the ''chew carefully'' speech, too. After I was done swallowing all of them, we started to walk towards the town''s gate again to sneak in while the sky was still dark without the huge ming shiny ball called sun up in the sky. "Don''t forget this." He abruptly said as we walked back. He draped his sash around my shoulder again to cover my entire back. "Ah, thank you." I pulled the fabric closer and silently stared at his back. I almost forgot that I took off the sashst night to cover him. I didn''t think he would notice, though. ...It kinda felt nice when someone remembered something about you. Well, it probably had to do with me overreacting yesterday too, though. That would surely leave an impression. "Ah..." I ruffled my hair in frustration. That was so embarrassing! How could I lose my cool like that? "What''s wrong with you this time?" He stared at me with a weird expression. "Nothing." I kicked his calf lightly, prompting him to continue walking. He just shrugged it off as we started to inch closer towards the gate. -------- "Elena! I''m baaack!" I happily eximed as Inded onto a beanbag chair right after I entered the painting that was secretly a portal. "Oh? Right on time~" Her plump red lips curved into a smile. "How-- WHAT!?" I shouted as I saw something, no someone, that looked exactly like me just sitting there, expressionless and without moving an inch. "Oh, that''s a fake you." Elena said as he offered me a ss of iced tea. "My brain is pea-sized right now, could you please exin using pea-brain terms?" I asked, still confused and surprised. "You threw in that tracking bracelet for me to take care, how mean~" She teased me and put her finger on my chin, forcing me to look up at her beautiful face, "that bracelet was skillfully made. It tracks you based on your mana flow around your body. So if I was to put it on, it would be obvious that the wearer has changed." "Huh??" I was still trying to digest what she had just said, which was hard considering I was too busy being shocked at my doppelganger. "That''s merely my illusion, dear. You''re not trained enough to escape my illusion yet, it seems." She chuckled and snapped her finger, which made the doppelganger disappear. "Ah! Now I understand!" I pped my hands together. "Here, put this on again," she picked up the bracelet that fell on the floor when the doppelganger disappeared, and wrapped it around my wrist, "we don''t have much time. Let''s start the ss." "What ss?" I tilted my head in confusion. "I''m gonna teach you all you need to know to face those elves." She smirked. Chapter 60: Before the conquest (2) Chapter 60: Before the conquest (2) "Tell me, kid. What do you know about elves?" Elena asked as she sat on a couch in front of me. "Not much." I answered concisely. It would be weird if I said ''yeah I''ve only known them from movies and games, and they were all beautiful hot dudes and dudettes with mad archery skills'', right? "That''s a rather vague answer," she chuckled, "well, let''s start from the basics then." I nodded. So it really was just a normal ss and nothing weird. Phew. I thought there was a hidden meaning behind her words. "Alright! Get ready!" She pped her hands with delight. "For what?" I raised an eyebrow at her sudden remark. "For some killing!" She giggled. Right after she snapped her fingers, something sharp grazed my left cheek, drawing fresh blood from the wound. I quickly got up on my feet and activated my armor while looking around to find the source of the attack. "Careful now, he''s strong~" Elena hummed. "How--" I gasped when I saw a tall, slender figure standing a few meters away from me, wielding two daggers in his palms. He had long, silky blonde hair that fell below his waist that fluttered ever so slightly in the air. "Firsthand experience is better than just studying theory, right?" Elena winked at me. "Wait, no-- He must be an illusion, right? Howe your magic works on me? I know he''s not real!" I protested. "Can you still say so after experiencing that?" She pointed at my freshly wounded cheek which was still dripping blood. I touched my cheek, and felt the warm blood on my fingers. My blood. Even though that elf was fake, but the blood on my cheek and fingers was definitely real. "You still have a long way to go to counter my illusions." She smirked at me. Before I could protest more, the elf leapt towards me and shed his daggers multiple times, clearly aiming directly for my neck. I barely dodged all of them, although it resulted in my right shoulder being shed. "Tch!" I grabbed his hair while dodging another one of his shes, and yanked it as hard as I could, throwing him onto the ground. ''Bam!'' Although his back crashed against the ground hard enough to make a loud noise, he quickly rolled and jumped back up again, as if he was never injured to begin with. Ugh. Elena''s illusion skill really was troublesome. I thought it''d be fine as long as I knew her magic. That way, I could just assume everything was an illusion, and I''d be immune to it. But it turned out to not be as simple as that. With just one small cut on my cheek, my body was instantly convinced that the elf was real. "Oi, don''t me me if your room gets all messed up." I frowned as I grabbed an empty beer bottle from the table and smashed it against the table, creating sharp edges on the bottle. "Just focus on your fight~" Elena giggled while she crossed her arms, watching me from the edge of the room. "Come here, pretty boy." I used my finger to make an inviting motion, taunting the elf who really was good-looking, actually. The movies didn''t lie to me. However, instead of charging towards me, he threw his daggers at me from a distance. I quickly moved a chair using my psychokinesis to shield me from his attack. ''Stab! Stab!'' The two daggers impaled the soft chair, ripping it and spilling the cotton inside. I remained at my ce, waiting for him to move first, but he just wouldn''t. "As you can see, elves are pretty smart. They won''t be provoked by a simple taunt like that. Some of them are even smarter than us humans." Elena exined as she took this opportunity to lecture me. "Are you implying that I''m stupid? ''Cause I kinda agree, to be honest." I replied absentmindedly as I lifted up her fridge using my magic and mmed it against the elf. "Hum-hum, so modest~" She chuckled. "I''m not modest, I''m just self-aware." I said as I let out a long sigh. That long sigh wasn''t because of Elena, but rather, because I saw that the elf survived my fridge smash. Normally, I would start to panic. But seeing that my ''fighting dirty'' skill didn''t activate, he probably was weaker than me. "Hey! Are you gonnae or not?" I asked him with a loud voice, to get his attention. Instead of answering, he just red at me and threw some kitchen knives towards my direction, which I easily avoided by using a pillow to tank the attack. I sighed. Well, it was okay if he didn''t want toe. I already got what I wanted, anyway. His re. [Enemy: Elf Assassin, rank 7] [Weakness: his neck] Well, that one was kinda obvious... I made three kitchen counters float, and mmed them on the ground around him simultaneously. I didn''t n to hit him, though. That was just to block his view for a bit while I quickly dashed at him, closing the distance between us and grabbing his neck with my right hand, while my left hand swiftly thrust the sharp beer bottle into his stomach. "Kkh--!" He gagged as I tightened my grip around his neck. He immediately reached towards his jacket''s pocket using his right hand, probably to grab a hidden weapon. But, I was faster. I quickly coated my left hand with my mana and formed it into a knife-like shape before puncturing his hand, all the way through to his chest where the pocket was located. "AAAGH!" The elf screamed as we both fell on the ground. I pulled out my hand from his chest, leaving a huge, gaping wound there, while fresh red blood spurted everywhere. "I guess I don''t even need to attack your weak point. But now while we''re at it, let''s try my strength, shall we?" I smiled at him. "N-no!!" He tried to scream, but the nails on my right hand were already digging deep into his neck, drawing out blood while crushing his windpipe. "KKH--!" He squirmed on the ground for a bit while I concentrated my muscle strength into my grip until a cracking sound was heard. "Alright, good enough!" Elena suddenly appeared beside me and snapped her finger. Right after the snapping sound was heard, the elf was gone, and I was now choking a bunny-shaped pillow. "Eh?" I flinched. "First ss is finished~" She giggled at me. "Oh, right. Did I do good?" I smiled and tilted my head. I wonder what score she would give me? Ah, I took a while to take him down, though. Would I get a bad score? Still, it was pretty exciting to get scored. I was always wondering what it felt like to go to school, so this was a surprise to be sure, but a wee one. "You''re awfully rxed for someone who had just killed." Elena stroked her chin amusedly. "You speak as if you''ve never killed before." I said casually as I checked my body for any signs of elf blood. A few seconds ago, my entire body was coated with his blood, but now it was entirely gone, not even a drop of it stayed on my body. "Hmm, quite steel-hearted, aren''t you?" "Thanks, you too?" I raised an eyebrow. "You''ve suspiciously grown a lot in just 2 days." She inched her face closer towards mine. I instinctively leaned back, "that''s just because you made that elf weaker than real elves." "Oh? You noticed?" She beamed. I mean... A rank 7 monster with weaker stats than mine? That was tantly wrong. Even the water alligators before were stronger than I was, and they were only rank 8. But there was no way I''d tell her I noticed from looking at my system. "Don''t me me for that, sweetie," she stroked my hair, "that''s because I can''t guarantee your safety against a real elf." Chapter 61: Before the conquest (3) Chapter 61: Before the conquest (3) "Ahh, that''s not good, then. General Zhang''s n will fail." I let out a long sigh. "What do you mean his n? He told me it was your n to enve the elves." Elena said as she ced her slender finger on her red lips. "Wha-- That eel just can''t keep a secret!" I grumbled. She chuckled upon seeing my reaction, "don''t worry, kid. He told me because we''re a team, right? I''m sure he won''t tell the headmaster." "Well, that''s just one of the problems. I didn''t say to enve the elves..." "Oh? Then what did you mean?" She tilted her head. "Um... I was thinking along the lines of, ''forced but mutually beneficial'' rtionship?" I scratched my cheek nervously as I averted my eyes to the right. Elena immediatelyughed in amusement, "I think you have this habit of speaking about somethingplicated and serious, but using a questionable choice of words. Just like what general Zhang told me." "I didn''t receive a formal education, okay? Give me a break." I sighed. "Sure, sure," she hummed, "what did you mean by ''the n will fail''?" "If what you said is true, and I will struggle against just one elf, how can our soldiers handle an entire race?" I exined using my hands to emphasize the numbers. "I''m not saying you''ll struggle, but you might get injured and I won''t be able to heal you here." She smiled. "Yeah, my point still stands. You know I''m not weak. Even if we join forces with the orcs, we will just get wiped out." "Don''t worry. That scheming bastard has more powerful allies than you think. We''ll be fine, if things take a turn for the worst, I''m sure that bastard will sort things out." She smiled without even a hint of panic, fear, or anxiety. "You sure are very rxed. Do you trust that sly eel that much?" I sighed as I plopped myself down on a beanbag chair that survived my fight earlier. "I won''t say trust, but it is what it is," she pulled a couch and sat herself across me, "it''s just a fact that he''s strong, too strong to be defeated by mere elves." "But wasn''t he defeated by someone in the serpent''sir?" I asked. I wanted to say Eli''s name, but I wasn''t sure if she knew him. "I wonder," she said as she popped open a new bottle of beer, "things may not be as simple as you perceive them to be. And it''s not my ce to tell you anything about him yet." I didn''t reply and just stared at her as she chugged an entire bottle down in one gulp, as if that was water and she was a thirsty traveler who hadn''t seen water for days. No matter how hard I tried to wrap my head around it, I just couldn''t find a reason why general Zhang would purposely lose after trying so hard to defeat that serpent. Wasn''t he also the one suggesting us to hurry before Eli got the soul? ''BAM!'' The door was suddenly kicked open, and in came a certain white-haired eel with his trademark grin that was ever so annoying. "Oi, oi, oi... I left you for 2 days and you''re already gossiping about me? Tsk, tsk." He smirked at me while tilting his head slightly to his right. "Ah, really... I just can''t catch a break here, can I?" I sighed and turned my face away from him as I leaned back into my beanbag chair. "I know you miss me so much, little cub. But you could''ve just told me instead of gossiping about me~" He said as he exaggerated his pout. "Then let me tell you directly that I do not miss you." I turned towards him and gave him my widest smile. "Hmm? What''s that on your cheek?" He raised an eyebrow and stepped forward until he was directly in front of me. "My cheek?" I questioned as I looked up towards him. He didn''t answer my question, and just extended his hand instead, cupping my left cheek with his palm. I flinched a bit in shock when I felt his smooth thumb gently brushed against my skin. "Ow." I let out a small yelp when I suddenly felt sharp pain pricking my cheek. "You have a cut." He said with a straight face. "Oh, right. It''s from a fake elf just now." I grinned, but he didn''t grin back at me. Weird. "Mhmm." He just nodded slightly and made a wiping motion with his thumb. After that, he brought his hand to his mouth and licked his blood-stained thumb. "Ew. Don''t drink blood. What are you, a vampire?" I frowned. "Do you have a blood clotting disorder or something? Why is it still bleeding?" He frowned back. "You opened the wound, you blockhead." I said as I stomped his feet in annoyance. "Hmm, so the cut was pretty deep. You still got a lot to learn, little cub~" He teased me and hummed, but his grin wasn''t back yet. "I''m not in the mood to hear your bragging." I raised both of my hands and used them to cover my ears. "And what''s that?" He suddenly pointed at my right shoulder. I peeked at where he pointed, and saw that the silky fabric Luke gave me was now stained red. It wasn''t very visible before since that part was covered with my hair, which was now tucked behind my ears as I covered them with my hands. "Take a guess." I sighed and turned my face to the right, not wanting to engage in another tongue war with him. Man, couldn''t I just rx for one day? "That''s why you shouldn''t let your guard down, ever. Even now," he grabbed the red fabric and slid it to the side, exposing my injured shoulder, "got it?" He gripped my chin with his left hand and forced me to look at him while his right hand traced the outline of my wound ever so slowly. His gaze upon me was cold and sharp, but not dangerous nor intimidating. Sometimes he could be so childish I wondered if he got his soul swapped with a 5-year-old, but other times he could be so eerily unreadable, like right now. "Hey, who said you can just pull my clothes like that!?" I retorted and fixed my robe as I pushed his hand away from my shoulder. He released his grip from my chin and just stood there without saying a word. "...Why did youe here?" I asked, trying to shift the topic. "Ah, right~!" He pped his hand together, and his beamed his usual grin again. "The headmaster has approved ''my'' n," he smirked, "we leave in a week. Prepare yourself." Chapter 62: Before the conquest (4) Chapter 62: Before the conquest (4) "That old geezer really bends over backwards for you, huh?" I stared at him in a mix of amazement and bewilderment. Who was he, or what did he do that made the headmaster so lenient about him? "Hey, I''m the one who bent over backwards for him first. Do you think he just trusts me for no reason?" He pouted. "You''re not going to go alone this time?" Elena suddenly asked. "Not this time. A particr little cub begged me to bring her along." He chuckled as he plopped himself down on a ripped pillow on the floor. "I did not beg." I said as I clicked my tongue and huffed. Great, this eel came all the way over here after a long trip just to use me of begging. "Well, gramps said I should bring some people along too, so I guess it''ll be quite arge party." He sighed as if it was a troublesome thing for him. "That''s good, then. More power means a higher chance of sess." I shrugged. "I don''t really like to operate in groups," he said, "I think Jean-jean and porcupine will tag along, too." "Do you think it''ll work out?" Elena asked, "I know you''re strong, but we''re basically going to face an entire race of monsters here." I gulped. I was also pretty skeptical about this n. Maybe it would be too impossible, after all... "Of course it''ll work. I never fail." He smirked. "Wow, you sure are confident." I sighed. "My confidence is grounded." "Sure, sure. So what should we prepare?" I tilted my head to the side. "No, not ''we''. Just you. Elena will need to stay here. Tee-hee!" He smiled. "But why? It''d be better if we bring Elena, right? She''s strong, you know." I protested. Did he really n to storm the elves with just 4 people, including me!? "I can''t go. I have things to do here," Elena answered for me while she took a sip, "you''ll be fine, kid. Just don''t die and that bastard will take care of everything." "You''re making it sound like I''ll be useless..." I frowned in annoyance. "Rx, little cub. You''re stronger than you think." General Zhang said as he got up and pped my back forcefully. ''BAM!'' "Yowch! What was that for!?" I growled at him. Instead of answering, he just stood there behind me, disying his annoying grin. I was about to curse when I felt something rising up inside me. "Huh? What did you do to me?" I raised my hands and stared at my palms in confusion. I tried to open and close my palms a few times before I stared back at him. "Hmm~?" He just hummed and looked at me in anticipation, still grinning. I raised an eyebrow as I felt more and more refreshed. Was it... My mana? I opened my status window silently, and got an unexpected result. [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 32] [Intelligence: 62 (+5)] [Agility: 24] [Physique: 30 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 15] My eyes went wide as I realized that my intelligence had just increased by 10 all of a sudden. How did he-- "Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten already?" He questioned. "Yeah can you stop speaking in clues and just tell me what happened like a normal person?" I asked in frustration. What was up with people here, thinking I, an outsider, would immediately understand how this world works? "I returned your ''magic'' that I stole earlier, when we first entered the town hall." He smiled. My brows furrowed for a while, trying to remember and reconstruct the events that happened when we first arrived here. Hmm, I saw the cool architecture, thought about vacation, got greeted by the soldiers--well, the generals were greeted, not me. And then I-- "Oh! That time when I suddenly felt weak?" I beamed. "Bingo~! That''s my smart little cub~" He patted my head proudly. "Hehe~" I smiled wide, proud of my usually weak memory, "ah, wait! Don''t treat me like a pet!" I snapped out of my gleeful moment and pped his hand away from my head. "I had to do a lil sy sy on your magic and borrowed it for a while so gramps won''t realize how much you truly grew in such a short time. Maybe if I didn''t suck you, he would''ve eliminated you right then and there, tee-hee!" He winked at me while sticking out his tongue a bit. "Can you please use any other word aside from suck!? Anyway, seriously, isn''t there any human rights organization here or something?" I shuddered, "oh, right. Howe you have two kinds of magic? Don''t you have like water magic or something?" "Every man has his secrets, remember?" He pinched my cheek yfully. "Tch." "Elena, go train her or something, okay? I''ll be going until it''s time for the raid." General Zhang said as he began walking towards the door. "Oh, that''s right, Elena. I''m going to need your help on something, well two things, I guess." I said as I got up from my beanbag chair. "What is it?" She asked while smiling widely at me. "One is regarding my training... I''ll tell youter, but for now, can I please borrow some clothes? I really want to take a proper bath." I scratched the back of my head nervously. Please say yes. Let me reunite with my beloved toilet and shower after I lived like a caveman with a talking snake for 2 days. "Sure! You can go take a bath now, I''ll bring you some clothester~" She gleamed at me. "Hmm? You want some clothes, little cub?" General Zhang stopped at the door to ask me. "You lock me here and expect me to magically have luggage?" I asked sarcastically, "this robe isn''t even mine. Luke gave it to me." "Who''s Luke?" He tilted his head in confusion. "If only you''d pay me what you owe, I''d probably have three luggage filled with clothes." I said as I threw Elena''s empty beer bottle at him. "Sure, sure~" He dodged the bottle easily by moving his head slightly to the side, before he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. "How can a guy like him be a general..." I sighed. Weren''t generals supposed to be like Jeanne or Owen? Charismatic, strong, high sense of responsibility, and such? "You''ll know why when you see him fight alone." Elena approached me and handed me a freshly washed towel that smelled likevender. "Ah, thank you, Elena!" I smiled wide as I caressed the fluffy towel with my fingertips. "Go ahead and shower. We''ll continue your training after that." She said with a grin. Oh no, what kind of training would she cook up this time... Chapter 63: Before the conquest (5) Chapter 63: Before the conquest (5) During our ''training'' days, Elena hadn''t gone easy on me, not one bit. Right from the moment I woke up at 5 a.m., we began our magic training session by forcing myself to use psychokinesis all the time, while being all sleepy. ording to her, training magic under ufortable situations would enhance my control. We didn''t stop there, of course. After all, the next ''subject'' we train was requested by me. Physical resistance and strength. I felt like I needed to enhance both my physique and strength too, so I wouldn''t die so quickly on the battlefield. As for my agility, though... "Ugh." I grunted in annoyance as I used my psychokinesis to twirl some yarn around, trying to crochet a weirdly shaped fabric that I could barely call a scarf. "Why are you in a bad mood so suddenly, kid?" Elena asked me while she gulped down her third bottle of beer. It was barely even daytime. "Well, it''s just that, you said elves don''t only use bows and arrows, right?" I questioned. "Yeah. That will be inefficient of them if they only use bows and arrows. After all, their habitat is basically a forest. In some cases, trees might block their arrows," she exined, "they''re also pretty smart as I''ve said, so if we humans can use various weapons, why can''t they?" "Exactly. So in theory, there should be a lot of specialized elves, right?" I said as I grumbled again when I twirled the yarn in the wrong direction, "ah! Crocheting is hard!" "Of course. I''ve seen them use swords and daggers. Think of them like normal soldiers, except they use biodegradable materials for their weapons and armor," she answered me, "and with different tactics and mindsets, I guess." "Hey wait, so are we the baddies? We should start using biodegradable weapons, too. This world is barely holding on." I pouted. "No, we can''t do the same as them. They''re elves, so they have a higher affinity with nature. That''s why biodegradable weapons and armors work best for them, because their magic makes those materials stronger," Elenaughed at my remark, "cute idea, though." "Ah, so we can''t," I sighed, "anyway, my point is, I''m frustrated because I think I will seriously have a hard time against them, even after this training." "Why is that?" "You said that the orc kingdom consists of like, half forest or something, right? That''s basically a terrain buff for the elves." I grumbled. "You talk in weird terms, but I see your point." She chuckled. "Imagine getting sniped from faraway trees or getting stabbed by an assassin elf," I sighed, "that''s why I really want to increase my agility, but what am I supposed to do in this room? Run into a wall?" "Yeah, you can do that." She smiled. "I can?" I tilted my head to the side. "Sure. Do it while you spar with another elf. This time I won''t weaken him." ''Stab!'' "Eh? Again!?" I immediately jumped backwards when I felt something sharp pierced my right shoulder. There it was, another elf, but this time he was wielding a bow and arrows. I nced at my shoulder and found that an arrow had found its way into my flesh. Fortunately, due to my increased physique stat, the arrow didn''t go deep. I could even see a little part of the arrowhead, making me confident enough to pull the arrow out and wrap some cloth over it. "Hey, what will you do if he impaled my head or like, my heart or something?" I raised an eyebrow at Elena. "You''ll be fine. I''m pretty good at judging someone''sbat prowess." She chuckled as she raised her hand and snapped her fingers together. "Whoa..." My mouth gaped when I saw that the room around us instantly transformed into a forest. "Now you''ve entered my illusion." She smiled sweetly at me. Ah, so that was why she needed to add the elf dude. If my body wasn''t injured by the elf, I probably would be able to break out of her illusion, since it would be too obvious. "Now, run along, kid." -------- "Haaaaaa..." I plopped down on the floor that had reverted back into a luxurious floorboard instead of the grassyndscape the ''forest'' had. "Down already?" Elena walked up near me and chuckled. "It''s been 6 hours already... How can I not be down?" I said in between huffs. I couldn''t believe she made me run from the arrows for 6 hours straight... I felt like my legs were jellies now. "Haha, you did a great job," she smiled at me and helped me sit up, "now let''s eat some lunch, and continue with our physical training, shall we?" "Ah..." I sighed in defeat. As much as I''d like to rest, it was my idea to be a punching bag, anyway. "So, do you want to be sted with a metal bat, or with my bare hands today?" She grinned. "...The bat, please." Gosh, this better increase my physique by a whole lot. -------- A week passed by without much happening. My days were just filled with training and learning about elves, from their behaviors to their hierarchy system and stuff. Sometimes I wondered why Elena wasn''t stationed as a general. Her magic was no joke, and she held so much information, I felt as if she was a walking library. "It should be today, right?" Elena said to me as I walked out of the shower wearing afortable sweater with a towel to dry my hair. "I guess so. Have you heard anything about the raid?" I asked as I sat down on a beanbag chair that I sat on every day since I came back here. ''BANG!'' "Hello~! Your favourite general is here~!" "Ah, perfect timing as always..." I rolled my eyes when I saw the door flung open, revealing a sly white eel. "Let''s go, little cub. We''re going to depart in an hour." General Zhang grinned as he threw three big stic bags at me. "Ack! What are these? And why so sudden!? You haven''t even briefed me about the n!" I caught the stic bags with some difficulty and put them down on the floor. "The n is to win." He smirked. I pouted and opened the stic bag, only to found that it was filled with all kinds of clothing. "Clothing? What, are we going to camp there for like a month or something?" I asked in confusion. "What? You''re the one who said you wanted three luggage full of clothing." He replied. "Eh?" Chapter 64: Here we come, elves! (1) Chapter 64: Here wee, elves! (1) As we walked silently from the town hall to the courtyard, I kept sneaking a peek towards the weirdest general I had met that was walking in front of me. After he handed me those bags of clothing, he just told me to change into one of those new clothing that he bought. I actually didn''t mean it when I said I would''ve had 3 luggage of clothing if he paid me. Heck, I almost forgot I said it, even. But what surprised me the most was that this aloof general remembered my words? And even acted on it? Could he probably...? "Hey, eel." I called out to him as I twirled my hoodie''s drawstring. "Yeah?" He peeked back at me over his shoulder, giving me a smirk. "Did you, perhaps..." "Perhaps?" "Did you cut my winning money to buy these clothes?" I red dagger at him. "Eh? Why do you say that?" His eyebrows raised, and he looked genuinely surprised. "Because maybe you didn''t want to pay me? Gah, how much do I have left?" I scrunched my hair in a panic. Oh my gosh if it was true, those clothing must''ve cost a lot. Couldn''t he just give me cold, hard cash instead? "Well," he put his hand on his chin and looked up, "I didn''t intend to, but now that you''ve suggested it, why not?" "Don''t go dictating what I should buy." I pouted. "I''m joking. That one''s on me. You''ll need a lot of clothes soon, anyway." He shrugged and continued walking. "Soon? How soon? And why?" I questioned as I fasten my steps to walk side-by-side with him. "Not too soon. I have to prepare everything before I make my move." He winked at me. "Sometimes you talk as if we''re in a detective movie, and sometimes you talk as if we''re on a Sunday cartoon show." I let out a long sigh. I knew that he wouldn''t be telling anymore hints about his ''n'', so why would I bother asking? "Hey, as they said, get you a man who can do both, right?" Heughed annoyingly. "That''s not how it''s supposed to work..." -------- Upon arriving at the courtyard, I saw 2 figures standing near their respective horses, each one of them d in armors, ready to take on any enemies. I knew that there would only be 4 people participating in this raid, including me, but it still felt a little bit surreal. Sure, I had been in a private squad mission during my serving times, but it was mostly assassination, stealing something, or intercepting something. I had never been to a war where we fought with only 4 people. "Ah, Chaerin." Jeanne noticed me first and approached me with a worried look on her face. "Jeanne! How''s your leg? Are you feeling better now?" I asked as I checked her from her head to her toes. Everything seemed to be in ce, yep. I was no doctor, but at least every limb was ced correctly now. Great. "I''m perfectly fine now, Chaerin," she smiled at me, "rather, are you sure you''re going to participate?" "That''s great to hear. And of course, I have something I wanna do there." Iughed a bit. By ''something'', I meant meeting an edgy grumpy man who might or might not be there. "She''ll be okay. Does she still look like a weakling to you?" General Zhang suddenly came up behind me and patted my shoulder, while giving Jeanne a smirk. She stared at me for a while, before finally giving us a weak nod. "She''s strong, but that doesn''t mean she won''t be in danger." Jeanne frowned. "You worry too much, Jean-jean~ Life is always dangerous anyway. Tee-hee!" General Zhang winked. Well, of course I was stronger. I basically trained like a maniac for a little more than a week. Furthermore, I got this ''system'' thing that helped me grow faster than most people here. "Status." I whispered under my breath, making sure it was barely audible for everyone else. [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 36] [Intelligence: 79 (+5)] [Agility: 28] [Physique: 35 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 15] I put my hand on my chin for a while, trying to remember Jeanne''s stats. If I remember correctly, our stats should roughly be simr, right? I nced at Jeanne, and muttered the same keyword as before to open up a new floating window in front of me. [Stat points: (Jeanne Chevalier)] [Strength: 42] [Intelligence: 28] [Agility: 35] [Physique: 30] Oh? Her stats also rose from thest time I checked. I see. That made sense, the people here must''ve trained a lot too, and of course they''d be constantly growing. That being said, I was pretty sure my growth rate was far better, though. "Oi, little cub, what are you doing staring into the void? Have you finally lost your mind?" "Eh? Ah--" I was snapped back to reality when general Zhang waved his hand in front of my eyes. "Um, anyway, mind briefing me on what we will do?" I cleared my throat. "Oh, right. Let me introduce you to this raid''s leader, general Emilio." Jeanne said as she gestured towards the expressionless man who was leaning against his horse. His face was t, that was for sure, but somehow, I felt intense killing intenting off of him. So much that I instinctively adopted a wider stance. "Greetings, general Emilio." I briefly greeted him with a small bow and a slight nervous frown. "Yes." He replied concisely, only sparing me a quick nce before he turned his head away again. "He''s just focused. Don''t mind him, he''s not good at expressing emotions, but he''s a good guy." Jeanne said as she smiled at me. "Yeah, I don''t mind that part. But is he always hungry for blood like this?" I whispered to Jeanne in a low voice. "No, he''s usually a very soft-spoken guy, although he''s often misunderstood... But I think his brother''s kidnapping really took a toll on him. They were never separated before." Jeanne answered me. "I see..." I nced at the general, and now his bloodlust didn''t feel as scary as before. Even though he seemed dangerous, but after hearing what Jeanne said, all I saw was a broken and confused man, who was desperate and didn''t know what to do. Again, I felt a pang in my chest when I recalled the moment when I was in his shoes. When Eli suddenly disappeared. At that time, what helped me the most was... "General Emilio, may I please see your hands?" I approached him slowly, half-nervous but also half-confident. "What do you want?" He frowned. "Just for a second. You can sense that I mean no harm." I stood in front of him, stubbornly waiting for his hands. He clicked his tongue, but eventually he took out both of his palms in front of me. "Thank you." I smiled, and took out a... Chapter 65: Here we come, elves! (2) Chapter 65: Here wee, elves! (2) "Wet wipes?" General Emilio questioned me. Although his face remained rtively unchanged, but I could sense a hint of confusion in his tone. "Yeah. For you." I said as I gently ced a pack of wet wipes on his palms. Ever since I stayed at Elena''s ce, I was introduced to a bunch of beauty-rted products that she had always used. She said that she would never forget about self-care, even in the midst of battle. Because, as she stated, ''I''d rather be a pretty killer than an ugly killer''. "Why?" General Emilio stared at the pack of wet wipes on his hand, and slowly flipped it around to see if there was something else to it. "Try using them on your face or hands, it feels nice." I answered quickly before immediately turning around and walking back to Jeanne and General Zhang. Elena had offered me various skincare products, but I only took a few wet wipes because it might be useful when we went on a long raid, or when we got lost. To think that it''d be used for this... "Haa..." I sighed deeply as I thought about the possibility of offending a new general. During my dark days after Eli disappeared, I neglected even the most basic everyday tasks, like eating, showering, and cleaning up. And whenever I forced myself to eat, I wasn''t able to swallow it without throwing it up right after. Until one day, someone forced me to wash my face. It was something simple, something menial. It wasn''t even a proper face wash, just a simple rinse with water. And I instantly felt a little bit better. Since that day, I slowly tried to do just one simple task every day. But, just because it worked for me, didn''t mean it''ll work with everyone. What really helped me was that I found a new purpose, a new goal. I just thought that those wet wipes might help him feel a little bit more refreshed. "Wet wipes? Why are you suddenly giving out wet wipes?" General Zhang asked me as soon as I approached them again. "I got them from Elena, okay?" I pouted. "Give me some, too." He held out his hand and smirked at me. "No wet wipes for you," I pushed his hand away lightly, and turned to face Jeanne, "by the way, Jeanne. Before we go, is Wolf in good care? Does he have a ce to sleep?" "Of course. He''s staying with Dmitri right now. And it seems like Dmitri enjoys ying the role of big brother for him, too." Jeanne chuckled a bit. "That''s great, then. Let''s go look for souvenirs for them after we get back?" I pped my hands together, and my eye lit up in excitement. "Sure. I think the boy would love some gifts." She giggled. "Oh, and also, let''s get him some food. I''m sure he''ll like some juicy meat. Or sweets?" I put my finger on my lips while thinking. "We can get both. Maybe some new clothes, too?" Jeanne added. "Yes!" My smile widened. "Why do you guys sound like annoying neighbourdies?" General Zhang piped in. While we exchanged banter, I peeked a few times at general Emilio, who was still staring at the pack of wet wipes without moving an inch. I gulped nervously, wondering what he might be thinking. "Come. We should hurry." He suddenly spoke up, and I flinched a little. Well, at least he didn''t seem angry? Kinda hard to tell when he had a stoic face, though... "Yep. Let''s get on our horses." General Zhang agreed. After that, he walked towards his own horse, which was already strapped with supplies. He rummaged for a bit, before tossing me a perfectly smooth rifle that looked almost exactly like my previous one, just with a new globe-thingy, andplete with a silencer too, "here, little cub. Your promised weapon." "Ah, thank you!" I caught the rifle and silencer, and immediately inspected it with sparkling eyes. My brand new weapon, finally! Atst, I could bid goodbye to fighting like a caveman with a stick and fists! "Try channeling your mana into it." He smirked yfully while he crossed his arms in front of his chest. I did as he told me to, and the globe-thingy in the middle of it glowed red, the color of my element. "Woah! What does it do?" I asked excitedly. "Not much, you now have two firing options, basically. One is your usual mana bullet, and the other is your condensed mana bullet." He held up 2 fingers while exining it to me. "Condensed? What''s the difference?" I tilted my head in confusion. "For that one, it''s like a mana bullet, but infused with your element and coated with a special substance that Koji made, don''t ask me what, it''s nerdy stuff," he chuckled, "so because your element is fire, that bullet will explode upon impact." "This... Sounds expensive, haha..." I nervously scratched my cheek, "and does that mean different elements will yield different results?" "The answer to both of your remarks would be a huge, giant yes! Tee-hee! But that condensed mana bullet needs a lot more mana, though. So it''s best if you save them for important asions, or you''ll run out of mana and get mauled by a monster!" He said as he winked yfully at me. "This eel..." I frowned in annoyance. "Are you going to ride a horse this time, general Zhang?" General Jeanne asked as she approached me with two horses, presumably mine and hers. "Yeap. Timmy is too big to navigate through the woods. And he will stick out like a sore thumb, anyway." He answered with ease. "I see," Jeanne nodded, "here, Chaerin. Your horse." "Thanks, Jeanne!" I gave her a huge smile as she handed me the horse''s leash. ''Brrrr~'' The horse purred softly at me, and rubbed its snout on my cheek. ''Ding!'' [Passive skill: ''Animal''s Beloved'' is reacting strongly towards the being in front of you] "Hehe, that tickles." I patted its head affectionately, and rejoiced silently because I chose that skill. After that, we all made sure we got proper weapon and armor ready, and fastened our supplies to our horses. Once we were sure, we mounted our respective horses and headed towards the gate. "Wait, so what''s our n?" I awkwardly asked while I turned left and right, looking at each one of them. We were already heading out, but what would we do, exactly? Following a brief silence, general Emilio finally spoke to me, "...General Zhang will exin. He''s the one who concocted the n. I just lead on the battlefield." "Okay?" Was it just me, or was general Emilio''s voice a bit nervous? "Well, first..." General Zhang started. "Uh-huh?" I nodded, fully focusing my attention on him. "Wemit arson." "The hell!?" Chapter 66: Haha fire go brrrr (1) Chapter 66: Haha fire go brrrr (1) "What are you nning this time?" I asked that slippery eel with a frown on my forehead. "As I said, little cub. I''m nning tomit arson~" He hummed happily. "Details? Hello?" I turned around to look at general Emilio and Jeanne, who looked as fed up as I was. "Allow me to exin, then," Jeanne sighed, "general Zhang wants to set a portion of their forest on fire to bait the elves over there." "But why?" I questioned. "Why not? Tee-hee!" General Zhang interrupted. "Our n is to have general Zhang distract the elves and hold them off there for as long as he can, while we sneak in from the other side to assassinate the elf king." Jeanne exined. "Can that eel even survive against a whole vige of elves? And after ying the king, what do we do?" I felt as if my brain was about to overheat by this sudden rush of funky tactics. "The elves strictly obey their king. They follow a hard hierarchy system. So if we assassinate the king and the royal family, they should fall into chaos, and that''s where we will im the throne," Jeanne answered me, "and as for him..." She nced at general Zhang. "Don''t worry about me. Rather, what''s more worrying is can you sessfully kill the king?" General Zhang shrugged. "You''re awfully smug, eel. Don''te crying to us if you get cornered." I huffed. "You''ll see~" He giggled. "Enough. We depart now." General Emilio gave us a re, and we immediately stopped bickering. -------- For hours upon hours, we marched steadily towards the north. The dawn sky that was slightly tinted blue had now turned into an orange sky that poured yellow hues upon the terrain around us. But all that fatigue and boredom slipped away as soon as we caught a glimpse of the orc kingdom''s castle from afar. Finally, we were nearing our destination. "Wait." I suddenly piped up, and we immediately pulled the leash on our horses. "What''s wrong?" Jeanne asked while her right hand immediately reached for her sword handle. "Do any of you bring binocrs? Or something simr?" I scratched my cheek nervously. "We have those, actually," Jeanne rummaged through her supply bag, and tossed me a pair of binocrs, "here." "Thank you." I caught them with one hand, and immediately brought them to my eyes while I looked around. "What are you looking for, little cub?" General Zhang asked. "Hmm wait, give me some more time... Ah! Over there!" I pointed with my index finger towards the castle. "Yeah, that''s the castle. We ain''t blind." General Zhang came closer to my horse and poked my cheek. "No, not that. Look, they have elf archers stationed at their castle towers." I shoved the binocrs towards his eyes, and forced his head to look in that direction. "Ah. True," he chimed, "tch. So prepared. Annoying." "Give me a number." General Emilio nced at us with his usual unreadable face. "I''m not sure, but I saw 1 elf in each tower," I pointed at the castle, "I think we can all agree that there are 4 towers?" "So best case is 4 guards, huh?" General Emilio pondered, "Enzo, fly and use your--" He flinched. General Emilio''s eyes erged ever so slightly, and although it was barely noticeable, he took a second to peek at his surroundings. His slightly parted lips finally pursed and he shook his head slightly. "Never mind, are any of you proficient in long-range attack?" He cleared his throat, and inquired us. "Me. But not this long." I waved my assault rifle in front of him. If it was a sniper rifle, I might''ve been able to do something about it. "Oh, you can." General Zhang smirked, and took my rifle from me. "Great, another feature that you purposely kept hidden from me?" I raised an eyebrow. "Isn''t it more fun that way?" He chuckled and took out a key-like thing from his pocket, before inserting it into a small hole on the rifle''s body. ''Click!'' After twisting the key, my rifle glowed blue and its parts started to disassemble, float, and transform into entirely different parts. After they had finished morphing, those parts reassembled themselves again very cleanly that I couldn''t even see any marks. And all of that was done in just two seconds at most. "How is it? Do you recognize what this thing is?" General Zhang grinned at me and tossed me my new, transformed rifle. "A sniper rifle!? But how? They''re very different--" "Don''t underestimate Koji. Do you think he only does normal cksmithing? Did you forget that he has magic, too?" He chuckled, "and don''t underestimate my money." "Woah..." I admired the new sniper rifle he gave me, and checked its ammo and whatnot. Although the transformation was kinda showy and it may give out my position, but it wasn''t bad at all. "Alright, enough wow-ing! Now shoot, little cub!" General Zhang cheerfully eximed while pointing at the castle''s direction. "Ugh. Sure, sure. I can''t guarantee it''ll hit, though. I''ll do my best," I sighed, "general Emilio, allow me to find a suitable ce to snipe them all." "Alright. Do you have a ce in mind?" He asked. "Somece high where I can see all four of them, but still hidden," I said as I put my finger on my lips while thinking, "oh and, you better protect me if my position is found, though. It''ll be a hassle to reposition." "Sure. Follow me. I know a spot." General Emilio kicked his horse''s side, and his horse began running. "Ah, wait!" I pouted and kicked my horse''s side to follow his lead. -------- ''Neighh!'' "This spot should be good, right?" General Emilio asked as he pulled his horse''s leash tightly, halting its movement. I looked through my binocrs, and after confirming that I had a clear view of all four of them, I nodded, "yeah. This spot should be good. Let me try." As I hopped off my horse and readied my rifle, general Zhang stopped me. "Hold on," he took out a piece of cloth andid it down on the floor, "okay, go on." "Oh? You''re being nice? How rare." I snickered andid on my stomach on the ground, with that fabric beneath me, preventing my outfit from getting dirty. "Pfft. That''s the cloth I used to wipe my horse with. Ahahaha!" He startedughing maniacally at me. "Ah, how can you still be so childish in this situation!?" I grumbled, but I didn''t remove the cloth. It was better than having toy down on top of mud, anyway. "Ahahahhah!" He ignored myints and justughed even harder. "Tch." I averted my attention away from him and focused on my sniping scope. After a few seconds of adjusting, I finally had the first elf in my vision. Taking a deep breath, I felt my whole body rx as blood rushed towards my head, and I felt as if I hadplete control of my shot. Yep. This was it. This was the feeling that I felt almost every day back in my brigade. "Die." ''BANG!'' Chapter 67: Haha fire go brrrr (2) Chapter 67: Haha fire go brrrr (2) Red. That was the color that tainted the orc castle''s tower. "I got one." I said as I hastily tried to reload the rifle, but then remembered that this thing operated using mana. So instead, I quickly charged it back with my mana, ready for another shot. "That''s my little cub." I could hear general Zhang''sughing from behind me while I aimed slightly to my right. Just a little tilt, but my scope had already reached another tower. I lined up the crosshair with the elf''s head level, and waited for him to walk towards the crosshair. ''BANG!'' Another red color decorated my scope''s vision as I saw the elf''s body flopped down to the floor. "Two more to go." I said as I reloaded again and adjusted my aim for the third one. "Be careful. They might''ve discovered our position already." General Emilio warned us as he pulled out his spear in anticipation, and so did Jeanne. I nced over at them for a second, and saw that general Zhang was the only oneying down on his horse, seemingly uncaring about any dangers that mighte. Soid-back of him. I sighed, before turning my focus towards my scope again. My breathing got slower and steadier as I aligned my crosshair onto another elf''s head level. Steady, steady... ''BANG!'' "Niceeee~" General Zhang hummed happily. "Arrows!" Jeanne suddenly shouted, and I looked up to see her already charging her wind magic. In one swing, the iing arrows were repelled and I was saved from danger. "Thanks, Jeanne!" "Just focus on sniping, Chaerin! There are more arrowsing, but we''ll guard you!" Jeanne eximed as she started charging her magic again. I looked over and sure enough, there were barrages of arrows directed at us. I guess they figured out our direction, but not our exact location, so they decided to rain arrows at us, huh? "Not bad." I muttered to myself as I focused on aiming once again. I didn''t know exactly what was happening around me, but I was pretty sure those 3 generals wouldn''t get defeated by mere arrows. ''BANG!'' "Tch! I missed! I hit his shoulder!" I clicked my tongue and immediately reloaded before peeking through my scope again. The elf was squirming in pain this time, making it harder for me to properly aim for his head. I had no choice but to wait until he started to crawl to look for help, before I aligned my crosshair with his head and fired away. ''BANG!'' I let out a long sigh when I saw his body stopped moving when my bullet lodged itself into his head, "phew, that almost got ugly." "Are you done? Let''s get moving." General Emilio said as he put his spear away and walked back towards his horse. "Yeah, they know we''re here already. Let''s reposition," I agreed as I got up and gathered my equipment, "by the way, what about the arrows?" "Gone." Jeanne gave me a simple answer, and I knew I needed to ask no further. Jeanne sure was reliable. -------- Now that we''ve been spotted, we no longer casually rode our horses. We made them run as fast as they could, and quickly got away from our previous spot as fast as possible. "This way!" General Emilio shouted, and turned left. We immediately followed suit and kept riding until we finally went into a forest. "Halt!" He suddenly pulled his leash and stopped, "we march slowly from here onwards." "Oh? Why is that?" I questioned, but I followed hismand, regardless. "We have entered the orc kingdom." He answered. "Wha--" "So this is the forest that will be my victim? Not bad~" General Zhang cut me off before I could even ask. "The orcs aren''t as advanced as the elves or us, Chaerin. Most of their kingdom''s boundaries don''t have actual borders, just territory markings," Jeanne exined to me as always, "and that''s why we were able to easily sneak into this forest, which is located at the outermost eastern side of the orc kingdom." "Ah, I see. That''s good for us," I nodded, "so should we split off now and let that eel do, uh... His hobby?" "Who saidmitting arson is my hobby?" General Zhang pouted at me with an exaggerated sad expression. "Your hobby is being a madman." I stuck out my tongue at him. "General Zhang, do you have the explosives ready?" General Emilio asked. "Yes, sir~ I have it right here~" The white-haired man giggled as he took out a few bags of various-sized boxes, each one with a fuse. I was about to question it again, but decided not to. I had seen weirder stuff, yep. Just another normal day, another normal raid. Mm-hmm. "So that''s why your horse was fully packed with stuff. Poor horse. I''m calling animal protection services when we get home." I teased him. "We have no such thing as ''animal protection service'', dumb little cub~" Heughed at me. They didn''t? What? Man, I pity the animals here... Should I suggest to Jeanne to establish er? "If you''re ready, then we''ll part ways here," general Emilio motioned for me and Jeanne to follow him, "we''ll go this way. I see an abandoned building over there. We could go to its roof and jump to another building inside the town, to avoid being seen by the town guards." "Okay..." I hesitantly followed general Emilio''s directions, and Jeanne came riding beside me. Will it be alright, though? How will that eel escape a burning forest? I knew he was slippery as hell, but inhaling smoke kinda sucked. It felt like your throat and lungs were burning and each gasp drained your strength. Definitely not a good memory to have. "General Zhang, make sure to ignite the explosion once we''re far enough." General Emilio said. "Sure, sure, I''ll burn this ce down in 10 minutes from now. Not my fault if you guys haven''t got far enough yet. Tee-hee!" "I''ll notify you when we''re far enough. Don''t you dare blow us up." I frowned. "Huh? How?" He asked. Instead of answering his question, I activated my mentalist skill and sent him a short message saying ''by doing this, you dumb eel''. [Message delivered.] I smirked as I saw a familiar screen floated in front of my eyes. I took a nce at general Zhang, whose eyebrows raised for a second, and then a grin appeared on his face. "I see~ I''ll be waiting for your ''signal'', then." He winked at me, stressing the word ''signal'' using his tone. I stuck out my tongue at him and turned around to continue riding with Jeanne and general Emilio. -------- Finally, after walking for what felt like half an hour, we arrived at the creepy-looking building in front of us. Dpidated was a pretty generous term to describe it. It looked like a building that was made by a talented architect, sure, but it seemed like it had endured so many trials, seeing that every bits and pieces were either torn out or broken, or even both. The roof was filled with holes, and the front door wasn''t even intact. "Hey, is he really going to be okay?" I asked as we entered the abandoned building quietly. We had released our horses nearby, and grabbed our supplies. Thankfully, our horses had been trained to go back home if we p their butts three times. But whether or not they could find their way home and survive, was an entirely different matter. "Yeah. General Zhang won''t die by something like this." Jeanne answered me. "How are you so sure? The elves are pretty strong..." "Chaerin, do you think general Zhang possesses qualities befitting of a general?" She asked back. "Why the sudden question? But ahem, I mean... No?" I scratched my cheek nervously, "I feel like he''s not the type of person who values ''greater good'' over everything or abides bymands as most generals do. Not that it''s a bad thing, though. I''m also like that." Instead of disagreeing, Jeanne just smiled at me, "well, there''s a reason why he''s a general." "Uh-huh, and that is?" "That''s because he''s a one-man-army." I stopped my finger that was about to press ''send'' upon hearing Jeanne''s words. After contemting for a bit, I decided to change the content of my message. [Would you like to delete the message ''Don''t die''?] "Yes." I muttered ever so softly under my breath and entered a new message. [See you soon, you dumb bitch.] Chapter 68: Haha fire go brrrr (3) Chapter 68: Haha fire go brrrr (3) ''BOOM!'' "Ack!" I flinched when a sudden st sound pierced my eardrums. "That came from general Zhang''s direction," Jeanne looked over behind her, "he must''ve started already." "Man, that sounded louder than I thought it would. How many explosives did he set off?" I wondered. "Probably almost every one of them." Jeanne answered. "We should also hurry." General Emilio said as he led us towards the rooftop. "Yeah, let''s try to sneak inside the castle before night falls. We probably only have around 2-3 hours before it starts getting dark." I agreed. While I stayed over at Elena''s room, she told me one crucial thing about the elves. Night vision. Those elves were born and bred to co-exist with nature. So instead of nighttime being their enemy, they worked together with nighttime. I guess that was because elves needed to be able to care for nature whenever and wherever. While for us humans, fighting in the dark against elves would be asking to get killed. "Watch your step." Jeanne told us as we stumbled upon a staircase that was already falling apart. "Man, I think it''ll fall apart the moment we step on it..." I frowned and tried to put pressure on the first step using my feet, and wasn''t surprised when it immediately crumbled into pieces. "Let''s find another way." General Emilio turned around and started looking for another route. "Can''t we just, like, float up using Jeanne''s magic?" I scratched my cheek while I nervously suggested. "We probably can, but if I make a gust of wind strong enough to lift a person, I''d probably ruin a few things here, and we might get buried. Sorry." Jeanne answered me. "Aw, okay then." I nodded and followed general Emilio into a dark alleyway. Every few steps, we would hear the floorboards cracking, making us tense up, thinking that we might fall through the floor. Not stopping at that, theck of electricity here made everything dark, except for ces where there were huge holes that let the orange sunlight pass through. "This is kinda creepy. A bit like those horror movies beginning, you know?" Iughed nervously. "Ah, I''ve watched horror movies before, with..." Jeanne paused, flinched, and looked down, "...Someone. Anyway, usually this is where they split up and meet the ghost, right?" "Yes, but I bet magic works against ghosts too." I chuckled to lighten the mood. When Jeanne stopped mid-sentence, I felt like her expression changed heavily. Who was that person she mentioned? And what did they have to do with Jeanne? ''ng!'' "What?" I gasped, but I instinctively aimed my assault rifle towards the foreign sound without missing a beat. Damn, did a ghost really appear? At such perfect timing, too? General Emilio held one finger to his lips, signaling us to not make a sound, while his other hand reached for his spear. Jeanne nodded, and unsheathed her sword smoothly without producing a sound. We waited patiently until the ghost would reveal themselves... Magic did work against ghosts, right? I mean, oh god, please work. I had a love-hate rtionship with horror movies, and right now the hate side was winning. ''ng!'' "Ah--" My ears perked up upon hearing the new emerging voice, "was that a child''s voice?" "Wait." General Emiliomanded us to stay still. Did I hear that correctly? Why did this feel familiar...? Kinda like when I first met Wolf, wasn''t it? Ugh, what was up with my luck with children... "Excuse me?" A little girl who was around Wolf''s height popped up from around the hallway''s corner, but only showing half of her body. She had beautiful, long, light green hair with a pair of shimmering blue eyes. What caught my attention though, were her pointy ears that were barely visible through her flowing hair. "A child elf?" I eximed in surprise as I immediately turned to face Jeanne. Did we get spotted already? "No, wait. Elves can''t have blue eyes... Their eyes are always green." Jeanne said, as equally surprised as I was. "What do you want, kid?" General Emilio questioned the child who had a fearful expression on her face, and pointed his spear at her. Seeing that, I followed and re-aimed my rifle at her. I almost forgot that on the battlefield, it didn''t matter what age you were, or what race you were. An enemy was an enemy. "I..." She spoke with a very soft, timid voice while her frown deepened. We waited for her response as she slowly stepped forward, allowing us to see her ragged outfit. She didn''t even wear a pair of footwear. "I... Wanted to ask you if you need some food?" She said with a voice so small it was barely audible as she held out a can of food. We blinked a few times upon hearing her words. "...What?" -------- ''nk!'' "Here. This is just canned tuna, though..." The little girl who was now sitting with us opened the can and handed it to us. "Thank you?" I took the can confusedly. General Emilio told us that we should keep the child as a hostage, just in case we run into the elves that were chasing us because of that lil snipey snipe event. He deemed her perfect as a hostage since the child was obviously weak and unaware of dangers. Even though some things didn''t add up, he concluded that she would be useful anyway, so why not keep her? "I don''t have much. Only canned tunas and water." She said to me timidly. "Are you sure it''s okay to give us some? What about you?" I asked her. She looked thin and pale, although I was unsure if it was due to a bad diet or her being an elf. "It''s okay. People usually give me canned tuna every week or so," she smiled weakly, "and friends share with each other, right?" "Uh, yeah..." I scratched my cheek. By ''people'', did she mean the elves? And howe this child already considered us friends? Too gullible, kid. Too gullible! Who taught you to befriend strangers? "Ehm." General Emilio cleared his throat, and gave me a re, before looking at the canned tuna, and back at me again. Was he trying to say, ''don''t eat that''? "Ehehe." I grinned at general Emilio. It might be poisoned, but I had a poison resistance, right? I''d be fine. At most, food poison would just increase my skill or something. It was nothingpared to spider poison. "Hey kid, what''s your name again?" I asked her. Even though she was just a hostage, we should at least be friendly for now, right? "Firiell..." She answered while she fidgeted with her hands. "d to meet you, Firiell," I smiled and patted her head, "and thank you for the food." I picked a piece of tuna from the can and gulped it down without chewing. Chapter 69: Nice Chapter 69: Nice Nice. My skill didn''t pop up even after I swallowed it. So this girl didn''t put poison in here, after all. "It''s good, general. Try some." I offered the canned tuna to general Emilio, who looked at me questioningly. It was actually my way of saying ''this food is safe''. He hesitated for a bit, before finally looking at the girl and saying, "thank you." "I''m d you won''t starve." Firiell said, beaming with happiness. What an odd choice of words. Not a lot of people would mention such extremes as starving, right after offering some food. "Why are you here, Firiell?" I asked, trying to probe some information out of her. "I live here... I don''t have a home inside the town." She looked down, fidgeting with the hem of her worn-out jacket. "I see... Do you live here alone?" I questioned further. I didn''t really want to ask why, since most people who didn''t have a home tend to have unpleasant reasons, and I respected their privacy... Though, I could use some useful info for this raid. A little bit of probing should be fine, right? "Yes. Dad isn''t from here, so he went back to his hometown sometime after I was born. And mom, she..." Firiell paused and bit her lips, "let''s just say she didn''t want me anymore." I opened my mouth, and then closed it again. I wanted tofort her since I knew what it felt like to be abandoned by our parents, but should I console our hostage? Wouldn''t it be very hypocritical of me? "But it''s okay! Dad sends people to give me canned tuna and water every week! Sometimes he even brought clothes and other food, too," Firiell started smiling again, although timidly, "and mom said that I''ll find some friends and be okay, so..." Ah. So that''s why she was so fixated on making friends. Oh gosh, what have we done? We were getting her hopes up, just to reveal to her that she was our hostage all this time! No! "Ahem. I see your condition is not very good. But ording to your story, you seem to know this ce very well, right? Do you perhaps know of a way to get to the rooftop without going through the staircase?" Jeanne quickly steered the topic away. She probably had the same thought as me. "Yes. Firiell knows. You guys want to go up?" She asked with her big, dolly eyes that still glimmered even though her face looked worn-out. I guess elves weren''t known for their beauty for nothing. "Can you please guide us there?" Jeanne said as she offered a ''corporational smile'', as I would like to call it. "Sure. Follow me!" She eximed excitedly. "Wait, wait." I interrupted. I really felt bad that we just kept using her even though she was just an innocent victim of our war against the elves. Wait, if we really managed to make the elves surrender, didn''t that mean that we would get innocent elves involved, too? Were we the baddies, though? "Uh, here. We actually have some food," I said as I quickly rummaged through my supply backpack and took out a few bread rolls we packed up earlier, alongside a can of energy drink, "these are for you." "I thought you guys were hungry?" Firiell questioned while I piled up the goods onto her arms. Although confused, she looked visibly ted. "We... Just like to share and trade food with others, yeah..." I scratched my cheek nervously. Ah man, why must war be this mean? I couldn''t even properly care for an innocent child, just because she was on the ''opposing side''. It didn''t matter whether I was fighting against fellow humans like back in my days, or if I was fighting against monsters here. War was always the meanest to those most innocent, no matter where or when. "Thank you, friend!" She happily piped up, stored them inside her jacket pockets, and started to lead us towards the rooftop. We stayed silent while we marched slowly towards the back of the house, up a tree, through a second-floor window, another tree, another window, and finally, the rooftop. "Gosh, I hope I won''t fall through... It''d be like respawning at mytest save point because I died after trying so hard to get through a level. Such a bother." I sighed as I very carefully threaded on the roof tiles that were already full of holes. "What do you want to do here?" Firiell asked. "We want to go inside the town, but um, through somewhere else than the gate." I tried to exin it as best as I could so she wouldn''t suspect us, even though it probably wasn''t needed anyway. If she wanted to suspect us, she would''ve already suspected us way earlier. After all, who wouldn''t suspect three strangers who came barging into their house? Something was wrong with her head, man. "Oh, the guards won''t let you in? Don''t worry, me too," she giggled happily, "here, follow me. I do know a route inside." I raised an eyebrow and looked at Jeanne and general Emilio, who seemed to catch the same thing as I did. ''Me too''? She wasn''t even allowed to go in? But why? Ah, so many questions, so little answers... Even though we all wore a confused expression, we still followed the little girl, regardless. She went to the edge of the rooftop, and extended her hand towards a faraway tree near a house in the town area. "Grow." She uttered one word, and the tree suddenly spawned a new branch. And then another. And another one, until the branches were long enough to reach us. "Jeanne, is that--" "That''s magic. Elves aren''t supposed to have magic, they just receive nature''s blessing that strengthens their mana. But how could she...?" Jeanne''s eyes were wide, and she looked like she couldn''t believe what was happening before her eyes, either. "...Am I weird?" Firiell looked at us as she looked down, slightly hiding her eyes under her bangs, but not hidden enough for us to not see the sadness in her gaze. "Yeah, weird. But nothing''s wrong with that," I quickly answered, "I mean, I''m also considered ''weird'' and ''different'', but so what, right?" I sighed. "Huh? It''s okay?" She looked up. "Yeah. What''s the problem? Weird is kinda subjective anyway, you''d always be weird to someone," I shrugged, "anyway, thanks for helping us. Let''s go, then." I gave her head a single pat and hopped on the huge, thick branch. A little wonky, but it would probably be okay to cross. "You. Come." General Emilio said to the little girl. "I cane? You want me toe?" Her eyes widened, and joy could be seen on her face. Instead of answering, general Emilio just lightly shoved the girl onto the branch and followed behind her. Jeanne soon followed and we started to carefully tread on the branch to cross over. I looked over at Firiell, who was fidgeting with her hands, cheeks slightly flushed and a smile was apparent on her face. Ah, she was probably excited that general Emilio invited her over, but actually, he probably meant something like ''you''re a hostage, so you''reing with us''. Man, I wish the situation could be handled without the need for hostages. But life usually wouldn''t be that kind. Once I''ve crossed over to the tree, I slowly climbed down, making sure that I didn''t make loud noises to not alert any townsfolk here. "Here, Firiell." I extended my hands towards her, who was still on the tree, motioning for her to jump at me. "C-can I?" She hesitated for a bit, but her eyes looked so eager to jump. "Yeah. Why not?" I smiled at her, and she finally jumped at me. I sessfully caught her and let her down. She really didn''t wanna trouble others, huh? Didn''t know elves could be so polite. "What''s next, general Emilio?" Jeanne muttered as they both jumped down from the tree. "We''ll wait for a bit here, let''s wait until they start to panic over the forest fire. And then we''ll sneak into their castle," he answered, "kid, do you know a way to the castle?" "Yes! I do--" ''THWAP!'' "Ah...?" Jeanne gasped when she saw an arrow pierced general Emilio''s left shoulder, right beside his shoulder te. I immediately turned around and aimed my rifle towards the direction where the arrow came from, but all I saw were just bushes. Not wanting to risk a second surprise arrow, I opened fire and showered the bushes with bullets. Didn''t really matter who or why. If it was a threat, it was a threat. Although the silencer worked effectively, the sound couldn''tpletely be dismissed, making me nervous if somebody was going to find us. "General Emilio!" Jeanne eximed and immediately rummaged through her bag to take out a first-aid kit. "Ugh... Is this poisoned?" General Emilio winced a bit, but he remained stoic and endured the pain. ''SWOOSH!'' "This--!" General Emilio quickly dodged to his left, narrowly missing another arrow. "Still alive!?" I eximed in surprise, and readied myself to fire another round. "What''s your business here?" The perpetrator''s voice surprised us, but that didn''t stop me from firing, regardless. ''Thwang!'' "Barriers?" I stopped firing when I saw my bullets just got flicked off by a round, yellow-greenish barrier. "I shall ask again, intruders. What is your business here?" The figure emerged from the bushes, and revealed a beautiful, long-haired male elf who was wielding a bow and arrows. Before we could answer, more rustles were heard around us and in a matter of seconds, elves of various weapons emerged from behind the trees, houses, bushes, and surrounded us. "Is this a trap?" I muttered under my breath. Damn. Chapter 70: Choose where you stand (1) Chapter 70: Choose where you stand (1) "N-no! Firiell would never trap her friends!'' The little girl waved her hands frantically in front of her face. General Emilio, probably reminded by her voice that we had a hostage, immediately grabbed the little girl with his trembling left hand, and held a dagger to her neck using his right hand. "We will be the one asking questions here, elves," general Emilio said, "that is, if you don''t want her head dropped on the ground." "What?" Firiell''s eyes widened, but then immediately drooped back, as if she was half-expecting this to happen, but still hoped that we could be friends. Seeing the shine in her eyes disappear made me curse this situation even more. "Are you taking hostages now, intruder?" The elf archer asked. "I thought elves are smart?" General Emilio replied with a stoic face, even though I could see his breathing bing heavier from the poison affecting his body. "Pfft. Hahahahah!" The elf archer startedughing, which caught us by surprise, "you seriously think that girl is valuable as a hostage? Pfft. And here I thought humans are smarter." "I''m not going to ask twice." General Emilio angled his dagger closer, piercing Firiell''s pale skin as one drop of blood trickled down her neck. "Ha!" The elf archer scoffed, "let me enlighten your feeble mind, human." Was he going to do his viiny speech? Perfect. I immediately aimed my rifle towards another elf, and pulled the trigger. ''Bang! Bang!'' "Tch!" I clicked my tongue. That elf archer had blocked my bullets once again, even though I clearly aimed at another elf. Man, that dude was seriously annoying. "Not very patient, are you? Try that again, and I''ll make sure none of you escape alive. Including that little defective monster." The elf archer snickered. In response, I slowly lowered my gun to make an impression that I was being obedient. I had no intention to follow his demands, though. In a situation like this, there was no guarantee that we''d be let off alive even if we listen to them, anyway. "Good," he grinned, "now learn your manners and listen when a prince is speaking." A prince? So that was why he was able to hide his presence so well and put us in a tight spot. But what was an elf prince doing here? Shouldn''t he be busy doing paperwork or something? "You''re probably wondering why I, the second elf prince, bothered toe all the way here, right?" He chuckled. "Get to the point, you jabbermouth." I frowned at him. "Feisty," he smirked, "well, that''s because I was looking for something. To be precise, that little defect you have over there." "I''m..." Firiell''s expression was horrid when she saw the elf prince pointing a finger at her. "I came here just to kill that thing and get back my sister''s crest from her heart." The elf prince said, his eyes seething with anger. If I remember correctly, Elena told me that the elves'' royal family was born with a unique crest which gave them magic-like power, kind of like us humans. If he said it was his sister''s, then... "The elf princess? What does she have to do with Firiell?" I questioned. "Ha! That thing doesn''t deserve a name, stop calling her that. It makes me sick," his face scrunched up, "that filthy thing has the blood of a human flowing inside her veins." "Very smug of you to call us dirty when you don''t even wipe with toilet paper. I bet you wipe with leaves." I flipped him off and turned to look at Firiell. So that was why she had a different eye color, and was able to use magic? Wait, or was that her crest? "Leaves are better for the environment. And who are you to say leaves are dirty?" He scoffed. The hell? I just made a wild guess, but they really do wipe with leaves? No bidet? Hello? "At least I don''t discriminate races. Half-blood or whatever, doesn''t matter to me." I frowned. "Ha! Look at you talking, when you guys were the one who brought this hate." Heughed loudly. Huh? We brought this hate? I nced over at Jeanne and general Emilio, who looked just as confused as me. Did we miss something? What was this smug prince talking about? "Humans, you and I both know that elves are very strongpared to other brainless monsters, right?" He started spouting nonsense, "then why do you think we targeted the orc kingdom and not the minotaurs''?" "Because it''s easier? Duh? Why make your life difficult?" I sighed, "don''t try to act smart by asking the obvious here man, it makes you sounds like an entitled brat. Oh wait, you are one." "Ha! So you still don''t know what the mission''s real purpose is? How shameful," he chuckled, "anyway, we would''ve targeted the minotaurs if we''re able to." I raised an eyebrow. A real purpose? "Do you know why we weren''t able to?" He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "that''s right. It''s because you damn humans piged our vige 10 years ago!" "Huh? Is that true?" I questioned Jeanne and general Emilio, who still had a bewildered look on their faces. "No. I''ve been in the Vanguard for longer than that, and we''ve never stepped foot in the elves'' territory, ever." Jeanne shook her head. "That''s right. Don''t make up stories." General Emilio added. "Don''t pretend like you don''t know, filthy humans!" The elf prince shouted, and I suddenly felt ominous mana rose around us, as if it was about to swallow us up, "even though you infiltrated us with such dirty trick, and produced that filth...!" "What did we even do!?" I eximed in confusion. "You... You ughtered my father, the previous elf king, and drove my sister to suicide, yet you forget about us that easily!?" His voice trembled with anger as he stomped his foot to the ground, cracking the grassy in around him. "Yo, listen--" "Let me remind you, then." He took out a dagger from under his coat, and vanished the moment I blinked my eye. ''THUD!'' "Agh--!" I turned to my side, right after I heard Jeanne''s cry. The elf prince had pinned her to the ground by holding her wrists behind, and putting his knee on her back to prevent her from moving an inch. "Jeanne!" "This was what you humans did to me," he started exining, "you held me like this, and forced me to watch as you brutally behead my father!" I was about to take a step forward and punt the hell out of his brain, but the moment he ced his dagger on Jeanne''s neck, I stopped moving. "You went inside our peaceful vige under the guise of friendly trade, and we believed you! We weed you!" He shouted, "instead, you paid us back by seducing my innocent sister, getting her pregnant with that filth, and used my sister to infiltrate our castle and kill my father!" "What--" "My sister truly believed that poor excuse of a man! She really believed that they were in love, and yet, you did this to us," he scoffed, "and for what? Was it hate? Or did you just want to weaken our species? Well, are you satisfied now? We can''t even win against those brainless minotaurs without suffering from major casualties!" "General Emilio? What is happening here?" I frowned. Their stories didn''t match, but it didn''t look like this prince was lying, either. "We''ve never came close to the elves'' residence until now, much less raiding them." He replied, short and clear. I looked at the elf prince, who was visibly blinded by rage. "I don''t care if those were your ancestor''s doing or yours. And I don''t care if my brother didn''t harbor any hatred towards you," his voice rose, "today, I will reim my sister''s crest and have my revenge! And then I shall rece my useless brother as a king and wage war against you humans!" The more he talked, the more confused I got. Who was lying and who was telling the truth? Was any of them lying? Or were they both lying? "And you guys, you will have the exclusive front-row seat and watch this massacre happen right in front of your eyes," he chuckled, "I can''t wait for you to taste the feeling of helplessness, despair, and hatred that I felt when you forced me to watch my kin''s massacre!" Alright, stay calm. Organize your thoughts and arrange the information you have up until now, Chae. Step back a bit from the excessive emotions pouring everywhere. I took a deep breath, and reminded myself to cool my head and think rationally. C''mon, think! What was themon denominator here? What was missing...? Chapter 71: Choose where you stand (2) Chapter 71: Choose where you stand (2) I shuffled through my memories and tried to rey the whole conversation inside my head. Where exactly was the key point hidden? "Do you understand now? I want that kid dead so badly, I would be grateful if you kill her as a hostage!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "even seeing your face disgusts me, you monster! Why must you have eyes that look exactly like that human trash, yet a face that looked exactly like my dear sister!?" ...Human trash? Wait, didn''t she say her dad was... "Firiell!" I called out to her. She flinched when she saw me, and tried to open her mouth, but was unable to due to general Emilio''s dagger. He seemed to have immediately caught on, and distanced his dagger a bit, although still not letting her go. "Firiell, you said your dad wasn''t from here, right?" She nodded. "Did your mom ever tell you where your dades from? Or do you know where those tuna dudese from?" I inquired. She took a gasp of fresh air, "I-I think they came from somewhere called ''Lysandra''." Ah, I see. Now the puzzle pieces were finallying together. "Have you ever heard of a ce called ''Alistair''?" I asked onest question to confirm my theory. "No..." She answered, looking like she was on the verge of tears. Now I had finally understood. Firiell''s parents. The piging of the elves'' vige. Those weird signs general Zhang purposely showed me, and even the increasingly barrenndscape I saw since I first came here, even though Jeanne said that it wasn''t this barren before. Those all lead to one conclusion. "There are other human civilizations here aside from us." Audible gasps were heard from both Jeanne and general Emilio, which meant that they genuinely had no idea. I mean, even the stoic general Emilio was shocked enough to gasp. "So what?" The elf prince scoffed. As expected, he was smart enough to understand that we really weren''t involved in that piging, "that doesn''t change the fact that you humans started this." "No, please!" Firiell suddenly shouted, making us all look at her, "please! There''s more to the story than what he said!" "Silence!" The elf prince shouted in rage, frightening Firiell so much that she immediately got quiet again. "You said you were going to chop her head off, right?" He continued, "well, do it!" General Emilio bit his lip, and threw Firiell''s thin body to the side. Without missing a second, he plucked out three needles from his arm and threw them towards the elf prince. I immediately caught Firiell and did a follow-up fire st attack, aiming for his head to not identally hurt Jeanne, who was still pinned under him. "Ah! Hostage n always sucks!" I cursed as I dashed towards Jeanne in an attempt to free her. ''Swish!'' "Gah!" I shouted when an arrow grazed my cheek ever so slightly. "You think that''ll work on me? Foolish, arrogant humans..." The prince scorned, and held Jeanne''s body up by her neck. They were both standing now, but Jeanne''s feet were barely touching the ground. "Halt!" General Emilio ordered, and I stopped on my track. As we paused and waited for anyone to say something or do something, I started to feel my cheek burn ever so painfully. Man, how did general Emilio endure this for so long!? And he was pierced, for frick''s sake! "What''s wrong? Not so arrogant now that you can''t do anything, huh?" The elf prince frowned and tightened his grip on Jeanne''s neck. "Ahck--!" Jeanne tried to pry open his fingers, but to no avail. She was thrashing around and retaliating, but the elf prince wasn''t letting off, either. "Stop this! Why do you hate me so much, uncle? Aren''t we a family!?" Firiell eximed as she started to burst into tears. To be honest, if what that douche was saying was true, it was amazing how she managed to hold back her tears up until now. The little me would''ve probably cried long ago. "...Uncle? Family?" The elf prince''s voice trembled again, and his ominous mana grew worse to the point where I unconsciously held my breath for a moment, "if I hear those wordse out of your mouth once again, I''ll make sure you won''t be able to say anything anymore." "But why!?" She yelled as tears streamed down her little pale face. She was already sobbing at this point. "Why!? You still dare ask that when you''re the reason my sister died!?" The elf prince yelled back, "you killed her! You killed my innocent sister!" "No! Mother killed herself! She didn''t want me anymore, but she chose to die herself!" Firiell responded. "You and those humans drove her to suicide! You don''t deserve to have a family, much less a family of royal elves!" His voice thundered throughout the afternoon air. "Argh, shut up!" I yelled, shifting the attention towards myself, "all you''ve been doing is just bbering on and on and on, like yeah, we get it. Tragedy struck you and now you''re salty at us, who you know weren''t involved!" I started to yap without giving him a chance to cut me off. "You don''t--" "No! Listen! You''ve had your chance to speak, okay? Now it''s your turn to fricking listen to what we have to say!" I yelled louder than him, and kept yapping without stopping. Man, maybe I had a hidden talent as a rapper? ''FWOOP!'' When he was still appalled by my sudden outrage, I took that opportunity to throw a dagger at him. It was general Emilio''s dagger that he tossed aside with Firiell. "Ha! You think this petty misdirection trick will work on me?" He caught the dagger with his other free hand, while still gripping Jeanne''s neck with his other hand. I smirked and closed my eyes, "actually, yeah. It worked." "What?" ''BANG!'' I leapt forward to tackle his body as soon as the shbang detonated. When they were busy having a spat with each other, I took out a shbang and wrapped it in my water chameleon''s cloak that I got from thest raid. The item didn''t specify that the ''wearer'' must be a living being, and so I thought, why not try? Once wrapped, I kicked the shbang, making it roll slowly towards that prince''s feet. After that, it was a matter of counting seconds and diverting his attention to me. ''THUD!'' We both rolled on the ground, and Jeanne was finally freed from his grip, although her hand seemed to have grazed his dagger slightly, seeing as it was dripping blood. "Run! Proceed with the n!" I shouted at the two generals as I started choking the elf prince and igniting my me. "Ugh!" Jeanne''s expression didn''t seem to agree with my decision, but she still turned around to run, presumably because she also knew that it was our best bet for now. However, just when I thought things were starting to shift to our side, another shit happened. ''THUMP!'' "...General Emilio?" Jeanne''s voice sounded off. I peeked through my shoulder, and horror immediately struck my face. General Emilio had fallen on the ground. "Pfft--ha!" Ugh. And now this prince''s annoying voice was back, too? Give me a break! "General Emilio? Pull yourself together!" Jeanne shook his body frantically, as the other elves started to close in on us. "I apud your effort, humans. That wasn''t bad. It gave me another idea." The elf prince chuckled. I immediately jumped backwards seeing that he wasn''t injured in the slightest. My instinct was screaming to get away from this madd as far as I possibly could. "Uwah--!?" I yelped when I suddenly stumbled when jumping backwards. What? Why did my bnce felt off so suddenly? "Oh? Are you starting to feel it now, too?" The elf prince grinned, "the poison, I mean." "Yeah, but I don''t care." I mean, I had ''that'' skill. I just need to endure this a little longer until my poison resistance took effect. "Hmm? But I don''t think yourpanions could say the same." He giggled creepily. I nced at both general Emilio and Jeanne. Although only one had fainted, but Jeanne was looking visibly bothered and her face was starting to flush. Even a cat would notice her ragged breathing, too. Damn. "Listen, human," the elf prince called out to me with a smirk on his face, "you gave me an interesting idea just now." "Yeah, same here." I smirked back. Of course, I already had a n to get us out of here... Probably. "I am willing to give all of you the antidote and keep you alive. Sounds good, doesn''t it?" He asked. "Not really, you conman." My reply was short and simple. If it was too good to be true, it probably was. "Haha! Of course, not for free," he chuckled, "all I ask is that you join us in our ughter. Simple, isn''t it?" "What the hell is wrong with your definition of simple!?" "Pick your side carefully, human," he red at me, "do you want to side with those cruel humans just because you are of the same species, or do you want to side with us, and punish those who did wrong, no matter what species they are?" "Ha. You''re being a hypocrite right now, you know that?" I scoffed. "Aren''t we all?" He tilted his head to the side. I gulped. He wasn''t wrong. We were all hypocrites to some extent. "I''m giving you a chance here to join our side and pay for what you did wrong. All you have to do is follow our lead and execute those cruel humans," he extended his arm, "not a bad deal, right?" "Very bad, actually. Isn''t that just mental torture with extra steps?" I replied, "you expect us to ughter fellow humans and be all dandy about it?" "No, wait!" Firiell''s sudden cry alerted us, "don''t decide yet!" "Did I ask you, you filth?" The elf prince raised his hand as if he was about to st the kid, but I immediately grabbed his arm and stopped him... Argh, he was strong as heck, though! It took all of my strength to keep him from moving, and he was barely even trying! "My mother had always told me to never make a rash decision before knowing the whole story!" She yelled. "Don''t you ever say--" "Whoa dude, chill. We''re in the middle of a business talk." I cut him off and stood between him and her. "Tch." He clicked his tongue and lowered his arm. "Good. Let''s be professionals here, shall we?" "Don''t be mistaken and think that you''re equal with me," he scoffed, "I can''t even understand how you can still defend those heartless humans." "Then are you iming you guys have morepassion?" I frowned, "should everything be looked at in ck and white?" "ck and white exist for a reason. If there''s no ck, there won''t be white. And in this case, the humans willingly chose to be the bad guy." He spat at me. True though, from his story alone, I couldn''t see the humans being the righteous ones here. "Fine, Mr. Monochromatic vision. What do you propose us do?" "Choose where you stand, human." Chapter 72: Where i stand is... Chapter 72: Where i stand is... This again. Not just big bro Luke, that senile old geezer, and now this traumatized elf prince, too. Why was everyone so obsessed with where I stand, anyway? "And why do I have to choose?" I red at the elf prince. "Not choosing is also a ''choice''." He red back. "No, what I mean is, why do I have to tell you my choice?" "Because I will decide your fate depending on your answer." "I will decide my own fate, not you." ''BAM!'' The ground beneath us shook the moment I used my psychokinesis skill. The neat thing about training with Elena, was that she specifically taught me about exclusivity, which was basically restricting my area of effect to only a specific area. I raised the ground beneath us in an extremely fast motion, andunched us high into the air. "Jeanne! Help!" I shouted at her. A few seconds ago, while I kept arguing back and forth with that elf prince, I was actually stalling the time to send a secret message to Jeanne using my mentalist skill. The content of the message was simple and short, which was ''meunch us. Pls help wind. Thank.'' "Okay!" Even though her face was already flushed and she was sweating profusely, probably from the poison''s effect, she still managed to muster up a strong gust of wind to swoop the four of us away while we wereunched up in the air. "Those bastards--!" I could hear the elf prince''s faint cursing wordsing from below us. "So long, suckers!" I flipped him off and plucked out a few trees around them using my skill, and used those trees to smash them hard. ''PSHOOT!'' "Gah!" I sted me from my hand to propel myself sideways in order to dodge the sudden iing arrow. "Careful! They''re not dead yet!" Jeanne warned us, as she struggled to manage her wind magic. "Firiell! Hold on to me!" I reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to me so I could protect both of us at the same time. "Fire!" The elf prince''s voice roared from far below us, and my vision was instantly filled with a barrage of arrows. "Agh! Annoying!" I yelled as I activated my psychokinesis again, but this time it was to stop the arrows that were about to hit us. I couldn''t stop all of them, but at least I could keep us from being hit. "Careful!" Jeanne''s voice entered my ears. "What-- AAAACK!" With one final gust of wind, the four of us were sent flying far away into the air, without me knowing where we wouldnd. "Gah! This is a bad idea, after all!" I cursed as I tried not to puke while praying that wend somewhere safe-ish. -------- ''SPLASH!'' I immediately held my breath the moment I felt cold water touching my skin. I braced for ground impact, but thankfully, there was none. Considering our fall height, even if we crashed into the water, we should still fall pretty deep. But since we didn''t hit the seafloor yet, this body of water must be pretty deep. Which means-- "Ggh--!" A muffled voice was heard nearby, and I immediately recognized it as not Jeanne''s nor general Emilio''s, so it must''ve been Firiell''s. I forced my eyes to open, although the water stung my eyes, and looked around for a little girl. Once I spotted her, unsurprisingly drowning, I swam towards her and brought her over the water level. Thankfully, she wasn''t very far because I tried my best to hold her as tight as I could while we flew. "Phuwa!" I gasped and filled my lungs with air as I made sure Firiell''s head was also above the water level. "Over here!" Jeanne''s voice came from my right. She was swimming towards the ground while dragging general Emilio''s body with her. I immediately followed her and dragged Firiell until we were allpletely out of the water. "Water, huh? Great decision, Jeanne!" I hugged her tight, thankful for saving all of our lives. "A-ah? N-no problem." She replied, flustered by my sudden gesture. "You''re a lifesaver, Jean-jean!" Iughed. "No... I''m most unworthy of that..." She gazed downwards, looking sorrowful. "Why--" ''Thud!'' Just as I was about to tell her to not be too harsh on herself, Jeanne''s body fell on the ground right beside general Emilio''s unconscious body, panting heavily. "Oh no! The poison''s effect must be getting worse!" Firiell cried out in panic, "what do we do? We don''t have the antidote..." "It''s okay. I got this." I calmed her down, and opened my shop window. "Do you really?" She asked. Actually, yeah. Did I really? I wasn''t 100% sure that this would work, but I figured this would be better than getting killed right over there or being enved by those elves. [Would you like to purchase the item ''Grade-D skill book'' for 3500 gold?] "Yeah." I said. I was answering the system, not Firiell. But she seemed to had taken my ''yeah'' as a reply. [Would you like to use the item ''Grade-D skill book''?] I pressed the ''yes'' button on the screen in front of me, and a long list of skills appeared before my eyes. I didn''t need to look at them again, though, since I''ve already looked over it once when I used the same item a while ago. Now, I was looking for a certain skill that piqued my interest. [Acquired skill: Extract Debuff] [Effect: Allows you to extract all debuffs in a target''s body (Effectiveness depends on your intelligence)] Alright, now for onest touch. [15 Stat points have been used] [Intelligence: 79 (+5) --> 94 (+5)] "Alright, please work!" I touched general Emilio first, since he was the first one who copsed, and judging by the wound, he was exposed to way more poisonpared to Jeanne. A soft red glow emanated from my hand, and seeped right through general Emilio''s chest until the red glow was covering his entire body. "Are you casting magic on him?" Firiell came beside me and asked. "Ye-- Ugh!" I was about to confirm her statement, but then I felt the same burning pain I felt earlier running throughout my whole body. Gah, so that was why this skill was only grade D. It extracted the debuff, in this case the poison, and transferred it to me. Man, if only I didn''t have my poison resistance skill, I''d probably be dead for the second time today. A few gruesome minutes passed as I continued to extract the poison out of them, with only the sound of my skill leveling up as myfort. I had no idea what became of my insides, but please hold on a little more, my organs! [Poison resistance +1 (passive) --> Poison resistance +2 (passive)] [Poison resistance +2 (passive) --> Poison resistance +3 (passive)] ''Thud!'' I threw my sore, exhausted body on the ground as I gasped for air. Right now, even keeping my eyes open felt like a chore to me. I couldn''t wait to get this whole mess over with and go back to Elena''s bed... Wait, why was I so eager to go back to prison? Ah, I couldn''t wait to get some money and buy my own house and bed... "Chaerin!" Jeanne''s voice snapped me out of my bed fantasy, and Izily opened my eyes, meeting her pair of worried ones. "So you''re a healer? I thought you were an assassin-type." General Emilio''s voice also popped up. "I saved you, and all you have to say to me is a question about my type?" I frowned. "That''s general Emilio''s way of acknowledging your help," Jeanne exined, "he''s not good with expressing emotions, forgive him." "Huh. Peculiar. But whatever, I need a rest." I let out a long, deep sigh. "Let me carry you, Chaerin. We have to get away from here, fast." Jeanne said as she helped me stand up by circling my arm around her shoulders. "Ah, right. We need to hide before those elves catch up." I grimaced at the thought of meeting those bastards again. "That''s not it, Chaerin. The orc kingdom is located in the middle of a in." Jeanne said to me, her voice filled with hurry. "Oh, I remember Elena told me about that..." I answered sluggishly, as I still felt quite dizzy from my work before. "Yeah, and we just fell into ake," Jeanne said, "which means this is a man-madeke... Or probably elf-made." "Hey, you have a point--" "What are you doing in myke?" A new and foreign voice caught our attention. "That''s..." Jeanne''s eyes widened and her mouth fell open once she noticed who the owner of the voice was. "Aren''t you... Humans?" I sighed and observed the creature in front of me that just popped out of nowhere so conveniently when we were just about to leave. Yellow, silky smooth hair? Check. Beautiful green eyes thatpete with nature''s beauty? Mm-hmm. Pointy ears? Yup, definitely. Annoyingly beautiful face that I''ve got tired of looking at because I''ve only had bad encounters with them so far? Sadly, yes. "Don''t act surprised. You know we''re humans, we know you''re an elf. State your business or scram." I growled at him. Unexpectedly, his shocked face morphed into a smiling, relieved one, e now, no need to be hostile with each other." "You asked what we were doing here? We were running away from you guys, because you guys were hostile to us," I pointed at him, "and we came here with a hostile intention, too, anyway, so that''s fair." Man, I was getting more and more hypocritical the more I spoke. "Oh? Are you nning on piging us again?" He calmly asked. "Why should we tell you?" This time, general Emilio answered for me. "Then just tell me, are you on our side, or against our side?" The beautiful man smiled at us. "Ah, what''s with you guys and your obsession with sides!?" I yelled, putting my palm on my face in frustration. "Chaerin?" Jeanne looked at me, surprised by my sudden outburst. Oh, right. She had never seen me throwing a fit until now. Well, it was practically impossible for me to keep my calm after enduring that poison and exerting so much mana at once. "You wanna know where I stand?" I asked, "I stand with myrades, and we are free people who have our own wills and goals, we are not bound with your alliances or whatever. Satisfied?" I sighed after yelling that without a pause, and observed the foreign elf in front of me. Now that my mind was starting to be less foggy, I realized that this man was wearing quite a fancy outfit for an elf. "Yep. I''m satisfied." He smiled. "Yes, what?" I tilted my head to the side, confused by this man''s response. "May I get your name, humans?" He ignored my remark and extended his arm at us. "No?" I replied simply. "Ah, I guess you''ll be more convinced if I introduce myself first." He giggled, looking so happy for an unknown reason. "No, not really." "Allow me to formally present myself," he disregarded my rejection, and put his arm across his chest and lightly bowed, "I am Erenduill, the third and current king of elves." Chapter 73: The elf kings wish (1) Chapter 73: The elf king''s wish (1) "You''re... The elf king?" I questioned, repeating his words. "Yes, I most certainly am." He answered with a sweet smile. "Nah, that''s cap." I waved my hand in front of my face, making a ''no'' motion. "A bottle cap?" He tilted his head in confusion. "No, I mean that''s a lie," I exined, "the elf king should be surrounded by bodyguards and such. And yet, look at you, strolling here all by yourself and greeting four strangers so casually." "On the contrary, why would I need protection if I''m the strongest elf alive?" He said with a polite smile on his face. "Even the strongest of all has their weak moments." I retorted. "True, but I have no care for such needless fear. If I die, then I die." He chuckled. "...Elena didn''t tell me that the elf king is a lunatic." I said to Jeanne, who looked shocked, confused, and ready to fight at the same time. "My view is just a bit different. Does that make me a lunatic?" He questioned. "Well, since you said you have no problem dying, mind dying for us?" I said as I picked up my rifle with shaking hands and aimed it at him. "I wouldn''t mind dying when my timees, but it''s not my time yet," heughed mockingly, "do you seriously expect to kill me with that unsteady aim of yours?" I said nothing and gripped my rifle harder, trying to stabilize my aim. That damn poison! "Now, would all of you please rx? I''ve been waiting for a chance to converse with humans, you see," he giggled, "mind chatting with me for a bit?" General Emilio pulled out his needles, but immediately stopped when he was about to throw them at the elf king. His needles had been cut in half without any of us noticing. "Tch!" General Emilio cursed. "Pardon me, it seems that I haven''t made myself clear enough," Erenduill said, "what I mean was, let''s have a rational conversation or you can just die here." "What do you want?" I quickly asked before any of us could do anything rash again. Our target may havee to us oh-so-conveniently, but that didn''t mean it was a good idea to rush in without thinking. "My desire is simple. I want to express my sincerest gratitude to you humans." He grinned. "...Jeanne, do elves not have psychiatrists?" I whispered to her. This dude seriously had a few screws loose. God of this world, truck-kun, whoever, couldn''t you transmigrate a psychiatrist into an elf''s body here? I thought it''d be a good investment. "I''ve heard from your brother that humans did unpleasant things to your kin. Was that a lie, or are you the one lying to us?" Jeanne questioned Erenduill with a frown on her face. "That was true, uncle Ioriell didn''t lie!" Firiell answered the question instead. "I see you''ve met my little rebellious brother," Erenduil smiled, "and yes, humans did pige our vige and killed my father, and did other unmentionable horrendous things to us." "Then why do you thank us instead? Spooky." I scoffed. "Have you ever heard of the phrase, ''the end justifies the means''?" The elf king''s lips curved into a beautiful smile. "Yes, I have." I answered. "Well, I agree whole-heartedly with that phrase, you see," he continued, "I wouldn''t trade this ''end'' for anything else." "Speak clearly. I''m not as smart as you elves." I sighed deeply. "Well, allow me to exin from the start, then--" "No. We''re going to be caught by your brother''s goons if we listen to your speech. We have no time for that." I quickly rejected his exnation. "Ah, then I would like to formally invite you to our castle, the safest ce in our kingdom." Erenduill grinned. "I refu--" "Sure. I take it that you will escort us inside?" General Emilio interjected and agreed to Erenduill''s request. I immediately turned to look at general Emilio, and saw that his face, as usual, wascking any emotions. Just seeing that diminished my will to protest. As much as I would like to disagree and y it safe, he was my general. And I assumed he had his own reasons to agree, too. An experienced general like him probably knew better than me, a stranger, anyway. "Of course, allow me." Erenduill smiled with delight and positioned his hand across his chest, giving us a slight bow. General Emilio just nodded and walked forward to begin following the peculiar elf king. I followed him a few steps behind, still keeping my aim on Erenduill''s head. However, general Emilio seemed to have noticed this and raised his hand, signaling me to cut it out and lower my rifle, so I listened. Gah, what had we got ourselves into? -------- Surprisingly, it didn''t take long for us to reach our destination, which was the orc kingdom''s castle. It wasn''t because we conveniently fell into a nearbyke, though. In fact, we fell quite a long way from there. Instead, it was because the elf king had a freakishlyrge living tree that he could summon from the ground. Well, rather than a living tree, it resembled more of a tree monster, since it had a face and all. Right after Erenduill summoned it, its branches--or forelimbs, I guess, grew longer and we all stepped onto it. Afterwards, it brought us up and dropped us on its shoulders while it marched towards the castle. While we rode in silence, I took the time to carefully observe everything. At the end of the ride, I had noticed a few remarkable things. First, this thing could grow as many branches as it wants from anywhere on its body, but it seemed like it could only freely move 4 of them, which made it look a bit more like a human in terms of limb structure. Second, I could sense its mana and peek at its status, which meant that it most probably was another monster, not just a summoning skill. Third, we would be decimated if we were to go against this annoyingly overpowered elf king, if we were to only judge by status alone. However, real-life battles didn''t always rely on stats, so we might be able to do something if we tried hard enough. Fourth, and the most important one, its name was ckie, apparently. I didn''t even have to ask, but this elf king just kept praising it while calling its name, so... "We have arrived." Erenduill announced, even though we didn''t need the announcement anyway, since the castle was so humongous already. ckie dropped us off at the castle entrance, and I immediately noticed something was off. There were guards scattered everywhere, which was normal, but the thing was... "Good evening, king!"A guard excitedly called out to Erenduill as he waved his armored hand at us. By armored, I meant it was something that looked like either paper or leaf, but in the shape of an arm bracer. "I see you''ve returned, king!" Another guard chuckled lightly, greeting the man who was walking in front of us. "Ah, king! I''ve been waiting!" An elf who didn''t seem to have any armor on her ran up to Erenduill, "what would you like to have for dinner today?" "Hmm, I was thinking of something simple like pasta, but could you please prepare a full-course meal for 5? We''ve got guests tonight." Erenduill replied with a bright, blinding smile. "Of course!" The female elf nodded happily and turned to bow at us, "good evening, esteemed guests, it is our utmost honor to have you here. I am this castle''s head chef and I shall be the one preparing your meals today! On that note, is there anything specific you want or don''t want?" "No." General Emilio replied instantly, while I was still stunned at the sight. "Alright! Then, I shall go and prepare them immediately. I hope you''ll have a great stay here!" She bowed to us, and immediately left the scene while merrily skipping around. "Come. This way, please." Erenduill gestured for us toe and enter through the grand front door, and so we did. The castle itself didn''t seem to have much elvish influence on it, presumably because this was originally the orcs'' castle, and they had been upying this ce for like, almost two weeks maybe? It was made of concrete and bricks, unlike that old abandoned house we stumbled upon earlier. Even though they had some exposed brick walls, they just somehow added to the forest aesthetic. Vines grew here and there, but not too wildly. Thewn was trimmed neatly in every corner, but still long enough to give the grass a room to breathe. They even had a fountain between the main entrance and the gate. It had a simplistic 5-tiered round design, with slightly greenish water flowing through it. The smell of the water and the nts here surprisingly blended well, making me yearn for more. Even though we were in the enemy''s territory, but I really loved how this ce didn''t even try too much to look pretty or presentable, and yet still stood out for its beauty. "Wee back, my king." An old-looking elf with a butler costume greeted us, and took Erenduill''s coat, before leading us all into the dining room. See, this was the weird thing that bothered me so much since I stepped foot into this castle''s ground. Howe all of the guards and servants here were so... Friendly? Normally, it would''ve been a normal sign, but as Elena had taught me, the elves'' hierarchy system was extremely hard-wired. So shouldn''t they be showing utmost respect towards the king? And yet, howe they all acted so casually like they were greeting a friend? "Please, take a seat wherever you''d like," Erenduill said as he gestured towards the empty, long dining table that could fit around 16 people, "don''t worry, we have no ill intent. You don''t have to worry about being poisoned, trapped, or ambushed." I bit my lips. No matter how good things looked right now, I couldn''t help but feel anxious and suspect every little thing here. Ah, did I have trust issues? Was it truly me who needed a psychiatrist? "Sure." General Emilio replied concisely as usual, and took a seat in the middle of the table. Jeanne sat across him and a few chairs to the left. I and Firiell picked a seat that was on the same side as general Emilio, but we were separated by quite a number of seats. It seemed that we all had the same thing in mind. We didn''te here to y, but to carry out a mission. Every small decision here must be in ordance with that mission. By sitting spaced-out like this, we could lessen the chance of all 4 of us dying simultaneously due to traps or something. It was something minor, but no matter how small it was, a decision was still a decision. Erenduill''s lips curved up and his eyes glinted as he saw that all 4 of us had been seated. He then took the farthest seat at the end of the table, and rested his chin on his hand. "Alright, now that we''re in a proper ce, shall I begin exining from the start?" Chapter 74: The elf kings wish (2) Chapter 74: The elf king''s wish (2) "Humans, why do you think people dislike pain and suffering?" Erenduill asked as he raised his wine ss slightly, prompting his butler to fill the ss with rosey red wine. "What''s there to like about them?" I lifted my brow, "isn''t that a basic survival instinct? Pain and suffering will lead to death, and as far as I know, no species wants to perish." I shrugged. I was not in the mood for a debate or a lecture, so I just answered him as textbook-ish as possible, but now my answer caused a few uninvited thoughts to pop up in my mind. The monsters I had killed while training my stats were also a ''species that didn''t want to perish''. "Exactly. It is as you said," Erenduill smirked, "but what if we could erase those fear? What if, instead of death, there was life and joy waiting at the end of our suffering?" "That''s also amon urrence. You work, therefore you suffer, but money awaits you, therefore you''ll be happy." I impatiently answered. "Correct again. Sometimes, pain needs toe before joy. And likewise, destruction needs toe before resurrection." He grinned from ear to ear. "...Are you implying that you''re happy humans piged your vige? Wow." I winced. "Initially, I wasn''t. I was shocked, sad, in denial, even," he chuckled lightly while swirling his wine ss on the table, "but now, I''m happy." I looked at Jeanne and general Emilio with a ''what-the-heck'' expression on my face, which they reciprocated. "You''re making a face as if I was a ghost, haha!" Erenduillughed. "Hmm. You''re probably worse." I replied snarkily, since I didn''t know how else to respond. "That''s up for debate. Look around you." He tilted his head slightly as his gaze went around the room. I followed his gaze, and saw the employees of this castle bustling about, busy preparing our banquet. Elves of all heights, genders, and ages were all conversing with one another, even in the presence of their King, and us, his guests. "What do you see?" He asked. "I''m not sure I follow..." I frowned and tried to look around some more, but everywhere I look, nothing of importance was there, just suspiciously friendly elves when they were supposed to be a strict, hierarchy-focused race. Perhaps our info was outdated? "I see happy people," the elf king answered, breathing in the smell of his red wine before finally taking one small sip, "do you understand now?" "So you''re saying that you guys are happier than before the piging." General Emilio answered instead, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Absolutely!" Erenduill eximed whileughing, "that''s why I''m genuinely thankful for you humans!" "Did you hate your father?" General Emilio asked. "No, I loved my father. He was my king, and so I loved to serve him," the man with the luxurious yellow hair answered, "but as great as he was, he failed to make a difficult decision." I said nothing and waited for him to continue speaking. So he loved his father as a citizen loved his king? Not as a family? "Speaking of my father, when I was little, father gave me 3 jars of pure nectar as a birthday present," he started telling, "I loved them. And so did my friends." "Uh, good for you?" I awkwardly said. Weird of him to reminiscent about his past now, of all times. "Well, they asked me to share my pure nectar with them, but I only had 3 jars, while there were 10 of them." Erenduill smiled ever so calmly, but somehow, that sent chills down my spine. "Just get some smaller containers. Don''t oveplicate matters." I replied. "That''s exactly what my father told me. That''s why he died, he wasn''t fit to be a king." He grinned. "Whoa, whoa. How did we go from friendly nectar sharing to dying?" I shuddered. "My father didn''t get it. It wasn''t the nectar that I should divide. It was my friends that I had to cut down." He exined using hand gestures, as if teaching a group of children. I gulped, and waited for him to continue his story. "Do you understand now? We elves thrive alongside nature, but as a result, we also perish with nature," he said, "and yet, nature never showed any signs of getting better. Days became months, and months became years, but never did I see nature winning and thriving." His exnation was actually kinda true. Even in my era, nature had been declining rapidly, ruined by none other than us. Even though I was sure that most of us understood that we needed nature by our side to survive, and to let other species survive, but I guess a lot of us just thought something along the lines of ''that won''t affect me, that will affect someone I don''t know in the far future'', and turned a blind eye. "That''s why I quickly came to a simple conclusion." Erenduill smirked, and my body tensed up when I saw his eyes glinted with a mix of malice and happiness. "Kill the elves! Reduce their number, our number. So that the few of us who survive can truly bask in nature''s gift without having to scrape by." He raised his wine ss, face filled with joy. I shot a nce at Firiell, who watched her mom''s brother with a horrified expression on her face. "And how convenient it was, that you humans came at the right time to kill my father, alongside with my sister and our kin! Now that I''m the king, my ideology won''t be shunned anymore," the corner of his lips perked up, and so did his eyes, "now my ideology is the rule. I am the rule." "Stop with your nonsense," I interjected, "don''t talk about your deceased sister like that in front of her child." "Oh, my sister?" He stopped to think for a while, "ah, I remember her, of course. A pity that she died. She would''ve been perfect as my advisor." I looked around, and strangely, none of the elves batted an eysh. This dude was talking aboutmitting homicide on them, his own people, and yet they were just like ''understandable, have a great day''? Wow, so this was what Elena meant by hierarchy-focused. Nothing else mattered once the King willed something, huh. Even his family were just ''royals'' in his eyes. Spooky. "Look around you once again, humans! Have you finally understood?" Erenduillughed, "we are happy. We could eat,ugh, be safe, and sleep in peace without worrying about how we will eat tomorrow. Do you still think my idea is crazy? You can''t deny that my people''s lives are much better now." "Hence, the end justifies the means, huh?" I asked. "Exactly. And that''s partially why I brought you guys here. Let''s have a mutually beneficial deal, shall we?" He motioned his finger, and his butler took out a scroll of paper and opened it, revealing a beautifully painted elf who looked exactly like him, but with a much more childlike joy on his face. "Isn''t that your brother we met earlier? The one going on and on about killing humans?" I asked. "Yes. It''s good that you''ve met him, so we can skip the introductions," Erenduill smiled and took a sip out of his wine ss, "I want you to help me control him." "Control? How?" "Please kill my baby brother and bring his crest to me." Erenduill stated with a smile on his face, as if this matter was just another day at the office. "Scandalous," I scoffed, "why don''t you just do it yourself if you''re the king? You''re strong enough to handle your jittery baby brother." "No, a crest bearer can''t kill or injure another crest bearer," he waved his finger, "that''s probably intended to keep the peace within the royal family. But in reality, that only birthed more convoluted ways to kill each other, like poisoning, starving, or directed suicide. How ironic." "Then, you should do that instead of asking us. I bet you don''t see anything wrong with those methods." I replied. The way he exined it to me, with his distant gaze, made it seem as if he had witnessed them all, or perhaps experienced some of them, even. "Even though he''s not the smartest, he''s still my baby brother." Erenduill smiled and closed his eyes. What? Now he cared for his brother? "We received the same training for years since we were children. We''re strong. He won''t be easily killed by such means, nor will my underlings be able to stand against him." He grinned, but I could see veins popping up on his clenched fists. Ah, so he didn''t care, after all. "That''s why I figured asking you would be the most cost-effective," he pped his hands together, "I would like to avoid more casualties on our side, if possible. I like this bnce." "And what can you offer us in exchange?" General Emilio suddenly spoke up. "A throne. That''s why you came here, am I wrong?" The elf king replied with a sickly sweet smile. "Why would you give up your throne for this?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest. This development was way too suspicious. I mean, why would he pick us, of all people? "Who said I''m offering mine? I would never step down as a king for as long as I''m capable. I will only step down if someday I became unfit to be one." Heughed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Then whose throne?" General Emilio inquired with a frown. Man, this whole political shebang was making my head spin. We hadn''t even sorted out the problem with Firiell''s parents and the piging done by other humans, and yet, new events just kept unfolding even before we uncovered the mysteries at hand. "I will offer you the minotaur''s throne." Erenduill said with a grin on his face. Chapter 75: The elf kings wish (3) Chapter 75: The elf king''s wish (3) This... Wasn''t this the perfect opportunity to take? If we took the offer, that''d be like killing two birds with one stone. We would surely win against the minotaurs if we were to join forces with the elves. "But the orcs..." Jeanne muttered low enough to be unnoticed by most, but not low enough to escape my attention. Ah, right. That would mean no liberation for the orcs. But, as much as I''d like to sympathize with them, our main priority right now was iming a throne and extract the hostages. It would be best to not get distracted, as that would mean more torturing hours for the hostages. "What''s the catch? And how can we know you will keep your promise?" I questioned. My lips pursed a bit as I stared into his beautiful shimmering green eyes. If this dude wasn''t so fond of humans, I would never dare ask those questions, seeing that we were at a huge disadvantage and barely had any options, if at all. He was able to chop our heads off anytime he wanted to, and he was well aware of that fact. "You can keep my brother''s crest with you until I fulfill my end of the deal," he smiled, "think of it like paying half up front, and half afterwards." "...But you might kill us after we obtain the crest." I frowned. That was certainly a possibility to consider. He might not be able to attack his brother, but he could attack us easily. "That is a possibility, yes," Erenduill chuckled, "you can choose if you want to take the risk or not." Silence fell upon us as tension began to rise. General Emilio, who was usually quick to make a decision, didn''t utter a single word. My eyes slowly scanned the dining hall, counting each and every elf that was present here. There were about 10 to 20-ish of them maximum, including the ones who kept going back and forth between us and the kitchen. Then I nced over at general Emilio and Jeanne, who appeared to had recovered from the poison and were ready to fight. ...Perhaps we should push our luck, after all? As my gaze trailed towards the smiling elf king, I muttered a certain keyword and a status window popped up in front of me. [Stat points: (Third Elf King)] [Strength: 100] [Intelligence: 180] [Agility: 85] [Physique: 50] ...Yeah, nevermind. I wasn''t interested in the afterlife yet. Anyway, it didn''t show his name. Weird. Did the name part only work for humans? But then, why? This system was wack, man. "Hey, how exactly do we take the crest?" I questioned. "Oh, d you asked!" Erenduill beamed with joy. "Don''t be happy yet, we haven''t decided on anything." I raised both of my hands and waved them in front of my chest. "Our crests are embedded into our hearts," the elf king smiled as he ced his left hand on his chest, right where his heart should be, "or should I say, our crests are our hearts." I nodded. I knew up to this part. Elena had taught me well enough, and fortunately my pea brain was able to remember this part because it felt like a story out of a fairy tale for me, and I loved fairy tales. "Only those with royal blood are able to extract our crests once they''ve stopped beating, by simply reviving the crest with one''s own mana. But of course, the heart, or should I say the crest, should be out of the body first," he exined as he swirled his wine ss in a circle, "ironic, isn''t it? We can''t injure each other, and yet only we are able to snatch the crests..." "Then do we have to bring you along?" I scratched my cheek. If possible, I would prefer to not travel alongside a dude who chose nectar over his friends. Heck, if he''d abandon his friends for nectar, what would he abandon us for? Dirt? Pebbles? Sour drops? "Of course not. That''s why I said this is such a perfect scenario!" He chuckled, his voice filled with glee. "Exin your n." General Emilio red at him impatiently. "You brought along a little royal, didn''t you?" Erenduill asked as he cocked his head to the side, motioning towards the trembling little girl who had been extremely quiet all this time. "I..." The little girl flinched, as if she was spooked by every little thing that were happening around her. "Isn''t that true, little halfling?" Erenduill smiled, but that only made the little girl even more horrified, judging by how her hands started to tremble. "Y-yes..." Firiell looked down, avoiding the smirking elf''s gaze. Man, what was it that made her this terrified? What did he do to her? "We shall ept your proposal." General Emilio suddenly said, breaking off the tension that was starting to rise again. I held my breath, and my lips pursed. Alright, we could do that. As the leader though, he better had a n... Such a shame that we were able to sneak into this castle, but were so powerless against this elf king and his subordinates. "d we have an agreement," Erenduill smiled, and I could slowly feel his threatening aura lessens, "I''ll have the maids prepare some rooms for you. Would each of you like a room or--" "We go now." General Emilio interrupted and suddenly stood up, which kinda spooked me a bit. "Now? But aren''t you tired--" "Let''s leave." He cut the elf king off again mid-sentence, and prompted us to follow him, and so we did. "Come, Firiell." I helped her stand up, and walked side-by-side with her while I held her trembling hand. She still wouldn''t look up, but at least she was cooperative. I would''ve never imagined that the girl we originally took as a hostage ended up joining our party... "Where should we go, general Emilio?" Jeanne asked as we walked past the huge dining hall door and into the long-ass creepy corridor. "The forest." He concisely replied, but his words came out as a low growl. "Back there again?" I peeped into the conversation. "Yeah. Our target will be there." Right after he said that, he pushed open the front door of the castle with a huge bang, making even the guards flinch a little. "Oh, I see what you mean. Might be true." I nodded and followed right behind his steps and towards the gate. "Really? How can we be certain?" Jeanne asked. "Probably because that snob king is an asshole," I sighed, "look, I can even see the smoke from the forest fire from over here, but he didn''t even send his men over or something. What a douche." "His brother must be the one taking care of it right now." General Emilio continued. "I see. So that''s why those elves looked so calm, even though the nature which they loved so much was being burnt..." Jeanne said as she put her hand on her chin. "I guess that crazy prince genuinely loved his kin, and in a much more normal way than the king''s." I scratched the back of my head. "Uncle Ioriell was a nice person... That much I know..." Firiell unexpectedly spoke up. "Ioriell? The one who wanted to off you?" I raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. "He wasn''t always like that! Before mom died, he--" She looked up at me, but then stopped talking as soon as she met my gaze. "He?" I tilted my head to the side. He what? "N-never mind..." She avoided my gaze and looked down again, and refused to face our way. "Hey, what''s wrong?" I stopped and bent down until our eye level was the same. "I''m sorry..." She muttered under her breath hesitantly, still looking on the ground even though nothing of interest was there. "For what? Don''t be sorry if you haven''t made a mistake," I sighed, "stand your ground, kid. Don''t be sorry just because someone told you you''re wrong." "But, now because you guys stuck with me, you''re forced to... To do mean things." She said with a frown. "Hey, you being there might have actually saved our n, honestly." I said as Iughed nervously. I wonder if we didn''t meet her and just blindly snuck into the castle, would we even survive against the elf king? Rather, would we really be able to sneak inside without being detected? Nahhh, probably not... "Huh?" She looked up and finally, our eyes met. "Yeah. That''s why, don''t be sorry until you''re sure that you''re at fault," I patted her head, "ask questions, find out if you''re unsure if you''re in the wrong or not. And if you are, then apologize honestly. If you''re not, then stand your ground, don''t let yourself be stepped on." "Oh..." Her frown disappeared, and instead, tears popped up and coated her big, beautiful eyeballs. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What''s wrong?" I iled around as sniffles began to fill the air. What did I do? What? Why did she cry? How did you even calm a crying child? Um, candies? I brought none! "I... It''s been so long since someone defended me..." She said in-between her sniffles that were beginning to morph into sobs. "Whaaaat?" I looked at Jeanne in bewilderment, and although she looked a bit surprised, she quickly took out a few tissues and helped wipe Firiell''s tears while she gently stroked the little girl''s back. "There, there..." Jeanne said as she slowly pulled the crying girl into a hug, and patted her back affectionately. "Huh?" I blinked a few times, still not sure what I did to make her cry. "I miss moooom! She was always there, always on my side!" She sobbed, "why did she have to kill herself?" "It''s okay, we''re listening." Jeanne spoke with such a gentle voice that even I was starting to calm down. "Mom, she... She shouldn''t have died that day! Waaaaah!" Chapter 76: What truly happened (1) Chapter 76: What truly happened (1) "Uh..." I froze on the spot, confused about what to do. "Waaaah!" As she cried harder, Jeanne continued to give her a few pats on her back, while general Emilio started to look mildly annoyed and impatient. "There, there... You can cry, let it out." Jeanne uttered softly into her ears, patiently waiting for her to calm down. "Uhhhh, shall we... Continue walking while we talk?" I scratched my cheek nervously. I mean, we kinda need to hurry, didn''t we? General Zhang might be struggling to keep up with those elves right now, no? -------- "Have you calmed down now?" Jeanne said as she offered Firiell another sheet of tissue to wipe her tears away. "Yeah..." She said with a cracked voice. Well, it was better than sniffles and sobs, I guess... "It''s alright. It must''ve been hard to lose someone you care a lot about." Jeanne stroked the little girl''s hair affectionately, while looking down to the ground. She was smiling, but her eyes looked dim. "Mom, she was unjustly driven to suicide..." Firiell started to exin. "What exactly happened, Firiell?" I asked as we continued to march to the burning forest. We were still quite far, and yet the smoke had already reached all the way over here. Ugh, we were probably going to need some masks. "Everything uncle Ioriell said was true... I''m half-elf and half-human." Firiell replied, still wiping her tears with the tissue Jeanne gave her, while holding hands with Jeanne. "Yep. Kinda figured that out already," I nodded, "but what''s up with everyone hating your mother?" "She did nothing wrong, though, I don''t understand why they hated us so much..." She started to get teary-eyed, and Jeanne immediately shook her head at me, and mouthed ''go easy on the questions''. "Ah, sorry, I didn''t mean to... Um, if you don''t mind me asking, what exactly went on that made the royals like this?" I cleared my throat and asked another, much milder, question. "It''s because of my dad. I care about him a lot, but he''s not exactly the nicest person." She replied, and this time she managed to look at me without crying, which was great. "I see. How so?" I questioned withoutmenting too much. "Well, ording to what my mom told me, she met my dad by chance when she found my dad barely alive in the forest, in our previous vige''s outskirts," she started to exin, "and then, out of pity, my mom rescued my dad and even called the pce doctor for him." "Wow, your mom sure was kind." I mean, letting a stranger into the castle? I would rather drop him off at a town''s doctor or something, but hey, I wasn''t a nice person, and she was. "She was! She was the kindest woman I''ve ever met!" Firiell said, her voice was a mix of excitement and sorrow, "and that was how my they started to talk more and more." "They talked?" I raised an eyebrow. I thought she would be too busy as a royal princess or something, but I guess not. "Yeah, my mom often checked up on my dad, and my mom said that she found my dad surprisingly funny and schrly," she continued, "that part is true, though! When my dad was still with me, he was able to make usugh every day! And he told me so many things about the outside world!" "Oh, that''s great. What did he tell you about?" Jeanne asked with a smile. "He told me about his vige, about his friends," she beamed, "and she also told mom even before I was born, and mom said that was why she let his friends into the vige." I sneaked a nce at Jeanne, whose face started to tense up. I guess both of us realized the same thing. Wasn''t that just an invasion with extra steps? "They were nice to us, though... Before they suddenly start burning our vige and piging everything." Man, that went from a sweet love story about a princess and a lost hunk to a straight-up historical war story. Jeanne opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately decided to refrain from doing it. "Ever since that day, after they burned everything to the ground and left us, he had never, not even once, came to visit me and my mom," she continued, "then uncle Erundiell rose up to take the throne." "Ah, and I assume the part where Ioriell was forced to watch the assassination took ce on the same day as the piging, am I right?" I pped my hands together, finally, some light on this situation! "Yes. At least, that''s what mom told me... I wasn''t there during the assassination, my father told me to gather some fruits outside the vige." Although Jeanne was shocked to hear my questions, fortunately Firiell didn''t seem to mind me asking. Anyway, so that douchey dad still had the dignity to keep his daughter out of harm''s way, huh? Notpletely, though. "Man, I can''t even imagine how shocked you must be when you came home..." I frowned. "It felt surreal at first, honestly. I almost managed to convince myself that it was all just a dream, but at the end of the day, reality is reality." She chuckled a little, although what she said was as far as it could be from funny. "Yeah, your dad was a scumbag. No need to care about him, even a little. He chose that path, he wasn''t forced to." I let out a long sigh. "Dad... I never expected him to betray us..." She looked down in sadness. "Is it betrayal if he never intended to be on your side from the start?" I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "You''ve got a point... He fooled everyone though, not even uncle Erenduill expected that." "Silence. We''re going to sneak from here on out." General Emilio suddenly spoke, stopping our conversation. "Oh yeah, what''s your n, general Emilio? Surely you have a n after agreeing to that, right?" I asked as I readied my rifle. "I do. But it''s best to not discuss it here," he replied while he took out his spear, "let''s get his crest first. Our n starts after that." "Cool, cool." I nodded and followed him towards the forest. Ugh, the smoke was getting thicker now. "How are we going to take his crest? Our magic didn''t work on him." Jeanne asked. "Hmm, probably physical attacks will work? Ah, did we try using other elements, though? What if his barrier only works against my fire element?" I threw some ideas. "We''ll go with physical to be safe. That shield probably negates mana." General Emilio dered. "Uh-huh. Sounds good." Ah, that meant my rifle wouldn''t be useful. Such a bother. It seemed like using psychokinesis to drop stuff on him would work, though... But again, he could easily counter that using his strength, too. Ugh, I hateplicated stuff. As I proceeded to whip up several ns,plete with its backup, inside my head, I noticed Jeanne staring at me. "What''s wrong, Jeanne?" I tilted my head to the side. "No, I just find it admirable that you managed to keep your calm in a situation like this." She smiled at me. "Hey, same goes for you. I see that you''re also quite calm." I giggled lightly. Even in this situation, she still managed to find something positive to look at. "That''s because I''m a general, and that''s what a good general should do." She answered with a determined grin. "And because I''m your party member, I should trust a good general, right? So it makes sense if I could keep my calm." I replied. "Yes. Thank you for trusting us." Hmm, I wasn''t lying, but I wasn''t telling theplete truth, either. Sure, it had been drilled into my mind ever since I was a kid that ''yourmander''s words are absolute'', and that was partly why I agreed so easily to general Emilio. But well, that was in the past. Now I was able to think with my own head. In a way, I agreed because I was sure that general Emilio and Jeanne were experienced leaders. If not, then the Vanguard would surely be in ruins by now, right? They were generals for a reason, after all. Aside from that, my most important reason would be that I n to steal that crest for myself. As for the ''how'', it could be sorted outter. Perhaps Firiell would know a thing or two about transferring crests. If I ended up not being able to use it for some reason, then I''d just sell it through my shop system and get some power-ups to defeat that elf king. No way would I trust his deals. He wasn''t a man who operated based on mutual trust, rule, or dignity. If it benefitted the greater good for him, he wouldn''t hesitate to act on it, even if it meant stepping down as a king, if someone more suitable were to appear. If we were to hand him the crest, our value would disappear for him. No matter how thankful he might be to us humans for ''reducing'' the number of elves, he wouldn''t hesitate to dispose us if we had no more use for him. "Jeanne, you''re quick on your feet, so I shall entrust the responsibility of delivering the finishing blow to you." General Emilio stated. "Yes, sir!" "I shall pretend to do an assassination attempt while they''re busy dealing with general Zhang," he continued, "that way they won''t suspect a second assassination attempt. I shall tank and pull their attention to me and general Zhang." "...What about me?" I questioned and pointed to myself. "You..." Chapter 77: What truly happened (2) Chapter 77: What truly happened (2) "Yes, I...?" I cocked my head to the side, anticipating his answer. "You''ll be our main attraction," general Emilio replied as he rummaged through his backpack and took out a piece of cloth, "here." "Main attraction?" I parroted as I caught the cloth he handed to me with confusion, "and what''s this cloth for?" "General Zhang said you need some cloth toy on when you snipe." He replied with a t tone. "He did? But I don''t need one. I can do my work wherever, even on muddy grounds." I raised an eyebrow. Weird, but alright. "Go get stationed somewhere high and snipe his subordinates from afar." Hemanded. "Wait, general. As much as I''d like to agree, but the forest is filled with, you know, trees," I exined using hand gestures, "and it''s on fire right now, the smoke will cover up everything." "You don''t need to hit them. If you can, that''s great. If you don''t, that''s okay. The important thing is to make them busy looking for you." He told me as he turned around and started walking away, declining any possibilities for negotiations. "I-- argh..." I sighed, deeply. How was I supposed to snipe in an environment like this? Well, even if he said it was okay to miss, but I didn''t want to miss, you know? It was kindame to miss my shots. "Chaerin, we need to part ways here. Will you be okay?" Jeanne asked me with a worried frown on her face. "I just hope I won''t screw up too much," Iughed in defeat, "don''t worry and focus on killing that maniac! I know you can do it, Jeanne." Her eyes widened for a bit, and then a warm smile appeared on her smooth face, "thank you for believing in me, Chaerin." "Bye bye! Firiell, look out for mean elves who are out to get you, okay?" I ruffled her hair and grinned, "you''re in good hands, kid." "Yes!" Firiell beamed at me, and I saw a rosy tint decorating her cheeks as she grinned widely. I gave her onest big smile, before waving at them and parting ways. They went to sneak in through the forest, while I was supposed to find some high spot or something. Where would even be good? Like, roofs? ...Nah. "Gah, the biggest problem here is the smoke and the trees!" I grabbed my hair in frustration, cursing at this task. What should I do? Was there some way I could exploit something... "Ah! Maybe that could work?" After pondering on my next step, I finally figured out a possibility that might be worth trying. "Shop." [Ding!] A familiar screen popped up in front of me as I quickly reached out for the search bar and typed the name of a specific item I wanted. [Would you like to purchase the item ''Water chameleon''s cloak'' for 300 gold?] "Yup yup." I smiled with satisfaction when I saw the item I had lost during our escape started to materialize inside my inventory slot. It was surprisingly cheap, and it was most probably because it wouldn''t work against stronger monsters like elves, but it didn''t really matter. Because, my n wasn''t just to pretend I was invisible and shoot them from a close range, no no. Instead, I was going to construct a drip rifle. "Uhh, I don''t think the elves use advanced weapons like rifles..." I looked around me to find something that resembled a weapon store of some sort, but I was only rewarded with disappointment. "Gah, do I have to purchase another rifle using my gold? But I don''t even have much..." I opened my inventory to check, and yup, I only had a measly 1700 gold. Barely enough to buy anything. Hopefully there would be a cheap rifle in the shop system. [Ding!] After I muttered the keyword, the screen reappeared in front of me, and I quickly went to the weapon section and filtered through the long-ranged ones. And thankfully, I did find a cheap one. It was still unaffordable, though, seeing as it was priced at 2000 gold. "Tch. Just a little bit short." I clicked my tongue, and opened up the sell function instead. With a little bit of dismay, I sold the materials I got from the serpent''sir''s raid. They were few in numbers, but I guess because they were pretty rare, I managed to fetch a nice sum. "Okay, now that I have 2200 gold on me, I should be able to buy this rusty rifle." [Would you like to purchase the item ''Low-grade Rusty Assault Rifle'' for 2000 gold?] "Yeah, yeah. Give it to me, quick." I sighed in annoyance. Now I was almost back to having no gold. "Hey, big bro Luke, can youe out?" I whispered as I began running towards the highest hill I could see from here. That one over there might be good enough. It was far away from the forest and was also filled with trees, making it difficult to spot a sniper from below. [Yeah. What''s up? Now that you need me, you remember me.] I let out a sigh when I heard a familiar annoying voice entered my ears, alongside a hissing sound. In a matter of seconds, a cute little white snake had materialized around my shoulder, wrapped all the way up to my head. "Think of it like you''re our secret ally. Cool, right?" I giggled when I saw his pouty face appeared next to me. [Hmph. You better be honored that I''m helping you.] He answered with a huff, but I could see a little tint of red on his cheeks. Wait, snakes could blush? What? "Sure, sure. I''ll buy you some rat when we get home." I replied as I started to climb the trees so I could hike the hill faster. While I was training using Elena''s illusion, she forced me to practice maneuvering around the forest. Well, I did admit, learning how to use trees to my advantage sure was convenient here. [Why rats?] He inquired while his little head bobbed to the side ever so slightly. "Snakes eat rats." I answered while I hopped from trees to trees quickly. [I''ve told you before that I feed on your mana, right?] He pouted. "I''m kidding," I chuckled, "but rats might be cheaper than mana, though..." [Don''t bully your big brother, you little rat. I''ll eat you.] Luke said as he lightly poked my head a few times. "Hehe. Anyway, help me with this," I said as I hopped off onto the ground, "we''re going to build something." [Build what?] He plopped on the ground and started to slither. "A drip rifle. Ever heard of it?" I said as I took off my backpack and grabbed a hair tie out of it, "ah, using your human form will be easier." ''Poof!'' "I''ve never heard of it, but sure. I''ll do what you want." Alongside a puff of smoke, the little snake was reced by a tanned young man with striking golden eyes who, for some reason, decided to wear an open-chested robe even though we were in the middle of a raid. "It''s basically a rifle that operates without a person behind it," I exined as I tied my hair into a high ponytail, "the materials should be inside my backpack. And I''ve just got the rifle, here." I said as I tossed him the rusty rifle I had just bought. "Huh. Interesting. Where did you learn to make these kinds of things?" Luke asked as he inspected the rifle. "In a bad ce." I answered concisely and started to rummage through my backpack for stuff like a container, some ropes, and of course, water. "So how does it work?" Luke inquired while he helped me organize my bag. "Simply put, we will tie this container to the trigger, so that when the water slowly drips into it and ultimately weighing it down, the trigger would be pulled," I made a finger gun motion, "and bang! There you have it, simple unmanned rifle." "Doesn''t look as simple as you said, but alright," he said as he crouched down next to me, "why are we building this, anyway?" "Well, general Emilio wanted me to snipe those elves from here," I pointed at the forest below us that was already covered with smoke and fire, with anything barely visible, "bute on, how can I snipe when I can''t even see the trees clearly?" "So you think this unmanned rifle can? Genius." He chuckled and patted my head, as if I was a 5-year-old who had just discovered that straws look bendy when you put them inside a ss of water. "Of course not, you dummy," I frowned, "if we can''t see them from here, then we''ll just get closer. Simple." "What?" He raised an eyebrow at my words. "Let me exin it so you understand," I sighed, "we can''t see them from here, but they also can''t see us from there." "Uh-huh." He nodded. "That''s why we''ll set this up while we go down there using this chameleon cloak while this rifle keeps firing," I exined, "they''ll think that a sniper is stationed above here, and get preupied trying to find an unmanned rifle while we shoot their heads off one by one down there." "Ah! Now I understand! Wait, that''s actually a good n," he put his hand on his chin, "but a chameleon cloak won''t work against them." "Yeah, I know. We don''t need to be 100% undetectable. I think the drip rifle, the forest fire, and general Emilio would be enough distraction for them to not notice us," I shrugged, "and if we do get noticed, then oh well, we''ll just go nuts." "Oho~ Not bad." He smirked upon hearing my n. "And you''ll get some action, too, of course. Don''t expect you can ck off." I grinned back at him. "Agreed. I''m looking forward to some action, as well." Chapter 78: The hunt for the fallen prince (1) Chapter 78: The hunt for the fallen prince (1) "Oh wait, before we go down, let''s not forget this." I reached for my bag and shuffled its content around, looking for a key item that should be here, ording to Jeanne. "What now?" Luke asked as he bent down to peek at my bag''s content. "This!" I beamed and raised two pairs of goggles, "night vision goggles! Hehe!" "Ahh, right. Those elves have good eyes at night," he pondered, "you did your homework, kid." "Of course I did, Elena drilled that information into my head, how could I not?" I pouted as I extended my arm to hand him a pair. ording to what Jeanne said, general Zhang specifically told her to pack some stuff double the amount for my bag. As expected of a fellow parasite bearer. "Ah, no need. I can see perfectly any time of the day," he smiled proudly and crossed his arms over his slightly exposed chest, "cool, right?" "Nah." I tly replied and shoved the pair into the bag, while wearing the other one. "You''re just jealous you can''t be as cool as your big bro." He pouted. "Excuse you? You''re as far from the word ''cool'' as you can possibly be." I huffed and picked up my bag, before fastening it behind my back. "Just admit it~" Luke chuckled as he walked up beside me, e, let''s quickly build that weird toy and get you that win so we cane home." -------- After I filled Luke in about what happened so far, and why we needed to hunt some elves, we quickly headed down to the forest where I could already hear themotion happening. Shouts and screams filled the smokey air, and although the moon was already shining beautifully above us, it wasn''t dark at all. On the contrary, everything was bright. Bright orange. The fire hadid its hands upon everything that it could touch, and evening inside would be dangerous for anyone, presumably even elves. "Dang, how are we supposed to go inside?" I cursed as I pulled my water chameleon''s cloak tighter and covered my nose, "are those generals even doing okay?" "Let''s find another route. There''s no way they''re fighting while getting roasted alive," Luke suggested, "there must be a part of the forest where the fire isn''t as bad as this. Come." "Okay." I nodded and we both ran to find somewhere we could step our foot on, somewhere that wouldn''t make our trachea crispy in just a few minutes. After circling around for a while, we finally stumbled upon a figure that seemed to be walking in a group of 5. "Halt!" I whispered, and both of us immediately got down on the ground to avoid being seen. "They must be elves. Can we eliminate them?" Luke pointed out from beside me. ''BANG!'' The sound of the drip rifle we constructed earlier popped off for the third time since we left it alone. I faintly saw one of the figures lifted their hand and pointed in the direction of the rifle. Through the fairly thin smoke,pared to the ce from before, I could see another figure readied their bow, as if wanting to shoot the rifle. "Can we?" I brought my assault rifle close to my shoulder and aimed through the scope. ''BANG!'' "Of course we can. Don''t ck off." I smirked as I saw the figure who was pulling the bowstring flop on the ground. Great, that was one down, a few more to go. Instead of noticing us, they frantically pointed towards the drip rifle''s direction again, before scrambling and running towards different directions. Perfect. They thought a sniper made the kill. "Don''t you run~" Luke hummed beside me and bit his thumb until it drew blood. "Snake art: Venom." I watched in awe as his blood swirled in the air, and slowly changed colour from red to a slightly dark, but still shiny, purple. He didn''t stop at that, and plucked a single strand of hair using his other hand, and threw it into the air. "Snake art: Skin of Steel." The single strand of hair from before immediately hardened, and he easily caught it using his hand. After that, he brought it near the purple blood, which immediately enclosed the hair fully. ''Shwp!'' With a single, powerful throw, heunched the needle-like hair towards one of the elves that was running away. My eyes were unable to follow the hair''s movement, and all I could see was the body of the elf falling on the ground while holding the back of their neck. After a couple of seconds of squirming and twitching, their body tensed up and finally stopped moving. "Not bad, huh?" Luke grinned at me after the both of us witnessed that scene. Instead of answering, I peeked through my scope once more, and tracked another elf that was having trouble running away due to the forest fire. ''BANG!'' "Not bad, but my kill count is still higher than yours." I chuckled. "Hey, but my kill was cooler!" Luke pouted and smacked my head. "Ow!" I rubbed the back of my head, "yeah, yeah, sure." "Wait, really? You admit that I was cool?" "Uh... I was going to say your magic, or whatever that was, was pretty neat. But nevermind, I take that back." I stuck out my tongue at him and continued to peek through my scope. Perhaps I could get another kill if I was lucky. "No, don''t take it back!" Luke whined, kinda adorably, "I even went through the trouble of naming them!" "Wait, you named them yourself?" I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah! Cool, right? I think it will make the moment more dramatic and cool if I shout the skill name or something. Hehe." Luke exined as he scratched the back of his head. "I... I have noment," I sighed, "anyway, I didn''t know you could do that. I thought you could only do some crystal acid magic or something, seeing that your serpent form did that." "Huh? But that was exactly the same power I had as a serpent, though?" He questioned. "What? Clearly not. You should get your brain checked." "You''re not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" He snickered. "Ugh, just exin." I frowned and lined up the crosshair with a running figure that I spotted. Long, untied flowy hair with wacky armor? Yup. Must''ve been an elf. Wasn''t our party member. ''BANG!'' Another one down. "That blood thingy earlier was just my venom. You know, snakes, venom?" He pointed at his bloody thumb, and then his teeth. "Uh-huh." I nodded. "And that hair thing was basically like how I could harden my skin as a serpent, but I used it on my hair specifically." "Ahh, now I understand!" I looked up at him with wide eyes, "hey, that''s actually pretty cool." "Right~?" "The skill. Not you. You''re never cool in my eyes." I huffed at him. "Weird. Ladies used to always love this form," he put his fingers on his chin and looked down, as if he was in deep thoughts, "they often told me that I was cool and stuff. They even said I was super sexy and hot. Ah, but don''t you use those words. Bad words." "Ack, don''t treat me like a kid! I can use those words if I want to!" I clicked my tongue and got up, ready to continue our journey into the burning forest, which still sounded like a terrible idea no matter how hard I tried to convince myself it wasn''t. "No. Don''t say those words to men. Or even women. You never know what those humans are thinking." He lectured me as we walked further ahead. "Only humans?" I tilted my head. Wasn''t he usually very indiscriminative towards all species? "Well, you can use those words on me, since that''s a fact." He smugly said. "No, thanks." I groaned and kept walking while ignoring his protests. As we marched further and further into the forest, I started to feel my breathing getting heavier. Ugh, these smokes are getting annoying. I had to hurry up and find them! ''BANG!'' I opened fire on the sixth elf I''ve shot down since I stepped into this forest. So far, we had eliminated around a little above 10 elves, mine and Luke''s kill countbined. It was pretty far from what I''d hoped for, honestly. I was sure that the second prince had at least 50 elves with him, which meant we were only able to subdue around a fifth of them. Not a good look, especially because the elf prince himself was already strong enough to defeat us three if we weren''t careful enough. "Tch. Let''s do this faster, big bro." I clicked my tongue and fastened my walking speed while looking left and right for any signs of stray elves. "Hey, hey. Don''t be impatient. They''ll be fine, they''re also experienced fighters." Luke assured me as he followed my steps closely. "Yeah, but I don''t think we would be in prime condition with all this smoke burning our airway, wouldn''t we?" I said in between gasps of air. Damn, I really should''ve bought a mask beforeing here. "Ah, there!" Luke''s sudden call out alerted me, and I mounted my rifle on my shoulder as fast as I could. But before I could pull the trigger, my vision blurred for a second. I hesitated on pulling the trigger, but suddenly the target stopped moving and fell down. "I got him for you," Luke let out a sigh of relief, "what''s wrong? Were you unable to get a clear view of him?" "No... It''s just..." I frowned and lowered my rifle, "never mind. Let''s continue. Thank you for covering me." "No problem. But what''s wrong?" He persisted in asking me. "Not what''s wrong, but what''s not wrong? How can you still be so nonchnt after inhaling this smoke?" I said with heavy breathings. "Ah, I see, so that''s why you were kinda giddy," he eximed, "well, my body is kinda built different from humans, you know... A little bit of smoke like this is fine." "Good for you, then." I replied concisely, too out of breath to argue. We ventured deeper and each of us scored another kill without being noticed yet again, which was great. "Stop. Wait." I said as I clutched the hem of his robe to stop him from walking. "What is it?" He asked as he turned around and grabbed my shoulder. "Umm, nothing. Just let me stop for a second, alright?" I said with difficulty while my gasps grew louder. "Hey, is it that bad? You''re starting to look pale." Luke''s brows curled into a frown. I brushed his hand off of my shoulder and straightened myself up, "no. Sorry, Let''s continue now." "Hey, wait--" I didn''t intend to ignore his protests as usual, but my mind was starting to get foggy and I had to fully concentrate to not get ambushed by the elves. Ugh, I didn''t feel so good. "Kid?" Luke''s voice faintly entered my ears, and I was going to turn around and answer him, but no words managed to escape my lips. Not only that, but why was everything around me spinning? ''THUD!'' ...Huh? Didn''t I... fall? If so, why did it feelfortable? Wasn''t the ground ashy and hard? This felt... Soft? "Miss me, little cub?" Chapter 79: The hunt for the fallen prince (2) Chapter 79: The hunt for the fallen prince (2) "You..." I squinted my eyes, trying to enhance my focus so I could recognize the blurry figure in front of me that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Surprised?" The familiar voice that had always irritated me, now made me ease up a bit, instead. "What are you doing here, eel?" I asked with a surprisingly hoarse voice. After realizing that the ashy voice was mine, I quickly cleared my throat which was starting to burn. "I should be the one asking you. Did the n fail? Tsk, tsk." He sighed. "Oh, right. You didn''t know what happened ye--ukh!" Even before I could finish exining our reason toe here, my words were cut off by unrelenting coughs. ''Cough! cough!'' "Hey hey, little cub, don''t speak yet." His yful expression immediately changed into a more serious one as he leaned my back against his muscr chest. His brows curled into a frown, and his trademark grin disappeared. Now that I looked at it, he was the one who caught me when I fell earlier, and he hadn''t let me go since. Ah, so that was why I was able to avoid hitting the ground. "No, listen, it''s--" ''Cough!'' I was trying to hurry and exin the whole situation to him, seeing that we were in a race against time. I was pretty sure that general Emilio and Jeanne weren''t going to be okay with this much smoke, either. The longer we dilly-dally, the worse it would get. "I said shut up, didn''t I?" General Zhang frowned and opened a bottle of water before shoving its content into my mouth. "Hrng--!?" I was caught by surprise, and had a hard time to properly swallow the sudden gush of water inside my mouth, so a few drops trickled down the corner of my lips. "Messy." General Zhang spoke as he wiped the trickling water off the side of my lips with his thumb. He wasn''t smiling like usual, rather, he had this intense gaze on his eyes. "Phuwa!" I gasped for air when the water bottle finally left my lips. "Drink this." "Eh?" Without giving me time to react, he pushed his wet thumb into my mouth, until I could feel his smooth skin touching my equally drenched tongue. He pressed his thumb against my tongue slowly, as if he was ying with my mouth. Seeing the surpised look on my face, he shot me a mischievous grin as his lips slowly parted, "good girl." "Wha--" "Hey, hey! What do you think you''re doing?" Luke''s irritated voice alerted us, and we immediately look up to find a frowning, golden-eyed man with lustrous dark blue locks. "Offering a drink." General Zhang answered with a wide smile. "No no, I know that," he shook his head and let out a deep sigh, "what I mean is your finger!" My face immediately flushed with scarlet colour when I realized what that eel just did, "no, wait--" "Don''t ever put your finger inside your mouth if you haven''t washed your hand!" Luke scolded. "...Huh?" General Zhang''s brows were raised, and he stopped moving. "Humans are weak, you know. They get sick easily just because they put their dirty, dirty fingers into their mouth, causing bacterias and stuff toe in," Luke continued lecturing, "so do as your parents told you and wash your hand before touching your mouth, capiche?" ...What. "Pfft-- Haha! Yeah, yeah," general Zhang chuckled, breaking the awkward silence, "that''s true, sorry. I''m a dirty, dirty boy." "Wha-- No! Don''t say that!" I smacked general Zhang''s head right after he said those ambiguous words. "Yeah, you''re a dirty boy," Luke nodded in agreement, "we''re all kinda dirty, though. Make sure you take a proper bath after this trip." "Let''s... Move on, shall we?" I cleared my throat, although it still felt kind of ashy. The water did give me a little bit of relief, but not much. "Not yet, wait." General Zhang pressed his index finger on my lips to keep me from talking, and I quickly shoved his hand away in embarrassment from hisst antic. "What is it, now?" I questioned while I observed his cheerful figure. He had been fighting here for hours now, and yet, not a hint of fatigue was apparent on him. His clothes were burned all over, sure, but if you looked past the scorched marks, he was still his old, yful self. "Ta-da! A gas mask~" He joyfully eximed as he held up two transparent gas masks from his bag. Transparent? Were they also magic equipment? Well, how convenient. "Where did you get them from?" My eyes lit up upon seeing the life-saving devices that I should''ve bought instead of foolishly challenging death like this. "Haha! I''ve carried these from the start, little cub," he answered as he helped me adjust the mask, "how else do you think I managed tost this long?" "Tch. So you had a trick up your sleeve," I clicked my tongue while he wore his own mask, "howe you didn''t wear one just now?" "Oh, my previous one was broken. An annoying elf broke it," he answered shortly and turned to face Luke, "you should be fine without one, right?" "Uh-huh, don''t worry about me. Rather, shouldn''t you worry about your three other members?" Luke questioned. "Three?" General Zhang tilted his head in response. -------- In only around 5 minutes, I and Luke ryed the information to general Zhang, who just listened to us calmly without moving even one finger. I thought his brain would overheat from the sudden flood of information like mine did, but it turned out he was doing pretty well? "I see. So now our top objective is to kill that elf prince, right?" He inquired. "Yeah. You got it right." Luke nodded at his words. "Hmm. The problem is this barrier that you speak of. We still don''t know how it works, and if he has other powers... Though, I do have a vague idea of what it is. I probably can confirm it if I see it by myself." General Zhang said as he looked up, as if he was thinking about something. Nice. If he could find a feasible n, then... "Oh well! Let''s just kill him or whatever. I don''t like to oveplicate things~" He giggled. Gah! What did I expect! "Hmm. Sure." Luke crossed his arms in front of his chest and observed general Zhang with an unreadable expression. "Oh, sorry. Let me also get ready." I awkwardly said as I stood up and straightened my shirt. I was so dizzy that I forgot I was still leaning against general Zhang this whole time, even while we were exining the situation to him. Ah! He better wouldn''t tease me about this... "Do you have any idea where both of them are, little cub?" General Zhang asked me while he stood up himself. "Probably, wait a bit." I replied and immediately opened my skill window to activate my mentalist skill. Hmm, here it showed general Emilio''s name, so he must be within 1 km range from us, which wasn''t far. Should I send him a message? ...Nah, he wouldn''t be able to reply, anyway, it''d just disrupt his focus. "So?" General Zhang nudged me. "General Emilio''s within 1 km from here. No idea about his exact whereabouts." I sighed and closed my skill window. "Great! Hopefully, the elf prince is also nearby!" General Zhang beamed with joy. ''FWIP!'' ''Thud!'' "Hmm, it seems that we need to deal with the underlings first." I remarked as I caught an arrow that was going for my head. General Zhang whistled, "not bad, little cub~ Now do you want me to help you hunt the elves? Or should you take the stage?" ''ck!'' I aimed my rifle towards the direction where the arrow came from, and saw a slight rustle in the bush. "Doesn''t matter who does it, as long as the job gets done." I replied. ''BANG!'' The trigger was pulled, and the poor elf''s soul left their body. "Were we too loud? We got spotted." I pouted at both of them, annoyed that it meant extra work for us. "Nah, some elves just have a heightened sense of awareness," general Zhang exined, "just like how I could feel a particr little lost cub''s mana wandering around aimlessly in the forest." Seeing his grin made me pout even more, "so that''s how you stumbled upon us." "Yup, yup! Everything happens for a reason, after all~ I don''t rely on luck." General Zhang said as he gave me a wink. ''BANG!'' "Me, too. But I can''t deny that luck had saved my life a few times, though." I replied after I shot another elf that was hopping from trees to trees. Probably an assassin type? We continued to walk into the forest, and this time, led by general Zhang. We advanced slowly, taking our time to carefully check our surroundings for any signs of the elf prince. "Hmm..." Luke groaned next to me while we crawled among the bushes. "What is it?" I whispered. He had been getting a little bit quieter ever since general Zhang appeared, and even more so after we finished exining the situation. Did something happen? Or was he just not fond of general Zhang? "That white-haired guy is strange." He muttered with a low voice while leaning closer to my ear. "I know, right?" I nodded furiously. Ah, yes, an ally! "I think we''re thinking about different types of weird," Luke smacked my head slightly, "I mean his mana... Is weird." "Hmm?" I looked up, rubbing the part of my head where he smacked me, "maybe because he also fused? You know, just like us?" "No, not that. Fusing isn''t weird, are you calling us weird?" "No! I was just asking, sheesh. Then, exin." I pouted. "I knew his mana is strong, ever since we met in myir, and he''s even stronger now." Luke exined, still in a hushed voice. "Uh-huh. People get stronger. What''s weird about that?" "It''s not proportionate. He shouldn''t be able to handle these elves alone for hours. Not even with his current power," Luke frowned, "that guy still has something up his sleeves." "Hmm..." I gazed at general Zhang''s back that was covered with a burnt shirt. I guess what Luke said had some truth to it. Even though our stats differ a lot, how could he still be so full of energy after getting ganged up by elves? At least it would be more believable if he was in a bad condition. Well, wouldn''t hurt to ask, right? "Hey, eel--" ''BOOM!'' "Ack!" I instinctively covered my ears upon hearing the sudden st that wasing from somewhere nearby. "Ooh~ So the fun has started?" General Zhang giggled in delight. Chapter 80: The hunt for the fallen prince (3) Chapter 80: The hunt for the fallen prince (3) "The heck was that?" I questioned as I tightened my ponytail. Was it time to face that prince already? Ugh, I hope this would work. "Explosion. Can''t you tell, little cub? Tsk, tsk~" General Zhang teased me with an exaggerated tone. "I kno, but howeeee?" I replied with an equally exaggerated tone. "Sometimes I''m amazed at how you guys can joke around even in the weirdest situation." Luke sighed while shaking his head. "Hehe. Better than going insane, right?" I shrugged. Well, if I didn''t learn to ease up, I''d probably have gone mad thinking about the innocent people I indirectly killed during wartime. Call it escapism or anything, either way, it helped me cope. It may not be the right thing to do, and I wouldn''t try to justify it, but if it helped me stay sane, then heck yeah, I would crack jokes even in the worst situations. "I think joking in this situation is borderline insane, not the other way around." Luke said as he brushed off the dirt that was sticking to my shirt from crawling around. "You may be right," I let out a light chuckle and stood up to get ready to fight, "thank you." "Well, at least tell me if you have a problem. You act like a troubled rat sometimes." Luke also stood up and patted my head, before tidying up my bangs. "You don''t tell me your troubles, too. Say that again when you trust me enough to open up," I smiled wide at him, "I''ll be waiting for that day." His eyes grew bigger for a tiny bit, and then a slight chuckle escaped his lips, "you really are troublesome." "Alright! Enough with the chit-chat~" "Ack!" A small yelp escaped my lips when General Zhang suddenly pulled the hem of my cloak, making me lose my bnce. "Can you stop pulling me!?" I groaned. "Come on, little cub. That explosion must''vee from porcupine." He ignored my grumbling and pulled me closer. Or more exactly, dragged me closer. "Porcupine? Oh, general Emilio?" My eyebrows went up. "Yup yup. His element is fire. Perfect against those leafy elves." General Zhang grinned as his eyes glinted with excitement. "Oh, speaking of leaves, did you know that elves actually wipe with leaves?" I suddenly recalled our spat with the prince from before. "What?" He frowned. "What?" I asked back. -------- "Gah!" General Emilio groaned as he grabbed on a nearby tree trunk to avoid getting blown away. "You''re back again? I thought you ran away?" Ioriell scoffed and extended his arm. From the tip of his fingers, green air started to swirl and glow. It danced around his fingertips until it grew bigger and longer, until eventually my eyes recognized it as a sword. "Whoa, cool... A wind sword? Is it possible to do that with my fire?" I whispered in a low voice, "oh wait, is it his crest? But then, what about his shield?" Hearing my whispers, general Zhang smacked me lightly on my head and said, "dumb little cub. That sword is his crest, although there''s probably more to it. The barrier you told me about was most probably just mana control." "Mana control?" I perked up when a new term entered my head. "Ssh. I''ll exinter. You''re gonna get us spotted if you keep babbling, noisy little cub." He replied as he pushed his index finger to my lips, pressing them shut. My face went red when I recalled the incident regarding fingers and lips from before, and I immediately leaned back to avoid contact with his long, slender finger. Just as we had nned, we didn''t simply barge in randomly without any thoughts. We decided to hide and observe the situation from a distance, but not too far. We made sure to get close enough in case something bad happened, or if we needed to listen in on some info, which I suggested. I mean, what could I say? I was a little rat, and I loved eavesdropping. "Where are your friends? Are they with that little defect?" Ioriell asked with a mocking look on his face. He was grinning, but not a good kind of grin. "None of your business." General Emilio replied as he readied his needles using both of his hands. "Did they send you here to stall time while they keep firing from up there?" The elf prince inquired, tilting his head towards the direction of the drip rifle. "You should be focusing on the opponent in front of you." general Emilio replied. ''FWOOP!'' "...Or you might die." A cut appeared on Ioriell''s pale, smooth cheek, and leaked blood. In a sh, general Emiliounched his needles, and being the powerful prince he was, Ioriell was able to react by shifting slightly to his left, thus saving his eye from the needle. "Whoa, that''s pretty fast..." I mumbled in awe, watching that scene. "Nah, I can do better~" General Zhang hummed beside me. "Then do it, stop bragging." I pouted as I lightly stepped on his feet. I flew my gaze over the battlefield again, and saw that the fight was starting to get steamy. Ioriell didn''t hesitate to close the distance between them in an attempt to not waste any time and end his foe quickly, but general Emilio was fast on his feet, plus he got an excellent defensive ability, which looked just like how a porcupine would raise its quills when threatened. ''SWISH!'' Ioriell swung his sword towards general Emilio''s head, but the hair on his head blossomed into quills, and stopped the sword from ending his life. In one swift motion, general Emilio threw a needle at the elf prince''s throat, which he deflected. "Tch. This is getting nowhere," general Zhang clicked his tongue in annoyance, "should I step in?" "No. That''s the point, didn''t you listen to my story? He''s just supposed to be a distraction while Jeanne swoops in to finish him." I whispered in a low, but impatient voice. "I did. But that simply won''t cut it." General Zhang replied. I just stayed silent as I felt like my words were stuck in my throat. I was also skeptical about this n, as well. Could we truly outy the elf prince with such a simple tactic? "Let''s modify the n a bit before Jean-jean dies trying to assassinate that prince, shall we?" General Zhang winked at me. "What?" ''BAM!'' My confusion went out the window and was reced with panic when my vision was filled with sparkly blue-white lightning sparks everywhere. "Hello there, little princey~" General Zhang said with his trademark grin on his face. Oh god, that eel... He legit just casuallynded in the middle of both of them, destroying the ground beneath his feet as lightning sparks flew around his body. "You... White hair..." Ioriell''s eyes squinted upon seeing a new entrant, "are you the one who started this forest fire? My subordinates told me a certain white-haired pest was running around igniting explosives and killing elves." "Ooh~ I''m famous, yay." General Zhang smirked mockingly. "You shall pay for what you''ve done, alongside with that human friend of yours!" Ioriell cried out and dashed forward towards theid-back general. ''BANG!'' "What?" The elf prince frowned when a bullet pierced his right thigh, coloring his silky pants with the color of the wine that his brother loved so much. "Uh... Long time no see? What''s up?" I awkwardly said as my spot up in the tree was discovered. I was pretty strict on trigger discipline, but that eel must''ve purposely didn''t even try to dodge or block the attack so I would step in. Ioriell''s sword was literally just centimeters away from his neck. And yet, his face beamed with joy when he saw that I had fired my shot. That slippery eel! "...I thought you were the one manning the sniper up above, so it was the blonde one, huh?" Ioriell smirked, "great! Now all the participants are here!" "Skip the speech, we can''t waste a single second on the battlefield." I replied as I re-aimed my barrel towards him, already charging up for my second shot. "You''re right," Ioriell said before disappearing from my sight and reappearing again just inches from my face, too close for shooting, "and the same applies for you." ''STAB!'' Red blood trickled down the tree branch, and onto the ground. "I know. And I don''t waste any time." I grinned when I felt warm liquid epassed my hand. I had condensed my mana into the shape of a spearhead on my hand, just like what I did earlier during my training with Elena. I pierced his wrist that was holding a sword, stopping his movement, but also injuring my left shoulder in the process, since I wasn''t fast enough topletely dodge his swing. But all in all, not a bad effort, I''d say. Major improvement since thest time we faced him. But that might also be because he wasn''t activating his mana shield as much as before, which led me to believe that he might either be running out of mana and was trying to conserve it, or he was just careless, which seemed much less likely. Probably he needed his mana for something else? To save the forest maybe? "...You!" He growled and threw a punch at me. "Ack!" I frowned and bit my lips, bracing for impact. There was no way I''d be able to dodge his punch in this close of a distance. At least spare me a concussion! ''THUD!'' "Oy, oy~ Who told you that you can hurt my little cub?" General Zhang''s voice entered my ears, and oh god, never have I ever felt this relieved when hearing his voice. He caught Ioriell''s arm, and gripped it so hard that I could faintly hear cracking noises. "Your opponent is me, little princey~" Chapter 81: The hunt for the fallen prince (4) Chapter 81: The hunt for the fallen prince (4) "...Shall be it, then." The elf prince said in a low growl as his sword disintegrated into a whiff of glowy green smoke, which seeped right into his wounds on his hand and thigh. It seemingly formed a plug of some sort, seeing that the wound and the hole were now glued shut with a green-ish aura, not spilling any more drop of blood. "Ooh~ Using your mana to patch up your wound, huh? Not bad, you''re quite knowledgeable." General Zhang hummed while he cracked his knuckles, and immediately leapt forward to grab the elf prince''s long, flowing hair. ''BAM!'' ...And that, kids, was why you should always tie your hair back when you were on the battlefield. General Zhang smashed Ioriell''s face against his knee, and didn''t stop at that. One jab, two jabs, followed by a straight punch in the face and an uppercut aimed at the long-haired elf''s epigastrium. "Kkh--!" Ioriell grimaced and crossed both of his arms in front of his body in an attempt to shield himself against the iing blows. ''THUD!'' s, it only opened his waist for general Zhang''s kick to connect. The elf prince''s body went flying across the forest and crashed into a huge, burning oak tree. "My prince!" A nearby elf shouted, and came running to assist him. ''BANG!'' However, his attempt was cut short by my bullet which prated right through his back, and into his chest. That should be enough to disarm him, right? "Harith! No!" Ioriell cried out as he caught the fallen elf in his arms, "hold on, I got you!" The same glowy green puff of smoke came out of Ioriell''s fingers and into the young elf''s wound, patching it up until the blood stopped flowing outwards. "No, my prince... You need to save up your mana..." The young elf huffed and puffed, presumably because even though the wound had been patched up, the damage had been partially done. "No! I exist to protect you guys! So I shall use my mana, even if it means I can''t fight." Ioriell replied. "But, my prince... If you fail here, they will annihte us all, and the tragedy will happen all over again..." "Ugh--!" "Thank you, my prince... You--you have always been my, no, our hero, you know that?" Ah, so that was why he was conserving his mana. It turned out that he was saving it in case his subordinates needed healing. Damn, we really were the baddies, weren''t we? "Hey, eel. He''s healing his friends. Seems humane to me." I told general Zhang, but I didn''t lower my aim and was still prepared tounch another bullet, although I could feel my own mana diminishing. "That''s not healing, little cub. That''s just mana control," he exined, "it''s kind of like how you used your mana to form a stabby thingy earlier, but he used it to patch up the wounds, not healing them. It''s basically just band-aid with extra steps." "I--I mean, yes. But that''s not my point..." I sighed as my shoulders slumped down. To be honest, I was starting to feel conflicted about this whole thing. Even though I was used to killing humans, it didn''t mean that I enjoyed doing so. I was only doing that because I couldn''t do anything against it in the army, and I needed to do so to survive. In this case, the surviving part was still applicable, seeing that they were also aggressive towards us, but we could''ve picked a much more peaceful route like simply storming the minotaurs'' kingdom without having toe here, right? ''BANG!'' I fired another shot, which was instantly deflected by the prince''s shield. Finally, he was starting to use his shield again. I wasted no time and readjusted my aim towards another elf that was far from both the prince and the dying elf, and opened fire. This time, the prince didn''t use his shield and he let his subordinate take the bullet into her chest. I guess he finally realized that he couldn''t do this half-heartedly. "Oh? I thought you''d hesitate, little cub~" General Zhang grinned while he gave me some head pats. Ah, head pats sure were nice, especially in a situation like this. "I won''t. I don''t enjoy this route, but I won''t pick any other route if I was given the choice to," I exined, my breath starting to feel heavier than usual. Ugh, at this rate, my mana would be gone soon, "because this is the best route to ensure general Owen and general Enzo''s extraction, without having too many casualties on our side." "Mm-hmm. That''s my smart little cub. ording to your story, these elves can''t face those minotaurs without major casualties, too. So I think we''ve made the right choice~" General Zhang said as he ruffled my hair until it was messy. Well, I wouldn''t say our decision was right or wrong, and I wouldn''t even try to justify our actions. Yes, wemitted bad things, and yes, it was for our own selfish gain, which was to get our friends back and secure a ce for us humans. But if we were to see it from the elves'' perspective, for example, we were definitely the baddies. Just like how we perceive them as our enemy for wanting revenge upon us. "Die." ''FWOOP!'' My eyes went wide when I noticed that a sword was barely touching my eyeball. "Pay attention. You almost lost an eye there, little cub." General Zhang''s voice was low and husky when he alerted me about the situation. I leapt backwards and saw that the elf prince had stood up and abandoned the young elf on the ground, bleeding from the hole on his chest. Judging by his arm posture, he had just thrown his magic sword at me, and fortunately, general Zhang was there to grab it before I lost my ability to see. "Ugh!" Just as I was about to aim my rifle at the prince, he dashed in a zig-zag motion and quickly closed the distance between us. Seeing that, I activated my psychokinesis skill to grab a nearby burning branch and tried to puncture him using the branch, which failed miserably due to his tremendous strength. "This is for killing Harith!" He held out his arm, and his sword re-materialized in his hands again. Ah, the beauty of using magic. ''BAM!'' This time, I hit my own body with a huge, ming branch to propel myself out of harm''s way. To my surprise, it didn''t hurt that much. Might be because of my physique statbined with my new armor and my fighting dirty skill. Neat. I quickly rolled on the ground and got up on my feet. But Ioriell was also quick. He was already rushing me with his sword in his hand. I responded by raising the ground beneath him using my skill to throw him off bnce. And with perfect timing, general Emilio swooped in with his spear. Heunched a few thrusts that Ioriell managed to evade. "Ha! You won''t hit me like this!" The elf prince shouted confidently, albeit having his body covered with sweat already. Might be due to the heat, the stress of fighting and mana consumption, or abination of the three of them. "I know." General Emilio replied shortly, and tackled Ioriell with his body, hard. Right upon contact, general Emilio raised his quills, and pierced holes upon the elf king''s body, be it through his chest, arms, or legs. "Ugh!" ...Or so I thought. I watched in surprise when I saw that although some of the quills managed to pierce him, but something also pierced general Emilio. Only Ioriell''s arms and legs were pierced by the quills, while his trunk area was safe, since apparently, Ioriell was quick enough to slice the quills that were about to pierce his vital areas. The thing that concerned me the most though, was the sword that shed general Emilio''s left nk. "Hey! Over here!" I shouted and used my psychokinesis skill to yeet general Emilio away as far as possible towards somewhere that wasn''t burning. After that, I quickly sprinted towards Ioriell and engaged him in closebat. I wasn''t the best at close-rangedbat, but I did receive some training during my time serving the army. I purposely targeted his injured area, which was his thigh, arm, and of course, his epigastrium. His epigastrium area might look fine, but considering the blow he received from general Zhang earlier, it shouldn''t be in very good shape. "Ha. Quite frantic now that your friend is down, aren''t you?" Ioriell snickered while he parried all of my blows. "On the contrary--" ''BAM!'' "--I''m bing even more careful than before." I finished my sentence with a palm strike on his left ear. "Ugh--!" He winced a bit as his bnce started to shift. That was why targeting the ear was a pretty op move in realbat. "Luke!" I called out as a familiar white snake materialized in front of me, and lunged towards Ioriell, mping his teeth tightly on the elf prince''s neck until the veins around it started to darken with a hint of purple. "Gah! How deceitful of you!" Ioriell cursed as he shed Luke''s slender snakey body, but failed to do so as I immediately withdrew him, making his body disappear into a puff of smoke. "Who said I fight clean?" I replied as I concentrated my mana to the tips of my fingers, forming sharp nails. I had ordered Luke to stay inside so I could conserve more mana, seeing that I had been exerting my mana greatly right from the moment we started shooting the elves at the tower, during the first confrontation with Ioriell, and now during our second confrontation. To bepletely honest, my mana was already on the verge of exhaustion, but I couldn''t give up just like this. I had to smartly utilize each and everyst drop of it, hence why I only formed sharp nails instead of a proper dagger or spearhead. ''Thud!'' "Ugh!" I groaned when Ioriell grabbed my hand that was about to stab his neck, and pulled me closer until we were just an arm''s length apart. "I also don''t fight clean, human." He sneered and summoned his sword once again, preparing to inflict a fatal stab wound on me, judging by this distance. "Good. Neither do I." I pulled out my rifle with my other hand, and pointed it at a point-nk range upon his face. If it was this close, he shouldn''t be able to use his shield, right? Finally, I had been waiting to get a chance to shoot him up close. "Come!" He taunted me as he thrust his sword upon my god-knows-what. I couldn''t be bothered to check where he was going for at this point. I charged up a condensed mana bullet, the strongest one I could muster, and aimed right between his eyes. There was no way I''d miss in this range. ''BANG!'' ''SHHKK!'' Chapter 82: The hunt for the fallen prince (5) Chapter 82: The hunt for the fallen prince (5) Silence. That was it. There were no sounds other than the crackling sound of dying, falling trees that failed to hold onto its life for more than a few hours. Strange. I was sure I heard my rifle went off, and I even heard the sound of air splitting when Ioriel swung his sword. And yet, how could the both of us be uninjured? "My, my, how energetic~" General Zhang''s deep, husky voice made me turn my head to my left, where I saw him trotting slowly over here. "What did you do?" The elf prince growled, and extended his arm towards the smiling white-haired man. It was then that I noticed his sword was gone. He tried to materialize the sword back again, but for some reason, the glowy green smoke just swirled around for a few seconds, before finally diminishing into nothing. Not even a speck of dust. I scanned his body from top to bottom, but I found no signs of my condensed mana bullet hitting him. I flew my gaze to the areas around him, but still, no signs of my stray bullet whatsoever. How could I miss from that range? And how could he also miss? "I''m ying referee, that''s all." General Zhang chuckled in delight. "What trick are you pulling, human?" The elf prince shouted in a low growl. I had no idea what was going on, and I was on the verge of losing my conscience from loss of mana, but rather than listening to some viiny speech, now was the perfect chance to strike. ''BANG!'' I instantly opened fire again, this time with just a normal mana bullet because I legit couldn''t muster up another condensed mana bullet and still be standing upright after that. ''Shing!'' Ioriell put up his mana shield again, but this time, only for a split second upon contact with my bullet. He immediately dropped it afterwards for some odd reason. What was going on? "Oof, little cub, you might want to cut down on your mana consumption," general Zhang chuckled and tapped my shoulder, "go and rest. I''ll take it from here. You did great." "What?" I raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, Ioriellunched a high kick towards general Zhang''s left temple without warning. I guess he was thinking the same thing as me, that this was the perfect opportunity to strike instead of exchanging banters. "Nope. Denied." General Zhang casually said as he stopped the kick. Or rather, the kick stopped by itself without general Zhang having to defend against it. "What is this? A barrier? No..." Ioriell questioned with a bewildered look on his face. "Huh? But it is, princey~ It''s just like your wind ''barrier'' that you used~" General Zhang hummed, "you concentrated your wind magic in the shape of a dome, making it look and function like how a barrier would." "So you noticed." The elf prince replied with a frown. "Of course. That''s not barrier magic. I''ve seen barrier magic," general Zhang exined, "you just did some fancy trick, and so did I~" Ah yes, Dmitri was a barrier magic user, wasn''t he? I didn''t even notice the difference... "I thought your element was lightning?" Ioriell questioned. Yeah, I thought so, too? "That''s true, but right now I can also do wind magic," he turned to look at me and winked, "am I a ''man who can do both'' yet, little cub?" "No. That''s still not how it works..." I sighed. How could he still crack jokes in a situation like this? "How can you have two elements at once, human?" The growingly impatient elf prince inquired further. "That''s none of your business. Besides, a man needs to have some mysteries, right?" General Zhang chuckled lightly, "now get behind me, little cub. Let me show you how I take care of things." I was going to retort because I thought it would be better to gang up on Ioriell rather than dramatically attacking one by one, but when I felt the sudden mana surgeing from general Zhang, I felt like my words were stuck alongside my breaths inside my throat. My eyes went wide as every part of my body tensed up. My instinct screamed at me to run away, but my legs wouldn''t move an inch. Just as my body started to tremble, I felt a gentle pat on my head. "Don''t be scared. I''m not here to hurt you." General Zhang whispered in my ear, and suddenly, I felt something running inside my veins, inside my body and into my soul. It felt strangely pleasant. Kind of like how it felt when my brigade that was stranded for days without much water and food on our hands, finally stumbled upon a clear stream of water. It was so pleasantly satisfying, as if we had finally found our lifeline, that we refused to leave that spot for days. I reached out to grab his shirt by reflex, and stopped him from going away. I liked this feeling. Don''t go. "Eh?" His surprised voice alerted me, and snapped me out of my trance. "Eh? Ah-- sorry!" I flinched and immediately jumped back in embarrassment. Huh, I could move my legs now? Neat. He stared at me for a second or two in confusion, before finally grinning and pinched my cheek, "I''lle back in a bit. Wait here, okay?" I was too stunned and befuddled to properly process what was going on. So instead, I shifted my focus on the elf prince who seemed to be taking a defensive stance, wary of the strange white-haired man. Sweats were running down his face, and his eyes ceased to blink, probably not wanting to let this mysterious general off his sight even for a second. Made me wonder, did I also look like that? "Your sword, your power, and my little cub''s bullet," general Zhang slowly said as he took one step, two steps towards the trembling elf prince, "I''ll return everything to you." Silence. ''BOOM!'' A sh of light tickled my vision for what seemed like a hundredth of a second, before the loud booming sound painted the night air, leaving a loud, ringing noise in my ears. What was that, a grenade!? Sure sounded like one, at least. I instinctively dropped and ttened my body on the ground, just like what I was taught to do when encounteringmon grenades. Fortunately, I felt no heat, no sharp pain, or even anything, at all. Nothing touched me. ...But how? Even if nothing hit me, shouldn''t I at least feel the heat from the explosion or something? Or maybe, at the very least, my eardrums would''ve been gone now, right? I slowly opened my eyes with a little squint to make sure that there was no dangerous debris flying around before I fully opened them. "Awake now, little cub?" A figure was crouching next to me, and even without fully seeing it, I immediately knew who it was. The shameless eel. "What did you do?" I asked as I fully opened my eyes and sat up, looking around for some clues on what just happened. "It''s done. You''re fine, I put up a ''barrier'' for you earlier." He grinned mischievously. "Done? You mean the elf prince?" I hurriedly got up and lifted my rifle again, charging it up with mana... Wait, I had an abundance of mana now. I no longer felt as if my mana pool was about to be as dry as the Sahara desert. How did that eel do this? Healing spell? "Calm down, little cub. No need to be so tense all the time~" General Zhang said as he got up and patted my shoulder, "sometimes you just need to enjoy the show, you know?" "Is he dead already?" I questioned with a nervous look, because I still couldn''t spot the elf prince''s body through the thick smoke that wafted in the air as a result of the explosion from earlier. "No. I made sure he isn''t dead yet." General Zhang said with a small grin, but instead of a happy, casual grin, it looked more like a sinister one. "...Why?" I asked. "Well, follow me," he replied, "oi, porcupine! You shoulde, too! You''re okay-ish now, rightttt~?" Oh, right, general Emilio! I looked in the direction of where I yeeted him earlier, and found him walking towards us with the help of his spear as a makeshift crutch. He had tied a cloth over his wound on his left nk, and although the cloth was soaked with blood, at least it seemed like the bleeding already lessened. "Yeah," general Emilio replied concisely as always, "let''s end that elf prince and get this over with." I nodded and we both followed general Zhang into the thick smoke. "Hey, eel. You said you can use wind magic now. Can''t you just blow this smoke away?" I asked while still keeping my finger on the trigger, just in case something jumped at us. "I can''t now." He chuckled. Huh? He couldn''t? ...Wait. Now that I carefully thought about it, I think I finally understood how his ''magic'' worked. But the thing is, didn''t humans only have one magic? If his magic was transforming into a body of water, then what was this? "Ah, there he is." General Zhang pped his hands together in delight when he saw the elf prince''s unmoving body, covered with blood all over. His limbs weren''t in good shape, either. He was missing his right leg, and his arms were twisted in the wrong direction. "...Are you sure he''s alive?" I grimaced. As much as I was familiar with this, seeing this happen to anyone still wasn''t something I''d rejoice upon. "Of course, he''s alive," general Zhang crouched beside Ioriell''s body, "I kept him alive so you can rip his heart out, after all." Chapter 83: The hunt for the fallen prince (6) Chapter 83: The hunt for the fallen prince (6) "You want me to literally take his heart out?" I cocked my head to the side, wanting to confirm what I had just heard. "Yeah. Didn''t you say that the elf king told you that''s how it should be done?" General Zhang chuckled at me, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, technically, yes," I looked around, searching for a certain blue-eyed kid who hadn''t appeared yet ever since we started fighting, "but shouldn''t we wait for Jeanne and Firiell? I mean, that little girl is the only one who can extract the crest, right?" "Ah yes, speaking of which, where''s Jean-jean?" General Zhang wondered. General Emilio started to look around us, seemingly trying to detect any signs of people near us. While he was busy scanning our surroundings, I opened my mentalist skill to check if her name showed up in my list of people. If it did, that would mean that Jeanne was within 1 km from us. [Ding!] A familiar screen popped up in front of my face as I tried to not make it obvious that I was looking at an invisible screen. "Huh?" I mumbled in confusion. And no, it wasn''t because her name wasn''t there. It was kinda expected, to be honest. If she was around us this whole time, she''d already been intervening in our fight from long ago. General Zhang probably wouldn''t have had to use his weird ''magic''. So it made sense that she might be quite far away, preupied with something unprecedented. However, I noticed a peculiar thing. In the very short list of names, I could only see 2 names, those being general Emilio''s and general Zhang''s. ...I guess I was the one being weird. Not a single elf''s name was listed here, but that kind of made sense when I thought about it. The skill description only stated ''someone'', so I thought it might work for elves, but I forgot that this system was kinda wack, and it had always favored human wellbeing, for some reason. I let out a mildly annoyed sigh, and slumped my shoulders. "I don''t think Jeanne and Firiell are around here," I told the group, "did something urgente up?" "She better not be captured." General Emilio frowned. "Nah, I doubt it. She shouldn''t be captured that easily." I replied nonchntly. Wait, unless...? "No no, wait. I take that back. She shouldn''t be captured that easily if she''s alone." I sighed. "That''s the problem. Most likely, something happened to that kid," general Emilio clicked his tongue in annoyance, "hurry up and take his heart out. Or are you scared to do it?" "Sheesh, okay, okay. I can do it." I pouted at him and crouched near the dying elf king''s body. Well, if possible, I would like to do this in a more... Neat manner, but what could I say? We were in a rush since Jeanne and Firiell went ''bye felicia''. "Just one..." "Huh?" I flinched when I heard Ioriell''s voice suddenly appeared, although I barely recognized it. It sounded so hoarse, and the words that came out of his mouth more closely resembled a gurgle rather than a sentence. He ever so slowly raised his beaten-down arm that was charred and bloody, and reached out for something behind me. I looked at his eyes that were half-open and cloudy, as if he wasn''t here anymore. Normally, I wouldn''t take any chances and would immediately stop his arm, but he looked so... Content? It was as if I was the dangerous one here. "One what?" I whispered to him, leaning closer to hear his dying words just in case he was going to say something else. "One... Life..." ''STAB!'' I held my breath and immediately lodged my palms that I''ve coated with mana into his chest, but just slightly off from where his heart should be. "Kkh--!" He gagged and struggled to breathe as blood gushed out of his chest. Ah, I didn''t want to do this, but after hearing that cryptic message, how could I not? He could be wanting to end another ''one life'', right? "Brutal~" General Zhang hummed as he saw me crouching here, all bloody from the elf prince''s freshly cut wound. "Don''t stare." I pouted and pulled out my hand. Gah, this was going to be messy. Iid his now unmoving body t on the ground properly and took off his upper clothes, before starting to cut open his chest right in the middle, from right around where his vicle met, all the way down to the bottom of his chest. "Man, this dude''s physique is tough," I groaned, "hey eel, lend me your hand. Cut his bones for me." "Sure~" I grabbed his hand and after I saw his mana formed a sharp knife on his hand, I guided it to cut the elf prince''s bones apart, until I could see a weakly beating thing inside his chest. "Hey, quick! I think it''s about to stop beating for real. Do we cut the whole thing or..?" I frantically looked at general Zhang and general Emilio, waiting for their decision. "Not sure. You didn''t say anything about it, little cub. Just take the whole thing, I guess." General Zhang shrugged. "Okay, okay." I took a deep breath, before messily cutting around the beating organ, trying my best to avoid breaking it apart as best as I could... Well, I was proud to say that I failed miserably at trying to make it ''neat''. I was no heart surgeon. "You''re suspiciously calm." General Emilio suddenly piped in. "Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at him for a second, before shifting my attention towards the messy organ that was halfway out of Ioriell''s body. "You''ve killed a human before, haven''t you?" He asked. "Yeah, and so have you," I answered quickly, "hey, eel! Where do I put this?" I asked with a frown as I showed him the freshly-cut heart. "And it looks like you have a high kill count." General Emilio continued. "I do. I don''t keep track of it, but I know I do." I replied while I watched the heart slowly stopped beating. One beat, a long pause, then a second beat, then a longer pause... "Howe? What did you do beforeing here?" He inquired further. "Listen, I would love to tell you, but I think we should hurry and--" ''Thump.'' Huh? ''Thump.'' Whose heart was it? I took a nce at the heart that was in my hand, but it was positively dead after holding on for so long. No movements whatsoever, much less any beatings. ''Thump.'' Then where did that thumping sounde from? ''THUD!'' As my vision went dark and I felt the ashy ground touched my limp body, there was only one thing on my mind. Ah, it was my own heart. -------- ''Mooooo~'' ...A cow? I opened my eyes and was immediately greeted by a blinding light,ing from the bright blue sky above me. Strange, wasn''t everything covered in smoke a while ago? ''Mooooooooooo~'' Why was there a cow here? Wasn''t this the forest? ...Ah! I must''ve fainted and probably those generals brought me somewhere else. Mm-hmm, that was the only logical exnation. Now, where was I? And where was everyone? My head moved to the left and right, and I observed my surroundings while checking if there were any familiar faces nearby. Nah, none. Not even that slippery eel. Probably they went ahead to search for Jeanne? Ugh, so I was left alone... And with a cow. ''Mooo~'' The cow inched closer at me and nudged my hand that was apparently carrying a handful of hay. With one more happy moo, the cow started nibbling on it. Huh, I just noticed that I had a bunch of hay in my hand. Weird, did they purposely slip these into my hand for giggles? Or did I sleepwalk and took some hay? I had never been diagnosed with sleepwalking before, though. My left hand moved and started to stroke the cow''s head, sometimes gently patting it as it nibbled merrily on the hay. ...Wait, wait, wait. I didn''t move my hand. I was nning on scratching the cow, yes, but the one who moved my hand just now wasn''t me. The hell? ''Tap, tap.'' This time, my legs were the ones who moved by themselves. They took me to the cow''s drinking fountain, and my body bent over to pick up a bucket as I filled it with fresh, flowing water. God, this was freaky. Was I possessed? Was I dreaming? I tried my best to move just my thumb, but it wouldn''t work. I couldn''t even look around unless my body moved my head by itself. Argh, possession magic!? Did it trigger upon the elf prince''s death? Stats. Stats? Skill. Inventory. Shop! I tried to shout those words, but as expected, nothing came out. I tried repeating them over and over again in my head, but not even one screen popped up. I was starting to miss those weird screens. "Big brother Ioriell!" Ioriell? That elf prince? "There you are! I''ve been looking for you everywhere!" My body turned around, facing a beautiful elfdy who had long, shiny yellow hair that framed her delicate facial features. She was wearing a beautiful dark green robe,plete with a matching hair essory, tying her wavy hair into a half-updo. "Have you been tending to the cattle all this time?" She giggled and a light pink blush decorated her cheeks. Truly stunning, even for an elf''s standard. I didn''t even get the chance to respond when my lips moved by their own, "yes, sister Edelweiss. What do you need me for?" And then I felt my lips curl upwards and my eyelids squishing together, forming a happy smile. Oh gosh, was I watching a rey of that elf prince''s memory while being in his body!? Chapter 84: The princes heart (1) Chapter 84: The prince''s heart (1) "Father called us. He told us to be there at the dining room by 8." The stunningdy in front of me said as she hopped and skipped towards me. "But dear sister, the sun is still up there, eagerly ring at us." My lips intricately moved as I heard a small chuckle escape my lips. Ah, this felt so freaky. Rather than me feeling like I was watching a movie, it felt more like being trapped in a lucid dream or something. It felt so wrong to not be able to move my own body... Well, it wasn''t exactly ''mine'', now that I thought about it. While I was feeding and giving water to the cow, I noticed that my arms were way thicker and more muscr than usual, even though my muscles were already pretty definedpared to mostdies in their twenties. Not only that, but I could see strands of silky golden hair that flowed with the wind as my body twirled. But, if I really was inside his body, then... Oh gosh, what should I do if he were to go to pee!? "Yes, big brother Ioriell. It is indeed a beautiful sunny day," she giggled, and now I understood why Firiell''s father fell for her melodiousugh, "and that''s why Father thought you might enjoy yourself too much and lose track of time again, like usual." "Haha! There''s always something to do under the sun! Nature never ceases to give." I, or rather, Ioriell said whileughing happily. "As expected of you, big brother," she reciprocated hisugh, "oh, right! Would you fancy some rye cookies? I''m nning to make some!" She said as she brought her palms together in delight. "Absolutely! Your desserts are the best!" Ioriell said with a grin, or at least, I felt my lips pulling themselves upwards. "Okay. I''ll bring them to you after I finish baking them," she nodded, "I shall be making some for big brother Erenduill, too. He seems so busy training and studying these days..." "Of course he is, Edelweiss. Big brother is going to take over the throne someday," Ioriell exined while patting his little sister''s head, "it''s still a long time until Father steps down, though. But, I understand that he wants to prepare as much as possible. Even so, he should take care of his health more, that little perfectionist." "Uh-huh! That''s why I thought some cookies might help, since big brother Erenduill often neglects his supper!" Edelweiss nodded profusely, her cheeks tinted pink and her smile reached her eyes. "You''re too kind to us, Edelweiss." Ioriell let out a small chuckle. "Isn''t it the other way around, though? Both of you have always let me have my way~" Edelweiss teased Ioriell with a little pinch on his cheek. Our cheek. Yep, positively hurt. I still retained my full senses, apparently. "Haha! That''s true. If only you''re not my dear sister, I wouldn''t have let you get together with that man." Ioriell teased her back, also pinching her soft cheeks. Gosh, she needed to drop her skincare routine for us peasants. "You said that just because you don''t know him that well yet~ He''s a gentle, kind, andpassionate man, you know! Unlike you who''s only nice to us elves!" She pouted as she defended the man that I presumed to be Firiell''s father. Yyyyeah, girl, you might want to take that statement back. "What''s wrong with prioritizing our kind?" Ioriell sulked. "Nature loves every living being, and gives to every living being," Edelweiss said with her soft, soothing voice, "I want to learn to do that, too. I believe that if we were to discriminate among species, it will only bring ruin to everyone." "That is true. However, not every species would agree to that," Ioriell smiled, but I could feel that this smile was weak, forced, even, "and the one who concedes first, the one who trusts first, will be the one who falls first." Edelweiss returned his weak smile with her own, brighter one, "but if no one wants to be the first one to trust, there won''t be any change, right?" Ioriell paused for a second, before finally sighing and pinching both of her cheeks softly, "your positivity is so hard to beat, you know that?" "Hehe~ You know that''s exactly why you love me. Both of you are too gloomy." Edelweiss giggled, not even trying to remove Ioriell''s hands from her cheeks. "I''m not gloomy," Ioriell huffed, but then smiled affectionately, "now, run along. Your dear human must be waiting for you over at theke." After finishing his sentence, I could feel my--our hands lifting up to gently usher her along. "Geez, big brother. Stop calling him ''human'', he has a name, you know?" Edelweiss pouted as she turned around and walked away from me--us. Ah, this was confusing! "Sure, sure. I''ll call him by his name when I want to." Ioriell waved his hand and walked back towards the clueless cow that was busy grazing. "Meanie~" Edelweiss gave us onest tease before walking away with little happy hops. After Edelweiss left, my body continued to move by itself, doing various routines. From feeding and brushing the cows and horses, milking the cows, shearing the sheep, to picking fruits from the forest. What was this, a crossover episode? "There, there, Annie. The weather today is splendid, isn''t it? Are you enjoying our stroll?" Ioriell said as he stroked the light brown horse that he brought with us on our fruit-picking journey into the forest. He didn''t ride it, though. He just brought it along for some reason. The horse neighed in delight and rubbed its nose against Ioriell''s cheek, which earned it a giggle from this body''s owner. "Haha! I see that you''re having fun! Me too, Annie, me too." Ioriell responded with a chirpy tone. As Ioriell continued to speak with his horse that was called ''Annie'' in a way you would normally talk to your friend, I took the time to carefully piece together my information. Uh, let''s see... First, this must either be me going schizophrenic, or some kind of effect caused by the crest. Hopefully it was thetter. That damn elf king, he must''ve purposely hidden this from us. Second, ording to the timeline, it seemed that we were still quite far away from the day of the ''massacre''. If what Firiell and those elves said was true, then it should happen sometime after the elves let the humans in, right? But from the exchange that happened between Ioriell and Edelweiss earlier, it seemed like Firiell''s boyfriend hadn''t been epted by the locals yet. Third, well, Firiell''s mother sure was beautiful. "Annie,e here," Ioriell''s voice snapped me out of my deep thought, "lend me your back, will you? Let''s get some of that red follberry up there." ''Neighhh!'' My body tapped Annie''s side twice, before mounting its back. After standing on its back, which was dangerous, by the way, my hand extended towards the tree branch that was bearing some scarlet, shiny round fruits. ''Tap!'' "There we go." Ioriell smiled as he jumped down from her back. ''Neighh~'' "Thank you for your help, Annie!" Ioriell patted her mane, "although this isn''t much, but at least we can bring something for the vigers." Ioriell smiled weakly before stuffing the fruits he had just picked into a neatly woven bag that was hung around the horse''s body. "Huff..." He sighed as he wiped the sweats that were starting to form on his forehead, "maybe we should take it easy on the foraging. I feel like nature needs some rest." ''Neighh.'' "Aww, you think so, too? Well, the nts have been producing less and lesstely, but at the same time, I''m confused on what I should do to help our vigers," Ioriell chuckled, "I guess I just have to do my best to serve the vigers! After all, my brother is also working hard every second to get stronger. I should be doing what I do best, too!" Huh. So that angry elf prince was once a hopeful, hardworking young man. Oh poor young Ioriell, if only you knew what would happen... "Alright, Annie! The sky''s orange now, you know what that means," Ioriell said as he tapped the horse''s side twice, "let''s walk home and share what we found." ''Neighhh~'' The horse purred happily while it walked alongside Ioriell. As expected, they cared a lot about nature, from the animals to the nts. It was as if they saw nature as a person, as an equal. Instead of bringing the horse as a mode of transportation, he brought it here as a friend who just happened to help by carrying the loots. And instead of blindly plucking fruits, berries, and leaves, he took into consideration the amount he took, and did not forget to re-nt some seeds. ...If only us humans would care just half as much as them. Well, I shouldn''t be the one talking, since I also contributed a lot to destroying nature. We walked for a while without much talking. Instead, my head sometimes moved from left to right, up and down, and my gaze flew wherever the sunlight touched. asionally, my body would take a deep, satisfying breath filled with the smell of fresh grass mixed with the sweet smell of flowers. I could get used to this. Appreciating nature sure felt good, and peaceful. "Big brotheeeerrrr~!" A feminine, chirpy voice caught my attention as my head followed the direction of the voice to find two people standing near the vige''s gate. One of them had distinctive, long, flowy yellow hair, and she was ecstatically waving at us. The other one, however, the one who was standing right next to Edelweiss, was a new figure that I saw for the first time. A tall, well-built man wearing abat suit with a neat, ginger ponytail, was smiling at us. Chapter 85: The princes heart (2) Chapter 85: The prince''s heart (2) "Big brother! Over here!" Although Edelweiss'' cheery voice should''ve struck joy inside me, I couldn''t help but pour my attention towards the man, instead. No doubt, he must be Firiell''s father. He was obviously human, judging by his not-so-pointy ears and his different way of dressingpared to the elves. Furthermore, those striking sky blue eyes looked exactly just like Firiell''s. "Edelweiss." Ioriell replied concisely, bearing a tiny smile on his face. His body tensed up upon seeing the redheaded man, hardening the fact that he still wasn''tfortable being around a human. The owner of the name that he had just called came running over to him, carrying a small, brown pouch withce details on it. "Here, big brother! I''ve finished baking the cookies!" Edelweiss said as she excitedly handed the pouch over to Ioriell, "it took me longer than usual, because I tried adding a new, extra ingredient today!" "You did? Thank you~" Ioriell giggled lightly as he pulled the drawstring on the pouch, opening it and taking a peek at the content, "what did you add?" "Try it and guess!" Edelweiss said with a bright smile and a tint of rosy blush on her cheeks. Ioriell nodded and picked up a piece of the modified rye cookies. As he was bringing the cookie closer to his mouth, I noticed that Edelweiss'' eyes were gleaming with excitement, just like how Firiell was when we first met her. Their resemnce truly was uncanny. ''Crunch!'' Oh? Nice, I could also feel the cookie. Although I didn''t expect much from a rye cookie, it surprisingly tasted pretty delicious. At least, way better than that cafeteria food back in the Vanguard. Ah, it felt great to still have my five senses intact. This kinda tasted familiar, though... "How is it? How is it? Is it better than before?" As Ioriell kept munching, he was rained with questions from his dear sister. "Yes. It''s way tastier now," Ioriell gulped and took another bite, "what did you put in here?" "Hehehe~ It''s chocte! Edmond brought it for me as a gift! Isn''t he so caring?" Edelweiss giggled as she made little jumps while talking about her lover. So his name was Edmond, huh? Definitely human-sounding, yep... Wait, that was pretty discriminating of me. I shouldn''t make assumptions based on names alone. "Chocte? That''s pretty rare around here. Where did he get some?" Ioriell asked as I felt my brows curled into a frown. "He got it from his town. He said that their town has plenty of rare ingredients like this!" Edelweiss exined, "this pouch is also from him. See thece? Apparently, this pattern is currently popr in his town. Isn''t it so beautiful?" "But if he''s so resourceful, how could he end up getting lost in the forest with no food or drink whatsoever?" Ioriell questioned. Ah, I presumed he was talking about when Edelweiss first met the dude. Firiell did say that her father was found barely alive in the forest by her mother, after all. "Big brother,e on, he was studying the wildlife! He said he gave all of his provisions to a pack of hungry deers." Edelweiss pouted. "But... Normally, wouldn''t one also bring some kind of meat? Deers don''t eat meat." Ioriell inquired further. Yep, yep. That was true. Tell her, Ioriell! "He must''ve eaten the meat part already, silly brother!" Instead of realizing her lover''s tantly bad lies, she hit Ioriell lightly with a giggle, as if what Edmond did was something cute. Nah, girl. Open your eyes, please. A pitiful sigh escaped Ioriell''s mouth as he patted his sister''s head, seemingly giving up on convincing his sister that her lover was as suspicious as a toddler who was caught sneaking a candy. "Alright, alright, thank you for the cookies anyway." He said with a small grin, although apanied by a slight frown. "Hehe, make sure to finish everything!" Edelweiss pped her hands together, "oh, right. Edmond asked if you would like to join us in the pce kitchen for dinner tonight? We''re nning to cook the course for today''s dinner and surprise Father!" Ioriell''s eyes darted towards the ponytailed man that was standing a bit further back from them, and was greeted with a warm smile and a wave. Man, he really looked harmless, though. He got these downturned eyes with beautiful, curledshes that were even visible from here, and although he had a sharp jawline and a toned body, his rxed gesture made him came across as friendly. He sure got great control over his bodynguage. He would be perfect as a corrupt politician. "Sorry, but I''ll pass. You two can go have fun, alright?" Ioriell replied as he gave Edelweiss onest head ruffle before walking past her and towards the town''s gate. "Aw, alright..." As Ioriell walked towards the town''s gate, he passed Edmond on the way, as well. Both of them didn''t greet each other, but they both acknowledged each other''s existence with a simple nod. Edmond threw him a smile, but Ioriell only replied with one raised brow. Ack, this was kinda awkward, but okay. Thank god it wasn''t actually my body. I felt like I was ying that ''girlfriend''s mean brother'' role, you know? After exchanging greetings with the elf guards at the gate, we trotted inside and immediately headed over past the bustling town hall and marketce that was filled with elves of various ages. Most of them recognized us and greeted us in various ways, from a simple bow to small talks. I guess Ioriell was the friendly, viger-oriented prince, huh? During our trip, I managed to pick up on a few things. The town itself wasn''t really big or advanced. As expected, they seemed to be living in barely okay conditions. Their houses and stalls were constructed either using abination of y, straws, and bamboo, or if it was in the fancier area, woods and bricks. I saw exactly zero building that was built using cement, and absolutely zero paved roads. Nada. But it wasn''t like it was apletely bad thing. If you pretend like you were taking a trip to the countryside to connect with nature, it would make a nice vacation spot. But if it reminded you of that vige in a third-world country that you once stepped foot in to wreak havoc just because your colonel needed you to, it might not be as pleasant. And unfortunately, I was thetter type. After passing a few more houses, our body finally stopped in front of arge, gated building. But by gated, I meant more like having a beaten down low wooden fence that was covered with moss and overgrownwn. In the corner of my eyes, I could barely make out the words ''something something orphanage''. The other word was unfamiliar to me, so I wasn''t able to recognize it with only a quick nce. "It''s Pwince Iowiell!" A high-pitched, enthusiastic voice came from the building''s open window. Well, more like a broken window, I guess. The window frame was intact, although wonky, but it had no ss or something else to cover the frame. It must''ve been extra windy and cold during the night with a hole like that in the middle of the wall... "Nym! How have you been, my little hero?" Ioriell greeted the little elf boy who was running towards him with open arms, ready for an embrace. "We missed you, Pwince Iowiell! Hehehehe!" "Come here, you little brave hero!" Ioriell picked up the boy using both of his hands, and swung him around in the air a few times, as if imitating a flying motion. "Kyahahah!" The boy''s giggle tickled a soft spot inside my heart, and now I wanted to have some kids, too. Dang. Too bad no one would want to have a kid with me, though. And I wasn''t ready to take care of one, anyway. For now, I shall be satisfied with admiring this bubbly little boy from afar. Or near, I guess, since I was basically inside this elf prince''s body. "Hey, where''s the jacket that I bought you a week ago?" Ioriell asked as he inspected the little boy''s outfit. He was wearing a ragged cloth, filled with small holes here and there, that was a mix of beige, brown, and yellow. From the looks of it, it seemed that the shirt started as a white tee, but over time, umted stains until it looked like this. "Oh, I lent it to baby Nast night. She wouldn''t stop shivewing, and I was worried because she was stawting to stop cwying... Usually, she''s a vewy active baby." Nym answered as he put a finger on his little dry lips, looking worried. "She did?" Ioriell''s voice was tinted with a hint of urgency, "then good job. You''re a great big brother, Nym. You tried your best to keep your sister safe." He smiled and snuggled the little boy closer. "Hehe, am I a cool superhero yet?" Nym asked with a giggle. "Of course you are. You''re our little hero." Ioriell answered. "Prince Ioriell! Wee!" Another child elf came running towards us, and this time, she brought along a few of her friends. They appeared to be slightly older than Nym, probably around 5-7 years in human age. "Hey there, Leia! Phaerl, Barael, you came, too!" Ioriell happily approached them and crouched down until he was on the same eye level with the children. "Yep! We''ve been waiting for you, Prince Ioriell!" The little girl in the middle jumped around while throwing her hands into the air. "Yeah, you promised that we''ll y hide and seek the next time youe!" The boy on the left chimed in. "You won''t break your promise, right? You said that breaking promises is bad. And you''ve never broken a single promise with us!" The other boy continued. "Yes, yes. I''ll y with you," Ioriellughed, and this time, I could feel that his eyes also smiled, "but let me discuss some things with Mom first, okay?" Chapter 86: The princes heart (3) Chapter 86: The prince''s heart (3) "Okay!" The three of them chirped in unison as they started to discuss among themselves, what game to y after hide-and-seek. "Now wait here, okay? I shall go talk to Mom for a bit," Ioriell chuckled and lowered the giggling little boy down on the ground, "look after Nym for me, okay?" "Alright, Prince Ioriell! Don''t worry, we will watch after him diligently!" "Good." Ioriell smiled and got up, straightened his robe, and went inside the building through the tattered door. ''Creaaaak.'' The sharp creaking sound of the front porch and the door made me flinch a bit, but fortunately, it wasn''t my body, so it was just a metaphorical flinch at best. I had always hated those creaking sounds, because so many of my friends died just because they stepped on a creaky floorboard and got noticed by the enemy. "Ah, Prince Ioriell, you''re here?" A familiar voice came from the right side, along with a waft of delicious, peppery smell. ...Wait, wait. Familiar? I didn''t know anyone here except for that insane elf king, so how? "Harith. What are you cooking?" Ioriell greeted the young teenage elf with a small wave as he stepped inside the small, venttioncking kitchen. So much for fire hazards. But waaaait again. Harith? I felt like I had heard his name somewhere... "I''m making the usual grilled tofu soup, alongside some sweet potatoes!" The young elf answered with a bright smile as he continued to stir the steaming pot, "here, try it!" The elf called ''Harith'' took a wooden spoon and scooped a little bit of the soup from the pot, and blew on it a few times before handing the spoon to us. Right when Ioriell took a sip from it, I could also hop along on the tasting train. It tasted... nd. "You''re improving, Harith," Ioriell said as he patted Harith''s back a few times whileughing, "it tastes better than before now!" Better than before? So they usually had something worse than this? Ah, hearing that made me wanna give some fried chicken and beer to them... Wait, no. They looked underage. And I had no money... "Hehe, thank you, Prince Ioriell!" Harith beamed with happiness, "wait until you see my archery skill! I''ve also improved significantly since thest time we sparred!" "Oh? You''re motivated, I see~ Then let''s spar some time next week?" Ioriell tilted his head. "Of course I''m motivated! I will enlist as a royal knight right when I''m of age! It''s my dream to protect you, after all! Hahaha!" Harith exined with a light red tint on his cheeks while he scratched his head shyly. "I''m honored to be served by you someday, but why are you so eager? Being a knight sure is honorable, but you won''t gain much from it," Ioriell chuckled, "isn''t it better to be a farmer or a shopkeeper? That way you can earn a lot of money." "I''m not looking for money. I just want to be by my hero''s side, which is you! Hahaha! I bet my little siblings will be proud if I can serve you, as well!" The young elf eximed in delight. "I''m not a hero, Harith..." Ioriell sighed in defeat. "But to us, you are one, Prince Ioriell. And way better than those mythological heroes they tell about in the puppet show along the streets." Hero...? ...Oh god, I finally remembered. He was the elf that I shot in the chest after general Zhang sent Ioriell flying! To be exact, he was the one who told Ioriell to stop saving mana to protect them, and to just fight. Oh gosh, I was meeting my past victim. Not good. Not good at all. "I see both of you are getting along." A new voice? Yes, save me from this awkward situation, please and thank you! My body shifted to get a better view of the speaker, and I was met with a middle-aged woman who had her shiny golden hair tied up in a bun. Although she already bore a few wrinkles on her tired face, the way she smiled made her look as if she was still a bright, young energetic woman. After stepping into the kitchen, the said woman opened a drawer and took out a white apron. Actually, it was more like a yellow-white apron now because of the stains, and tied it behind her, on top of her simple ck dress that was stitched with various fabrics here and there. "Mom!" Harith exuberantly said, "Mom, Prince Ioriell is here again!" "Yes, yes. Harith. I can see that," the woman called ''Mom'' caressed Harith''s cheek affectionately, before turning to look upon us, "good afternoon, Ioriell." Oh? She didn''t address him as ''Prince'' Ioriell. Interesting. "Good afternoon, Mom." Ioriell stepped closer and grinned wide. "You look upset, what''s wrong?" Mom said as she moved her hand to caress our cheek this time. Ioriell responded by closing his eyes and took her hand into his own, while inhaling deeply, "just a little bit tired, Mom. Things have been confusingtely." "What''s confusing you, dear?" Mom asked with a sweet, sweet tone. I couldn''t see her face right now, but I bet she was smiling. "Everything." The words that escaped our lips sounded coldpared to the other words that he had been saying this whole day. As our eyes slowly fluttered open, I finally got to see Mom''s face, and bingo, she really was smiling as if there were no problems in this world. "Ioriell, dear. When everything seemed to be overwhelming you, take a deep breath, and close your eyes." Her calming tone and content expression really contrasted our frowning one. "I can''t. I have so many things to do, I shouldn''t ck around." Ioriell said with a small voice, as if he wasn''t sure about what he was saying, either. "Taking care of yourself is not cking around, my dear Ioriell," Mom said with a light chuckle, "and not all problems need solutions." "But they''re called problems because they need solutions." "The way I see it, my dear Ioriell, problems are rtive," she exined, "see, some people might think our living condition is a problem." Ioriell gave a slight nod. "But, I''m happy just like this. I''m happy if I can provide happiness for all of you," she paused, "money, good food, and beautiful clothing will surely help, but we''re already content with what we have. We can be happy in our own way." "...Then the solution is to just ept it?" "No, Ioriell dear. The solution, if you can even call it one, is to look inside yourself, and ask, what do you really want?" She stroked Ioriell''s hair with her calloused finger that still had a few dried clots of blood which I assumed were caused by sewing needles from the size of the clots. "I don''t understand." Our shoulders slumped as Ioriell''s voice got smaller and smaller. "Of course you don''t. I also don''t really understand it myself, but at least I understood that the thing I desire most is seeing all of you happy and well," Mom smiled, "I don''t worry too much about the ''how''. If I can''t get baby Na a cute dress, then I will sew for her. If I can''t get some potatoes for tomorrow, then I shall beg on the streets." "That''s the hard part." Ioriell replied concisely. "It''s not. When you''re focused on what your heart wants, you will always feel content. That''s why I don''t really see it as a solution. Rather, it was just like a state of being for me." Mom smiled, before taking her hands off of our hair, and turned around to check the pot. "...What my heart wants?" Ioriell mumbled as he was trapped in a daze. Probably countless thoughts were running through his mind right now. Not that I would know, though. "The soup tastes delicious, Harith! Well done," Mom gave the young aspiring royal knight a gentle tap on his back, "let''s see how the sweet potatoes are doing, shall we?" "Aw, thank you, Mom! I hope this amount is enough for us today, though," Harith chuckled, "the sweet potatoes are being roasted in the backyard, just outside of the kitchen door." He said as he pointed towards the small door on the back of the kitchen, right beside the trash can. Now that I carefully inspected this kitchen, it seemed like they didn''t have an oven, hence why they needed to roast those potatoes outside. "I''ll go check it out," Mom said while walking towards the door, "Ioriell, dear, could you please help set up the table?" "Sure, Mom." Ioriell nodded. Without asking, my body moved by itself towards the furthest kitchen cab to the right, and opened it to take out a few rattan tablewares. It seemed that he was here pretty frequently, so much that he already remembered the cement of things without having to think much. After we finished arranging everything on the small dining tables, yes, plural, because they didn''t have a single big dining table that could fit every child. There were about 5 different-sized tables with different heights and colours, and we filled all of them with rattan tablewares. "Harith, is baby Na in the Dahlia room right now?" Ioriell questioned as he finished setting down thest ss on the smallest table of them all, which only had spots for 2 kids. "Yeah, the older kids should be looking after her right now. Why?" Harith answered while he kept stirring the pot to avoid burning the soup. "I brought some baby food that she might like. My sister made it out of some banana, broli, and stuff I don''t really understand. But she said babies like this kind of food." Ioriell replied as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ahaha, yes. Babies do love that kind of food. The Princess sure is knowledgeable about many things! As expected of our Princess!" Harithughed. "Nah, she just learned recently, since she said she was nning to marry a guy... And you know whates next. Kids." Ioriell exined. "Oh, you''re going to be an uncle! Let me be the first to congratte you on your new family, even if it might still take a long time from now. Haha!" The young elf said with a bright expression. Ah, too bright for a soon-to-be-dead person. This wasn''t good for my mental health. Get me out of here, please! "My new family?" Ioriell raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Yep! Ah, and if your sister is already getting married soon, doesn''t that mean that you will also get married soon after?" Harith pped his hands together excitedly. "No, no. I have no ns for something like that yet..." Ioriell shook his head furiously. "Hmm, that makes me think. One day, you will fall in love with a beautiful, kind-hearted woman, and you will have cute, intelligent Prince and Princess, and then..." Harith paused, his gaze went down as his smile went from a happy one to a sad one, "and then, you''ll finally have a real family, and you won''t need to visit us anymore." "What are you talking about?" "Oh, no, my Prince. Don''t get me wrong. I''m all for you finding your family, your happiness!" Harith iled around, shaking his hands in front of him, "it''s just..." "It''s just?" Ioriell inquired and waited for the young elf to continue his speech. "Well, it''s definitely going to be a bit lonely here... This ce just isn''tplete without you. Haha! Sometimes I forgot that you''re a Prince, honestly. That''s how much I feel like you belong here, like you''re a part of us. But I understand that you''re not meant to stay with us forever. You have a greater purpose." Dang. How could he say something so sad, with a smile so sweet? Instead of looking gloomy or disappointed, I could see a gleam of determination in his eyes, as if he already chose his fate, and was willing to do anything for it. That being his Prince''s happiness. I felt our eyes erge for a fraction of a second after hearing that. "Harith, let me tell you something..." A small sigh escaped our lips, as our hand extended forward to affectionately stroke Harith''s long, beautiful braided hair. "Yes, my prince?" Seeing the innocent head-tilt of the young elf, Ioriell smiled and the tension on our shoulder eased. "You guys are my family. Always and forever." Chapter 87: The princes heart (4) Chapter 87: The prince''s heart (4) After we spent hours upon hours at the orphanage, it was finally time to walk back to the Pce to have dinner with ''our'' Father, the elf king. Even though we had spent our time doing various ys ranging from the mild hide-and-seek, skipping rope, and sandcastle building to full-on climbing and sparring, our body didn''t feel tired even one bit. Instead, I kind of felt refreshed. Not my mental health though, I wanted to get out of this body as soon as possible. One moment I felt all warm and fuzzy while ying with the kids, and the next moment I remembered that most likely, some of them were already dead. Particrly Harith, which I killed with my own hands. The more I learned about how Nym loved peanut butter and how Cael was allergic to cow''s milk, even though he loved ice cream so much, the harder it was for me to de-attach myself from them. I wonder, if they were alive by the time I returned to my timeline, what expression should I make when I met them? What should I say to them, now that I had learned that I killed their family? Should I even interact with them, if at all? ...What would they want from their family''s murderer? "Ah! I''m almostte! Sorry, Annie, could I please borrow your back for a bit?" Ioriell suddenly eximed out of nowhere. Weird, how could he urately tell the time without a watch? I couldn''t even tell the exact time... Was it an elf thing to be able to read time using environmental clues? ''Neighhh~'' The horse happily snuggled our face, as if agreeing to our request. We quickly hopped onto its back, but somehow, didn''t even apply a leash. "Alright, Annie! Onwards to the Pce! Let''s get ourselves some food!" -------- As the horse''s clops increased in numbers, the distance between us and the Pce grew shorter. And although it was a fairly short trip, I got a fair share of beautiful sceneries to take in during our little adventure. If only they had bidets instead of wiping using leaves, I could actually see myself living here. The air was so fresh, I had a certain feeling of joy when I took a deep breath to refill my lungs. The vigers we had met so far were also very weing. I had never experienced this feeling before, so it was pleasantly surprising. Of course, I was aware of the fact that it might be because I was in the body of the elf prince, but that wasn''t the only reason. The way they greeted us in the marketce resembled a greeting between friends. And Ioriell even called some of them by name. ...Would I get to be greeted like that by people one day? Letting out a mental sigh, I brushed away my hopeful thought. No, Chae. Let''s be real here. You''ve tried doing the exact same thing as what this little princey did. You had been nice and helpful to those people, but nothing worked, apparently. While I was deep in thought, I felt my head suddenly jerk upwards, forcing me to gaze upon the strangely beautiful Pce, which seemed a bit out of ce in the midst of this small, worn-down vige. The Pce was pretty big, although not as big as Alistair''s town hall. It was covered with a simple whiteyer of paint, alongside some exposed brick walls. Vines crept up to their walls as various flowery nts beautifully lined their balconies. I could even see some trees'' peaks all the way from over here. Finally, it was time to meet the current elf king, as well as the future elf king. -------- "Ah, big brother Ioriell! You''re finally here!" Edelweiss happily ran towards us as soon as we entered the dining hall. It was drastically different from the orc castle''s dining hall. Rather than looking like a fixer-upper as the orc''s was, this dining hall was looking fly. It had this long, ornate dining table,plete with intricate silverware on top of it, ready to be used. The wooden floorboards were also polished so well, they reflected the huge chandelier''s light beautifully. "Good evening, Edelweiss. How was your day? Was it fun?" Ioriell asked while he gave his sister, who was already in his arms, a few gentle pats on the head. "Yes! Edmond and I went for a stroll in the forest, and we fed a few antelopes while we chatted about our future, hehe~" Edelweiss excitedly described her day, "after that, we went fishing again, where he taught me this particr way to--" "Edelweiss, you went fishing yesterday too, did you not? Didn''t I tell you to be careful not to overdo it? We need to keep the bnce of the ecosystem." A heavier, stern but smooth voice jumped in the conversation. I recognized this voice for sure. It was Erenduill, the future elf king. The wack elf king. "Yes, big brother. We were careful not to fish too much..." Edelweiss flinched and looked down while she bit her lip. "Well, at least remember to feed those fishes to animals who need them, okay?" Ioriell chuckled lightly, as if trying to lift up the mood. "Yes, yes. I''m sure our Edelweiss knows how to handle herself, right? Anyway, Ioriell. Why are youte?" Our head looked up from Edelweiss tond a gaze on a long-haired, middle-aged man that was sitting on the furthermost seat of the long dining table. He had this tranquil smile that seemed as if he was devoid of any troubles, although the wrinkles on his face said otherwise. A silky, elegant green robe was hung around his shoulders, framing his battle-hardened body. Upon first nce, one could see that he wasn''t a weak, fragile old man, but rather, a dangerous, experienced old man. "I had some business with the vigers, Father." Ioriell replied with a mildly annoyed voice. Was I sensing some tension here or..? "By business, do you mean visiting those children again?" The elf king questioned. He didn''t sound angry one bit, but he also didn''t sound pleased at all. "Yes. They''re your vigers, too," Ioriell replied, "so I should ensure their wellbeing." "Are you doing that to fulfill your duty as a Prince, or to y house and pretend like your Mother is alive?" The elf king questioned with a wry smile. "Whichever it is, they got the help they needed," Ioriell growled, "and I don''t y house. I don''t have a dead mother, either." "You should be respectful towards yourte Mother." The elf king clenched his fist, although his smile was still stered on his face. Creepy. "She is not my mother, and never will be." "Big brother, shall we sit down first?" Edelweiss immediately grabbed our shoulders and led us to our seat before the situation escted further. Huh, interesting. I had never heard anything about their mother before. What happened that made this elf prince salty? "...Okay." Ioriell agreed as we nodded and took a seat right in front of Erenduill. The younger future elf king looked no different from when I saw him in my timeline. I guess elves did age very slowly. But, his bodynguage and the feeling he gave off were a bit different. He looked dissatisfied, only smiling sometimes when necessary, like when someone called his name. Furthermore, his eyes looked... Emptier. Compared to the future him that was as happy as a drug junkie on a dose, this was a pretty shocking contrast. Was he this unhappy before the massacre? Sheesh, a man who strongly abode by his ideals sure was spooky. "Why don''t you try to be more like your brother, Ioriell? He still respects histe mother, even after her death." The elf king sighed. "That''s--!" "I''m just respecting her as my previous Queen, Father. As for Ioriell''s mother, he has no reason to respect her since she wasn''t a Queen." Before Ioriell could argue, surprisingly, Erenduill answered faster. Although his reasoning was questionable, but at least Ioriell got someone on his side... Right? "If I say he should respect his mother, then he should respect his mother." The elf king growled as he red at us. "...If the King says so." Erenduill replied after a brief pause, while closing his eyes. Oh? Different mothers? So what did Ioriell''s mother work as during her, uh, living times, if she wasn''t a Queen? Ioriell, unlike his brother, didn''t reply to his Father''s wish, and opted to stay quiet instead. Perhaps a major conflict was going on inside his mind as of now. After all, as much as he had a strong feeling against his mother, but his identity as an elf must''ve made it difficult for him to go against his king. "Uh! Anyway! Let''s eat, shall we? I and Edmond prepared special dishes today~" Edelweiss pped her hands together while saying that out loud, earning our attention. "That human?" The elf king raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Father. He brought some rare ingredients for us today, and so I thought why not try cooking with it! I hope they suit your taste, Father!" She chirped happily, grinning from ear to ear. "Hmm... I see. Then we must prepare something to give to him in return, too." The elf king pondered, while stroking his well-trimmed beard. "Pardon me, Father. But I don''t think it''s a good idea to return his gift," Erenduill interjected, "our resources are diminishing, and he gave it to her as a gift, not as an offering that we should reciprocate." "Hahaha! You''re too stiff, my son! Indeed, it was a gift, but is it wrong to return my soon-to-be son-inw''s gift?" The elf kingughed. "Normally, no. It ismon courtesy," Erenduill exined, "but right now, we''re not in a position where we can unt our wealth while the vigers are scraping by, Father." The elf king stillughed, as if taking Erenduill''s words as a joke, "but of course we can! We''re royalties. It should be a given that we get what we want." "That was in the past, when the previous King reigns supreme and when nature was still abundant with resources. Now we don''t have the luxury to recklessly give our stockpile away." Erenduill insisted, but his face remained stoic. "Are you saying that we should live frugally?" The elf king''s smile dissipated as a frown started to crept its way up to his forehead. "Yes, Father. I do think that our royal treasury could be split among the vigers." Whoa, quite daring there to challenge his King, whom he respected so much. "Are you out of your mind?" The elf king stared coldly at Erenduill, but that didn''t make thetter waver, not even one muscle. "You can''t have both, Father. The vigers'' wellbeing, or the royal family''s wealth. Choose one." "What do you know? I have more experience as a King than you do. If I say we''re giving him a gift, then we''re giving him a gift." The elf king sternly said. "...As you wish, my King." Again, Erenduill agreed after a brief pause. Not even a shred of annoyance or anger was apparent on his face. What was this dynamic? I thought he was a good, obedient prince!? Chapter 88: One life Chapter 88: One life Needless to say, awkward was an understatement for our dinner. The food was actually pretty good, especially the chocte pudding. If only I could ask for seconds, then no doubt, I would shamelessly ask for three. Most of the talking was done by Edelweiss, and even then, it wasn''t much. Erenduill just replied in short 2-3 word sentences, while Ioriell seemed to be in a bad mood, so much that he wouldn''t say more than 2 sentences, even while talking with Edelweiss. Ack, I felt bad for Edelweiss. She must''ve had worked so hard to prepare this, and yet we behaved like this. But for some odd reason, she seemed mildly happy. Did it mean that dinnertime was usually worse than this one? Get this family a therapist, man. Hello, god of this world? Did you listen? Go ask truck-kun to transmigrate a therapist here! ''Ting!'' The sound of silverware ttering against a te made us look up. "I''m done. Thank you for the meal," Erenduill said as he tapped his lips gently using his white napkin, "Father, I shall take my leave." After earning a nod from the elf king, Erenduill stood up, ced his arm across his chest and bowed. Ah, he did the same thing when we first met him. So it was the courtesy of the elf kingdom? Neat. Our eyes followed Erenduill''s steps all the way from his seat, through the dining hall door, and until his figure disappeared entirely. After that, we took another spoonful of the chocte pudding, which was exquisite by the way, and then I heard it. One tap. Two taps. Three taps. Why were we tapping our finger? Ioriell, my boy, what were you nning, huh? I instinctively counted the number of taps until they reached exactly 120, which was pretty easy to keep track of, considering the interval of the taps coincidentally mimicked the interval of seconds. In other words, he was counting up to 2 minutes, in a very much obvious way. "I am also done. Thank you for the meal, it was delicious, dear sister," Ioriell said as I felt the corners of our lips stretched upwards, "Father, may I have your permission to leave?" "You may." The elf king answered concisely before taking a sip out of his wine ss. It seemed that he favored sparkling wine, unlike Erenduill who favored red wine. ''ng!'' After we put our silverwares down with a loud, nking sound, we stood up and made the same gesture as Erenduill did, before bowing down in the exact same fashion. "See youter, Edelweiss." Not forgetting to give a head pat and a smile to our sister, we turned around and went to the ornate dining hall door. ''Creak-- Bam!'' Right after we shut the humongous door behind us, our feet took us running through the long hallway, past the guards, through the front door, and to the right past the beautifully trimmed trees, until I lost track of where we were. This should still be in the Pce''s garden, right? But wait, did this Pce even have a wrap-around fence? ... Had we ventured into the forest behind the Pce? Ioriell, dude, what were you trying to do here? ''Rustle!'' We shoved a pile of bushes aside as I finally saw a beautiful clearing decorated with small red and yellow wildflowers. The moon illuminated the ocean beneath the cliff where the clearing ended, and there, stood a tall, elegant figure beneath the moonlight. "Brother Erenduill." Our lips parted, calling for the figure that was showing his back towards us. The man in question slowly turned around, showing us his stoic, yet stunning face. "...Yes?" He replied nonchntly while his long hair fluttered slightly in the wind. "Haha, I knew you''d be here," Ioriell said with a grin, "you''re always here after dinner, precisely 5 minutes after." Oh, so that was why he was counting. Did we already spend 3 minutes running through the vegetation? I didn''t even notice. "Yes," Erenduill replied shortly, closing his eyes for a bit, "what business do you have with me?" "What, can''t I just see my brother whenever I want to?" Ioriell pouted as we walked closer towards the older elf. "Well, it''s not like you necessarily can''t." Erenduill put his hand on his chin while looking upwards. "Then, let me have some quality time with my one and only older brother, okay?" Ioriell grinned and put his arm around Erenduill''s shoulders. Although thetter seemed surprised, he didn''t seem to mind much. Rather, I could see a tiny smile forming on his face. "Just tell me what''s bothering you." Erenduill stated, now facing us with his smile. "Aww, is it really obvious?" Ioriell let out a light-heartedugh. "You always wear your heart on your face, Ioriell. People could easily tell whatever it is that you''re hiding," Erenduill exined, "that might be dangerous someday." "Do you not like it?" "Hmm, personally, I don''t mind. But it might prove disadvantageous for elves." Erenduill answered. "So you do like me!" Ioriellughed happily, as we tightened our embrace. "That''s different from what I said." A sigh came from Erenduill''s lips, but he didn''t try to deny the statement. "Anyway, as you said, I do have something that''s bothering me." Ioriell suddenly said, and this time without a smile. Erenduill didn''t say anything, but he grabbed our hand that was circled around his shoulders, and took us to sit down on the fluffy, sweet-smelling grass beneath us. As we rxed our backs, Erenduill stared at us, as if waiting for us to talk. "You''re going to be our King one day, right?" Our lips parted as the words slid by. "Of course." "And that''s why you''ve been training all kinds ofbat techniques, and studying all sorts of things fromnguages, political affairs, and even math. Yuck." We frowned. "Exactly." Erenduill nodded. "And Edelweiss, she said she''s going to be married soon, right? I mean, Father has grown fond of that human." Ioriell continued. "I think so. If Father agrees to it, then it will happen, whether we like it or not." Erenduill agreed once again. "After that, they will have children, and build a little happy family," Ioriell said, "and you will, too. You will find your Queen, and have little Princes and Princesses running around the Pce." "If my people need a Queen, then so be it," Erenduill pondered, "but probably I won''t let my kids run around carelessly. They need to study." "Haha! You''re too stiff, brother!" Ioriellughed and gave him a little elbow jab, which Erenduill didn''t bother to block or avoid. "I won''t allow my heir to fool around while our people are suffering." Erenduill sighed. "Haha! Sure, sure. You two sure got life figured out, eh?" Ioriellughed, "...But then, what about me?" "You?" Erenduill stared into our eyes with a semi-confused look, and we immediately looked away, "I mean, I don''t really know what I''ll be, you know? Like, what should I do as a Prince? What do I want to do?" "You''re the second Prince. You have a lot of things to do. Like taking part in managing our finances, political affairs, and--" "Not that! I mean..." He paused, "what is it that only I can do? What do I really want?" Erenduill stared at us for a while, before turning his focus towards the moon, "I can''t answer that for you. You''re the soft-hearted one between us, so I think you should know about this more than me." "Hahaha! That''s what I also thought, but apparently, it''s hard for me, too," Ioriell scratched the back of his head, "why do you want to be the King, brother?" "Huh? Isn''t that obvious? I want to be the King because I was born as a Prince," Erenduill looked at us with a confused look, "that''s my identity. A good Prince. An excellent future King. I''m only preserving my identity." "Is identity that important to you?" Ioriell cocked his head towards the side. "Yes. It is what I value most," Erenduill shrugged, "that might not work for you, though. Try to think about what you value most." "What I value the most..." Ioriell looked down, probably deep in thought as of now, "argh! I can''t think of one! A lot of things are precious to me. Like you, Edelweiss, Mom, and then my siblings over at the orphanage..." As Ioriell went on and on while holding up a few fingers to count, Erenduill suddenly let out a light chuckle. "Huh? Are youughing at me?" Ioriell flinched, and I could feel our cheeks getting warmer, probably from embarrassment. "No," Erenduill said in-between his chuckling, "it''s just that, what you said was the exact reason why I said my method might not work for you." "I don''t understand..." "See, my baby brother, I can be an excellent King because I see my people as a whole. I have no problem doing that, as my identity as an excellent King is what matters the most to me," Erenduill exined, "but you, you see them as individuals." Ioriell was still stunned as Erenduill took a few strands of our hair into his palm, "you can''t see them as a whole unit, rather, you value each of them equally. You love all of them deep enough." "...I do. I do care about you guys." "And that''s why you can never choose one thing that matters to you the most." Hearing that, Ioriell bit our lips and looked down, seemingly disappointed. Just as he was opening his mouth again to say something, Erenduill continued his speech. "But that''s not a bad thing. That''s what you excel at." Erenduill smiled at us as he let out hair fall out of his palm, strand by strand. "What do I excel at?" Ioriell asked. With a soft smile, Erenduill replied, "... Preserving one life." ''Thump.'' Huh? A thumping sound? ''Thump.'' Wait, this again? I quickly scanned my surrounding, and found that I couldn''t even do that since everything seemed to be frozen still. Erenduill''s lips were paused in a smiling position, and his eyelids didn''t even blink once. His soft hair that was fluttering in the wind had also stopped, suspending his golden locks in the air. Our own hair, too, stopped mid-fall from the palm of Erenduill''s hands. ''Thump.'' Ah, was it time already? Was the show over? ...Well, it was great while itsted. ''THUD!'' "YOWCH!" I yelled hard, while grimacing and holding the center of my forehead that was stinging from pain. Oh, wait, what? Was that my own voice? And my own hands? "Oi, little cub, what the hell are you doing, zoning out in the middle of surgery? Tsk, tsk. You''d make ame doctor." ...General Zhang? I blinked a few times as my surroundings slowly became clearer. The lush green grass beneath me had changed into an ashy ground, full of fire remnants. The moon that shone so beautifully in the night sky was now obstructed by the thick forest fire smoke. Instead of colourful flowery vegetation, my eyes were met with charred trees and bushes, which were mostly grey, but tinted with orange from the ongoing fire around us. "Am I... Back?" I asked with wide eyes, still a bit shocked from what just happened. "Back what? You zoned out for like 10 seconds there, so I had to smack you back into existence." General Zhang giggled. Only 10 seconds? So my consciousness was only gone for 10 seconds? Well, anyway... "I''m really back!" I quickly inspected my whole body. Limbs? Intact. Clothing? Appropriate, but burnt. How about the heart? "Ah, by the way, that heart changed colour just before you zoned out." General Zhang exined while pointing at the still, calm heart that was sitting inside my hand. Then, the Prince--? I flew my gaze towards the obviously dead elf prince, and saw his smiling, content face. ...I didn''t recall him smiling when I stabbed him before? Rather, he was being creepy about something. Let''s see, uh... Oh, yeah, what was he reaching out for when I stabbed him because of that cryptic message? When I turned around to check on whatever it was that he pointed at during hisst moments, I froze. There it was. Sitting patiently in the midst of the burning forest. A small, thin, and fragile tree sapling. Standing strong despite its chaotic environment, and despite its weak properties. All because of a single mana shield that chose to keep going even though the owner was long gone. ... So that was what he meant by ''one life''. Chapter 89: The orcs uprising (1) Chapter 89: The orc''s uprising (1) "Oh, that actually happened?" General Zhang eximed in surprise, but then grinned, "wow, that''s actually exciting!" I kinda expected this wacky reaction from him when I exined my whole experience to them. I didn''t include the details about how I thought I was going schizophrenic, though. The rest of them I exined as best as I could, even down to what those people wore, their expressions and bodynguages, and also my suspicion about their rtionships and mindsets. I tried to convey as much information that may be important for future references. "I mean, I won''t deny that it was interesting to see their perspective, but..." I sighed, "it left a bitter taste in my mouth." "Do you want me to make your mouth taste sweet?" General Zhang yfully winked at me. "Yes, but strictly using pudding only. Chocte pudding." I pouted. Well, Edelweiss'' chy pudding was actually really great. Now I seriously wanted one. "I''ll feed you with chocte pudding when we get home, then," General Zhang made an ''ok'' shape with his fingers, "but for now, we gotta do something about this situation." "Agreed. Jeanne and Firiell are still missing. Moreover, this crest thingy not only unveiled the truth to us, but also birthed even more mysteries." I frowned as I inspected the still heart in my hand. "Let''s go get them first." General Emilio announced. "Yup yup," I nodded, "do you have any idea where they might''ve gone? Because I don''t think that entric king will kidnap them right after telling us to go kill his brother. Maybe we should suspect other humans? Or the orcs?" "I''m thinking thetter," general Emilio exined, "there''s no reason for those humans to show their faces here, not after they''ve hidden from us for so long. It makes more sense if those orcs are plotting something against the elves." "Ah, a resistance attempt, perhaps? And Firiell was the perfect target for them, if that''s the case." I nodded. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that general Zhang stayed quiet, just observing us with his usual grin stered on his handsome face. That slippery eel, he obviously knew a lot more about those humans than he was letting on. Otherwise, why would he drop hints for me? "Let''s do this fast. We''ll just kidnap an orc and have them tell us what they know." General Emilio dered as he started walking. "Uh-huh. Sure. Let''s get you some first-aid treatment first after we get out of this forest, shall we?" I decided to keep quiet about general Zhang. There must''ve been a reason why he was dropping hints for me, but stayed silent towards general Emilio and Jeanne. ''FWOOP!'' ''Tap!'' General Emilio caught a flying arrow with one hand as I immediately raised my rifle in unison. "Seems like they''re still eager to fight." General Emilio said with a t face while throwing the arrow aside. I looked up to observe the trees around us, since that was where the arrow came from, and spotted an elf in the middle of running away. ''BANG!'' "Of course. The battle won''t be over just because the leader died. This isn''t a superhero movie," I said as I reloaded my rifle even before the elf''s limp body hit the ground, "big brother,e out." "Geez, finally. You''re overspending your mana waaaay too much, kid." I didn''t have to look away from my scope to know that the golden-eyed man had materialized beside me. Ack, he was finally summoned after so long, and yet the first thing he thought of was lecturing me on my mana allocation? ...Fair point. "Your hair is prickling me. Get away." I pouted and wriggled my shoulders to get him off of me. ''BANG!'' "Good job," general Emilio said when he saw that my bullet had taken out another elf, this time hitting a sword-wielding elf, "but who is that?" "Oh, uh... He''s my... Parasite. He kind of lives rent-free inside me ever since that fusing. Don''t mind him." I nervously answered. How else should I describe him, anyway? A humanoid serpent? A high-rank intelligent monster? A snake on drugs? "So an ally?" He questioned as heunched a handful of needles towards an elf that suddenly came from on top of us, filling the young elf''s body with holes. "My ally, yes." I nodded and crouched down to slice the elf''s neck with my knife-shaped mana palm, earning a gruesome scream from her. But hey, I mean, confirming your kill was an important thing to do on the battlefield. It was better to make sure that she wouldn''t be able to move and sneakily attack uster. After all, desperate and vengeful people were the most dangerous ones. "But I''m not a parasite. I''m a respectable, high-ranking monster." He pouted. "A monster?" General Emilio questioned. "No no no!" I quickly got in the middle of them, "I mean, yes, but actually, no. But kind of yes?" General Emilio raised an eyebrow, making a confused look, "no need to panic. I have no intention of harming an ally." Oh. So I was the only one who was panicky. Hearing that, my shoulders eased in delight, "good to know that you''re not against all monsters." "Anyway," general Emilio said as he caught an elf assassin mid-leap and bashed his head on the ground, "let''s quickly finish them." "Agreed." -------- "Ack! My hoodie''s all dirty now from the ashes and blood," I groaned while I mourned my newly-bought hoodie, courtesy of general Zhang, "I doubt these stains wille off even after washing this three times... Ah, what a waste." After we fought our way out of the forest while those elves chased us, we finally were able to take a quick rest behind an abandoned well, quite a distance away from the forest. Thankfully, we were able to lose those elves thanks to general Zhang''s lightning. It was a pretty nifty idea to use shes of lightning as some sort of shbangs to temporarily blind them and get away. "Just throw it away. I can buy you a new one." General Zhang shrugged. "How wasteful. I prefer to take care of my things rather than simply throwing them away whenever they''re ruined." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Why? It''s a waste of time and effort when you can just buy another one." General Zhang questioned, this time looking into my eyes. "Because it''s mine. Do I need another reason to take care of what''s mine?" I tilted my head to one side. "Hmm..." Surprisingly, he didn''t retort or agree with me. Just a simple, enigmatic ''hmm''. "That''s why you don''t have a girlfriend. Nobody wants to be thrown away once they no longer serve a purpose. Even my hoodie would be sad if I throw it away just like that." I jokinglyughed. "Hey~ I have quite a long line ofdies who want to get together with me, you know?" He smirked mischievously at me. "I don''t know and I don''t want to know," I sighed, "poordies, if only they knew that you''re actually a five-year-old trapped in the body of a handsome young man--" "So you think I''m handsome?" General Zhang quickly asked. "That''s beside the point!" I groaned. "Haha! Sure, sure~" Heughed as he gave my head a thorough ruffle, "well, each and every one of them won''t ever be my partner, anyway." "Oh? But why?" I asked with a frown. I was too nosy and I wanted to know more, but at the same time, I was still sulky because of that handsome remark so I settled with a pout. "Hmm..." He pondered for a bit, looking up, "let''s just say that the path I walk upon can''t be walked by just anybody. It takes a special person to be able to walk my path." "But being partners doesn''t mean you have to walk together, though," I replied, "you can still walk your own paths, as long as you support each other, right?" "That might be true. Although life doesn''t always work that way." He said as he leaned back on the stony surface of the well. "...I understand what you mean. I don''t think anyone would ever willingly walk my path, either. Haha!" I chuckled, "I guess we''re both self-proimed single by choice, huh?" "Well, I''m not rushing~ I already got a snarky little cub to take care of, how can I manage taking care of an extra person?" "...You wanna fight me, eel?" I growled. "Now, now~ Let us focus on patching up porcupine first, shall we?" General Zhang chuckled amusedly. "Oh, right, sorry!" I gasped and immediately took the backpack that I asked big brother to carry for me, since it was safer. I kinda wish I could just store it inside my inventory without anyone suspecting me. Haa... The system needed some patching, developer. After fumbling with it for a bit, I finally stumbled upon a white pouch with a red cross sign on it. Weird. The Red Cross shouldn''t exist in this era, right? So why would this first-aid kit be marked with it? ''ng!'' "Alright, let me see your wound." I said as I crouched to ce the first-aid kit on the ground on top of white cloth, and opened it. I quickly scanned the contents and grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol to wash my hands with. "Wear the gloves, kid." Luke suddenly tapped my shoulder as I was washing my hands and pointed towards the small bundle oftex in the corner of the kit. "Right, thank you." I nodded as I put on the gloves without touching the outer part as carefully as I could. "Are you familiar with first-aid?" General Emilio questioned, "you seem like you know what to do." Uhh, I mean... There was no way a special brigade soldier like me didn''t receive first-aid training, right? They didn''t teach us everything about first-aid, to be honest, but only for stuff that often happened on the battlefield, like burn injury,ceration, gunshot wound, snake bite, yada-yada. Still, we weren''t particrly trained to be healthcare providers, so we were sloppy at best. "Not really, but we don''t have much choice, either," I replied as I checked for some gauze, antibiotics, and painkillers, "let''s just hope you won''t get a deadly infection." Chapter 90: The orcs uprising (2) Chapter 90: The orc''s uprising (2) "I won''t." He replied concisely. Before I started working on it, I told general Emilio to lie down as I tossed him some painkillers, hoping that they might lessen his pain a bit sooner, although I doubted it myself. After he gulped them down, I opened the cloth that was wrapped around his wound, and twisted the alcohol bottle''s cap. "Hang on a bit, this might be painful." "Y--ugh!" Before he could finish talking, I shoved the rtively clean side of the cloth into his mouth to avoid him biting his own tongue, and applied the alcohol on his wound. "Hrrnggh--!" As expected, he started to squirm in pain, "sorry, I''ll need to hold you down a bit." Just as I was about to hold his limbs from moving too much, his squirming stopped. I took a nce at his face, and saw a burning resolve in his eyes. Well, that was a general for you. Not everyone could keep control of their body while their open wound was smothered with alcohol. "Thank you, general Emilio," I smiled, "I don''t know much about wound evaluation, but let''s hope that your organs are a-okay." I took a random forceps and began removing the visible debris as much as I could. Although messy and probably very wrong, I hoped that this would lessen the infection probability by just a little. "Hngg--" General Emilio groaned, but managed to stay still. "Just a bit more, general. Hold on." I quickly applied pressure over the wound with some gauze, and wrapped it up with a dressing. "There you go. Good job, general," I smiled and grabbed his hand in assurance after I made sure that the bandage wouldn''te off, "now drink a lot of water so you won''t dehydrate and get into a shock." General Emilio removed the cloth inside his mouth using his other hand, before saying, "thank you." "Heee~ Do I need to get injured so you can hold my hand, too, little cub?" General Zhang suddenly popped up beside me. "What-- No!" I said as I tidied up the materials and separated the already contaminated ones into a separate cloth, before stuffing everything back into my bag. "Then how can I make you hold my hand?" General Zhang continued to tease me while giggling like a madman. "I''d rather go and hold Jeanne''s hand," I sighed, "let''s wait a bit until general Emilio can walk." "I can." Suddenly, general Emilio stood up with a straight face, as if nothing had happened. How could that dude be so nonchnt after losing so much blood? And wasn''t he in pain just now? "Then let''s head over to the outskirts and catch a random orc~ There should be some of them doingbour work or something." General Zhang suggested. "Well, if you''re sure you can walk..." I sighed in defeat, "just to rify, we will be going back to the Pceter, right?" "Yeah. But not to give back the crest," general Emilio answered, "why did you ask?" "Uh, I have a business there, I guess..." I said as I scratched my cheek nervously. Honestly, at first, I didn''t n to go there at all. Why would we go back and meet that creepy elf king just to possibly get killed? But now, I did have a reason to. "Inventory." I muttered ever so slightly, even I wasn''t able to fully hear my voice. [Tree Sapling (material) x1] [A small tree sapling. Too small for starting a fire. Might be useful as a decoration] This. This little guy right here. That tree sapling was the one that Ioriell gave hisst drop of mana to. The one life that Ioriell managed to preserve. And I intended to do something about it. "Oi, little cub, what are you doing, staring into oblivion again?" General Zhang''s call snapped me back to reality, and I immediately looked up to see that general Emilio was already a few meters ahead. "Ack, wait! I''ming!" -------- ''Poof!'' "This much should be enough." General Emilio popped a small fireball using his magic, and used it as our light source for the night. It was getting extra dark since Ioriell''srades put out the forest fire not long ago. Furthermore, they had no street lights here, only a fewnterns here and there, with additional lightinging from the distant houses'' windows. "And we''ve got the meat ready." I eximed as Iid down three dead birds I and Luke just hunted. Even though we brought some food in our backpacks, I suggested that we should hunt while we could. Because, hey, we didn''t know how long we would stay here, right? And most of our food was either canned food or ration packs, anyway. They couldst pretty long. In war, food allocation was crucial. Save what you could, and gather what you could, whenever you could. "Ooh~ Are you going to cook for us, little cub?" General Zhang hummed in delight. "Nope. I''m just going to prepare the meat, big brother Luke will be the one to cook," I replied while I pointed at the robed man beside me, "I don''t know what he does while he cooks, but his cooking isn''t bad." "You really mean it?" Luke suddenly questioned me with big, sparkly eyes, "hmm-hmm! I''d say I''m quite the chef!" "Nevermind, I take that back." I said as I shed Luke my biggest smile. "Toote. You always take back yourpliments. So mean." Luke pouted. "Ack! Why are we debating cooking skills when we should hurry? Any orc might pop up soon!" I sighed and started to remove the feathers from the birds. It had probably been roughly almost an hour since we hid ourselves near an outhouse just a few hundred meters away from the vige''s gate, just waiting for a random orc to stroll here. Judging by how well-kept the outhouse was, and by the fact that it still had a bucketful of water, that meant it was still regrly used. The question would be, by whom? And of course, there was no better exnation than by the orcs, particrly the ones tasked to gather resources around the vige''s outskirts. "Is it okay if we light a fire here, though? Wouldn''t we get spotted?" Luke asked while he casually took a pack of wet wipes from my bag to clean his hands with. "What do you think, general Emilio?" I lifted my gaze up from the naked birds to look at general Emilio who was busy standing there, looking into who-knows-what. "...We should wait." He replied, only sparing me a quick nce. "Alrighty." I nodded as I continued removing the feathers from the other birds, too. "Aw, but I wanna eat~" General Zhang pouted, "also little cub, where did you learn how to prepare a bird?" "If you want to eat, then wait," I threw a feather at him, who was slowly scooting over towards me, "and of course I know how to. Just like how you guys have taught your soldiers, I was taught early on to avoid starvation in the wild." "Hmm? But from what you told us in front of the Headmaster, you were just an ordinary food stall owner? Or what was it, truck-kun owner?" General Zhang smirked as he took a few strands of my hair into his hands. "Ahh, well. I didn''t lie about that. And it''s not truck-kun. It''s a food truck." I sighed. "Then why would a food truck owner know how to fight and sustain herself in the wild?" He inched closer and closer, until we were just centimeters apart. "That''s--" "Too close. Not good for kids." Luke''s hand suddenly came between our faces, and shoved me backwards. "Ack! Be gentler, would you!?" I eximed in annoyance. "Pfft-- I see that you have an overbearing ''big brother''~" General Zhang chuckled. "Anyway!" I interjected before we got into another meaningless spat, "your question. That would be because I was a food truck owner for only a few years. I had another job before that." "Surprise, surprise, tell us what job~" He giggled like a little kid. Ugh, it was painfully obvious that he already knew anyway, so why bother asking? Now general Emilio even looked over here. Oh, right, he was suspecting my origin before, wasn''t he? ...Oh well, borating a bit wouldn''t hurt, since I had practically given it away with me using guns and stuff. No need to pretend to be an innocent little girl. "Army job, I guess. Simr to a soldier in your Vanguard, but more... Uh, specialized?" I tried to answer as best as I could. "But not a lot of our soldier knows how to use a gun." General Zhang giggled, as if finding this amusing. "And not a lot of them have killed a person." General Emilio suddenly chimed in. Ah, not you, too... "I mean, where Ie from has a different situation. Lots of us knew how to use a gun, but those who knew how to wield a sword and spear were pretty rare. And not a lot of us have killed a monster, either." I exined. I didn''t need to tell them that instead of monsters, we were fighting other humans, did I? "So people fight using guns over where you lived? Fancy~" General Zhang remarked. "Fancy in what way, you freaky eel? It was horrible," I let out a deep sigh, "and yeah, that''s true, although we also use other methods. We had various weapons like cannons, artilleries, and this huge, armored vehicle called tanks." "I see, I see, you guys had a lot of toys, huh?" General Zhang continued to listen to my story with a smirk while sitting patiently beside me. ...Wasn''t he going to question me about what those words mean? No? Or like wouldn''t he ask me to borate more, at least? Oh, well. "Not toys, they''re deadly, mind you." I reprimanded him with a little huff. "How long have you been enlisted in the army?" General Emilio suddenly questioned while he deadass stared at me for longer than 5 seconds, probably the longest he had ever stared into my eyes so far. "Uhh, hard to say, since I was enlisted as a soldier ever since I was a little child." Chapter 91: The orcs uprising (3) Chapter 91: The orc''s uprising (3) "Since childhood?" General Emilio raised an eyebrow, "exact age?" "Six years old. It was my weirdest birthday present ever, that''s why I remember." I answered with a light chuckle. "Sold off to an army as a birthday present? What a peculiar pair of parents you had, little cub," general Zhang said with a little bit of surprise written on his face, "but since childhood, eh? Didn''t expect that one." "I know right, they didn''t even give me a cake." Iughed as I tossed a cleaned-up bird to Luke, who caught it with ease. "They employ children over there? Sheesh, whoever made that rule should rethink their life choices." Luke grumbled as he started preparing whatever it was he was going to use to cook. "Of course not! How can a country properly grow if they send their children to war? And my country is very well-developed. Tsk, tsk." I waved my finger at him in disapproval. "Then howe you got involved?" General Zhang asked, capturing my attention again. "Well, so that day--" ''Creeeak.'' Our heads simultaneously turned towards the source of the creaking sound that seemed a bit more creepy now that it was midnight. "Someone came." I whispered into general Zhang''s ear, who was sitting beside me. "Finally, the orc we''ve been waiting for~" He hummed as he patted my head slowly, "now wait here. I''ll go get our prey." "I can do the dirty work, too." I puffed my cheeks in annoyance. "I know you can, little cub, I just want to show off a bit." He said as he pinched my cheek. "Shut up, both of you. We''re going to get spotted." General Emilio growled. Ack, true. We were being too loud for a ''hidden'' mission. I tried stomping on general Zhang''s left foot to warn him, but he moved his foot right before I inflicted damage. So I tried with my other foot, and s, I got the same result. ''Thonk!'' ''Thonk!'' "Hehe~" He giggled while observing my futile efforts, which irked me more than it should''ve. "You--" ''GRAWR!'' Before I could continue bickering with that sly eel, we were interrupted by a snarl. "Shut up." General Emilio appeared, holding a rope that was tied to a huge, squirming orc that he dragged on the ground with its stomach down. The green orc itself was probably at least 3 meters tall, d with wooden armors that covered its vital parts. Despite all of that, general Emilio pulled the rope as if it was nothing. "Oops. Sorry." I apologized for getting distracted by a certain white-haired eel, so much that general Emilio himself decided to get the job done before the orc finished doing its business in the outhouse. ''RAW--RRH?'' Without letting the orc speak, or rather, growl anymore, general Emilio shoved the ball of cloth that we had prepared before into its mouth. Great. This way, we wouldn''t attract much attention... Although we were already being loud, though. Ugh, what happened to me and my focus? ''Thud!'' General Emilio stomped the bald orc''s head and plucked out 5 needles from his arm. "We ask. You answer. If you don''t, you die." He exined shortly, yet simply. I came up beside him and crouched down in front of the orc''s angry, frowning face, "you understand what we''re saying, don''t you?" ''Rrrr...'' No response. Just a low, faint growl and some angry puffs of breaths. So it wasn''t going to cooperate, huh? "Oh no, general. It seems like this one can''t understand us. What should we doooo?" I loudly eximed while frowning. "We kill." He replied with a straight face. "No, no! That''d be such a waste," I said, still with a rtively loud voice, "let''s skin it alive. I heard that fresh orc skin can be used as anti-aging medicine. The fresher it is, the better. So let''s do it while it''s alive?" "Sure." General Emilio nodded. ''Rrrrrr?'' "Alright, orc dude, please stay still, okay?" I grinned at it and pulled out a dagger that I stole from one of the assassin elves that we killed, "or else, it''ll get messy." ''STAB!'' ''RRRHHH--!!'' Fresh red blood spurted out from its meaty finger which I had just cut in a single stab. Right before it started iling its arm, general Emilio impaled his needle right through the middle of it and stomped on its arm to prevent it from moving too much. "Ah, ah, not good, orc dude," I smiled brightly, "I''m just taking one finger off to practice, you see. Be patient." After picking up its severed finger and bringing it closer to its face, I brandished my new dagger and made sure that it was paying attention. "Look here carefully, orc dude," I said while I waved his finger around, "you see, peeling skin is quite different from peeling an apple. There are so manyyers to it, and the moment you dig your knife into it," ''STAB!'' "The blood just makes it messy, you know?" I frowned while I slowly demonstrated how to peel skin in real-time, "oh no, it seems like I didn''t skin your finger quite well." ''SCHK!'' ''GRRR--!'' I cut off another finger, and this time, I took out some hair ties and tied the stumps on his hand tightly, "there, there. Can''t have you losing your blood so much. Or else, we will lose that freshness." ''GRR! GRRR!'' "Quickly finish your job, Chaerin." General Emilio piped up. "Okay general. Such a shame that it can''t understand us," I sighed, "let''s go get another orc after this, and this time one that understands ournguage. It''ll be a useful hostage." "Sure." He nodded. "As for you," I turned to look at the wide-eyed orc on the ground, "your skin will fetch quite a good sum of money for us. Sounds good, right?" ''GRRH!'' The huge orc shook its head furiously and groaned desperately, although all that came out of its mouth were muffled. "Huh? You don''t like it?" I tilted my head and looked into its eyes for a while, before shing it with a big smile again, "no way~ You don''t understand what we''re saying anyway~" ''GRR, GRR!'' Again, it shook its head profusely, while its pupils trembled with terror. "It''s not like you''ll suddenly understand us, right?" I chuckled, "hey, if you really can understand us now, blink twice, and make thest one slower." I poked its nose with its bloody, severed finger. Ah, it must''ve sucked to smell your own blood up close like that. After nodding with the speed of light a few times, it blinked twice at us, with the second one being slower than the first. "Oh, you really can! Wait, can you try winking your left eye for us? Do you know what a wink is?" I inquired further, still ying with its severed fingers in front of its eyes, to remind it of what we could do. To no one''s surprise, it followed our instruction and winked its left eye at us. Rather than doing it cutely, horror was apparent on its face. I mean, who wouldn''t be scared if they got treated like this? "General, I think it actually can understand us now. What should we do?" I eximed happily. "Spare it. We shall interrogate it, then." He said with a t expression. "Aw, no orc skin for us, then," I giggled and leaned closer to it, grazing my dagger along its cheek until it drew blood, "you should''ve told us from the start that you can understand us. That way, you wouldn''t lose 2 fingers... Well, at least now you''ve avoided losing all of your skin along with your life. So good for you." ''Grr...'' Its trembling stopped for a bit, and so did its breathing. After I inched away, I could see its chest lowering down, as if it was releasing a breath that it had been holding for a while. I looked over to general Zhang and Luke, who apparently had started eating without waiting for us, and gave them a thumbs-up. "Kyaa~ That was a great movie, little cub! Didn''t know you could act~" General Zhang giggled while he munched a bread, presumably from our stash. "Shut up, you know I did bad." I frowned. "Yeah, your acting was terrible, but at least you got the job done, kid," Luke added while he fanned some roasted meat, "now hurry up and finish your business ande eat. It''ll get cold." "You have the talent to be a dad, you know?" I chuckled as I teased him. At least he was better than my real dad who never invited me to eat before the food got cold. Well, all jokes aside, it was no surprise that we already knew beforehand that orcs could understand ournguage, although they did not speak it. Did that orc really think we''d be so careless to n this with uncertainty? ... Actually, I just knew not too long ago, though. General Emilio told me about it, and we constructed a n to torture it if it didn''t want to admit and cooperate. We didn''t have the time to argue with it or to coax it, anyway. Of course, we also had a n ready on how to interrogate an orc that didn''t speak ournguage. Thankfully, there was a universalnguage called bodynguage. And even better that he could understand what we were saying. A simple ''blink twice if yes, blink thrice if no'' could do wonders. Same goes with prisoners who had their tongue cut off already. They could still give information through other means. And I knew that because I had seen a few myself. Now the only problem was how to identify its lies. "Let''s start the interrogation." General Emilio announced as he raised... A stick. Chapter 92: False alarm? (1) Chapter 92: False rm? (1) "Come here, Chaerin," general Emilio called out to me while he extended his arm to me, offering me the stick, "take this." "Okay, okay." I stood up and took the stick from him. Yep, it was just a regr stick we found on the ground while walking all the way from that abandoned well to here. "I shall begin asking," general Emilio said as he pressed the orc''s head deeper into the ground, "the rule is simple. Blink twice for ''yes'', and blink thrice for ''no''. Don''t do anything besides that. Do you understand?" The poor orc struggled to look up just to see general Emilio''s face, which earned it a painful stomp from thetter. "Don''t make me repeat myself. I asked, do you understand?" General Emilio impatiently asked. ''Grrr..'' The orc slowly blinked its trembling eyes twice, indicating that it understood and agreed to our terms, albeit unwillingly. "Good. Now answer, are you out here alone?" He questioned while keeping his leg on top of its head. Two blinks came from the creature beneath him, confirming our suspicion. "Who were you with, other orcs or elves, included? Ah wait, I can''t ask that. Were you in a group of only orcs?" I added, almost forgetting that I could only ask a yes or no question. It blinked twice again, earning a relieved sigh from us. Good. We didn''t have to worry about elves for a while, then. "Are there more than 10 orcs out here?" General Emilio continued. Three blinks. Gotcha. That was even better. "Then, around 5 to 10?" I inquired, and it answered me with two blinks, "okay, I''m going to ask the number one by one, alright?" After I repeated the numbers from 5 to 10, we found out that there were exactly 6 other orcs still wandering around here, and soon enough, they would probably start to notice that their buddy was missing. We should probably hurry this up a bit... "Alrighty, now answer me, do you guys have some kinda hideout or like base, or something like that?" I tilted my head. ''Grrr...'' It hurriedly blinked thrice right after I asked, denying my usation. "Oh, really?" ''STAB!'' ''GRRR!'' Warm blood gushed out from its forearm as I dug my dagger deeper into its thick skin, all the way to the base of the dagger. It squirmed and groaned in pain while I stared into its eyes, "hey. Stop moving around if you don''t want it to hurt more." ''Grr...'' It looked up at me with trembling eyes and a frown. Its breathing was understandably getting heavier, and it got even worse when general Emilio stomped its head again for looking up. "Don''t lie. Didn''t we tell you already that you shouldn''t do anything unnecessary?" I coldly said while keeping eye contact with it. Instead of answering me, I saw it averting its eyes away from me. So, I did what any sensible person would do. ''SCHLK!'' "GRRHH!!'' "Hey, where are you looking? I''m right here. Answer me. Do you understand?" I said as I twisted the dagger that I had lodged into its forearm. As its muscles and skin tear and rip, more blood started to gush out of the fresh wound. Ack,e on, just answer! At this rate, you''re going to die from blood loss and shock, you dumb orc! ''Grrhghh!'' And finally, it blinked twice furiously in panic. "Good. Let''s try this again, shall we?" I smiled in satisfaction, "so do you orcs have a secret base of some sort?" Upon seeing it blinking twice, I was starting to think that probably our spection about Jeanne and Firiell''s kidnapping was true, after all. "Alright. You''re going to help us draw a map of your base''syout." General Emilio instructed. "And don''t try to do anything weird again, or this time, I will just chop your leg off so you won''t be able to walk back to your buddies." I happily added. Well, I actually had no way of knowing if it lied or not. I just assumed it was lying since it seemed to be in a hurry to deny our usation about them having a base. At least now that it thought we could figure out its lies, the chance of it lying should''ve lessened, right? Works for me~ "Get up." General Emilio released his foot from the orc''s head, and I followed by giving it the stick from before. After it sat nervously with a trembling body, I pointed at the ground and said, "go on. Draw the map, please. As detailed as possible, if you can. If you include the room name, that would be great! Ah, but do you understand human writing? Probably not, huh?" ''Urr...'' It fidgeted with the stick that I gave, as if it had never seen one before. "What''s wrong?" I tilted my head to the side, "oh, so sorry! I forgot that I''ve cut your fingers!" "Damn, little cub. That''s pretty harsh of you. Hahahah!" I frowned once I heard general Zhang''sughing from behind me. "Hey, I didn''t mean to..." I pouted as I grabbed the stick and the orc''s other hand, yeah, the one with full fingers, and ced the stick inside its grip, "there. Now you can draw properly." ''Grr...'' It nodded with hesitation, but then went and ced a few strokes on the ground. "...Hey, uh..." I muttered as my eyes tracked the movement of its stick. Up and down, left and right, left and right again? "What''s wrong, little cub?" General Zhang asked in-between his munching. "Hey, don''t talk while you eat," I pointed at him, "and um, isn''t this... Bad?" "What''s bad?" He asked again, this time with a little head tilt. "This whole thing!" I eximed as I used both of my arms to gesture towards the ground. General Emilio inched closer to examine the ground, and raised an eyebrow in confusion. After observing for a while, general Zhang also decided to see it for himself, followed by Luke who ced his arm on my shoulder as he peeked at the ground. Gah, tall people privileges! "This..." General Emilio said, "...Is indeed very bad." -------- ''SCHLK!'' A dagger flew right through the middle of a humongous green orc''s head. It went from the back of its head, all the way to the X-shaped mark on its forehead. ''THUD!'' After its body loudly hit the ground, a fed-up sigh escaped my lips. "Tired already, little cub? Aww, not used to some exercise?" General Zhang giggled beside me while he shot out little lighting zaps from his long finger. The zaps hit another orc''s legs and arms precisely, rendering all four limbs of it useless. While it was convulsing on the ground, general Zhang peeked a nce at me. "Heck yeah I''m tired. I''m tired of not making a progress." I frowned as I looked for another orc to stab with my dagger. Psychokinesis sure was helpful in a situation like this. I didn''t need to walk or chase it, I could just yeet my dagger all the way from here. "Progress is rtive, little cub~ I think we''ve made a lot of progress. Not regarding the throne thingy, though." He chuckled. "Well, we literally came here for the throne," I replied, "or rather, to gather some army to extract general Owen and general Enzo, before taking the throne." ''STAB!'' ''GRRAA--!'' ''THUD!'' The orc that I had just hit screamed a little bit too loud for my liking, so I instantly smashed its face down on the ground, to prevent alerting other orcs or worse, the elves. "So sorry, but please stay quiet," I muttered to the orc, which wouldn''t be able to hear me anyway, "hey, eel. Should we just ditch that orc and go bonkers on their hideout?" "Ooh, finally learning from me?" He approached me with a giggle and pinched my left cheek, "cute. I like it." "No," I shoved his hand out of the way, "that orc''s drawing is gibberish. It''s like a kindergartener''s drawing, but drunk! How will it be useful for us?" "What''s a kindergartener?" He questioned. Oh? Different education system here? So maybe they didn''t have a kindergarten... "It''s like um, a toddler who''s just starting to learn basic school stuff?" I answered hesitantly. "Ah, all the more reason for us to wait. Tee-hee!" General Zhang ruffled my head. "How so?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "That porcupine is great with kids. He''ll understand somehow~" The white-haired general said so casually and confidently. Sighing deeply, I nodded and said, "well, if you say so... We still have to wipe out these orcs anyway." ''BZZT!'' "Exactly. So let''s enjoy our time together while we can, little cub~" He hummed while zapping another orc, this time straight on its plump butt, beforeughing like a madman. "They better be finished by the time we''re done," I said as I flew my dagger and lodged it into the convulsing-butt orc''s head, around its X-mark again, "why are you ying with them?" "Haha! Sorry, sorry~" He giggled. I puffed out my cheek, looking at how childish he could be sometimes. I guess it wasn''t necessarily a bad thing to have a chill guy around here. A few minutes had passed since I and this eel decided to go hunt the remaining orcs around here while general Emilio stayed behind to decipher whatever map that orc was drawing on the ground. I didn''t want to babysit, so I volunteered to go hunt, and this eel just tagged along for fun, I guess. "Hey, eel. By the way, I want to ask about those humans--" ''Poof!'' "Eh?" I flinched when a puff of smoke suddenly appeared before me. "Yo, kid." As the smoke slowly cleared, I was able to recognize the shape of the creature that decided to pop up and interrupt me. "Big brother Luke, you spooked me." I pouted as my body eased upon recognizing the tanned man in front of me, who had his chest exposed by his robe as usual. "Well, I got spookier news for you." He said as he mimicked my pout. "Oh? What is it?" General Zhang joined in on the conversation while cing his elbow on my shoulder. Ack, these tall people needed to stop! Luke put his hands on his hips, and said, "it''s a false rm." Chapter 93: False alarm? (2) Chapter 93: False rm? (2) "What? What false rm?" I tensed up when I heard the unprecedented news. "Us. We''re the false rm." Luke sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Oh, you mean their idea?" General Zhang piped up, his elbow was still resting on my shoulder. "Exactly. They weren''t nning to do a coup d''etat, it seems." Luke nodded, approving his words. "Dude, what do you mean by ''their'' idea? Isn''t it ''our'' idea?" I frowned at general Zhang and tried to get his elbow off of my shoulder, but I couldn''t. "Hey, you and that porcupine were the ones who decided that. I just watched. So I''m off the me~" He said as he bent his elbow to squish both of my cheeks using one hand. "Hew!" I protested, but it was hard to speak while your cheeks were being squeezed. "So, do we have any leads about Jean-jean and the kid''s whereabouts?" While ignoring me, general Zhang looked up to Luke and asked. "Yeah. Those orcs really took them, that part of your spection is confirmed," Luke replied, "but they didn''t take them to go fight the elves. They needed the kid for something else." "Hoh? Whah foh?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Their leader is gravely bedridden. Well, long story short, they need a special concoction. And guess who can make it?" Luke exined. "Bleh!" I finally shoved off a certain eel off of me, and regained my ability to speak clearly, "wait, Firiell can make some sort of potion witchcraft scientific stuff?" "You phrased it weirdly, kid. Witchcraft and science don''t belong in the same sentence. But apparently, yes." Luke nodded, but he wore a confused expression upon hearing my phrasing. "How did you know for sure? That orc can''t speak." I tilted my head in confusion. "Let''se back and regroup with general Emilio. You''ll see why." Luke replied shortly. -------- We quickly jogged back to where we left general Emilio with that poor orc, and found them sitting in front of each other. The orc''s hand was still moving and swirling around, busy scribbling something on the ground which I couldn''t really figure out what. I pushed aside a tall bush in front of me, and stepped forward to approach them. "Hey, what''s up with this whole--" "Don''t move." "Uh?" I froze just as my foot was about to touch the ground. What? Why? "Oh? There are drawings here," general Zhang popped up behind me and pointed at the ground, "geez, you almost stepped on art, little cub~ Not appropriate~" "Whaaat? I didn''t notice, okay?" I pouted and stepped back, only to found that general Zhang''s toned chest was pressed against my back, "ack! Move!" Instead of moving, he just giggled like a little boy while pushing me slightly to throw me off bnce. And with each and every fumbling I did, heughed even more. Gah. At this point, I would go bonkers! With a big sigh, I shifted my attention towards the ground in front of me, and found that a big chunk of it was covered with abstract scribbles that even I couldn''t really make out the shapes. Uhh, I saw a bottle--potion? And big X marks on a wonky stickman''s eyes, a long-haired small stickman with crooked mouth and a skirt, and uh... Yeap, those were everything that I recognized. The rest of it was too abstract for me to interpret. My art soul wasn''t that godly. "Go around the bush. Come here and I''ll exin from the start." General Emilio said as he made a motion with his hand. Seeing that, I nodded and we went around, this time carefully stepping on the parts that didn''t have any doodles on it. Wow, it almost looked as if that orc had scribbled an entire chronicle on the ground or something. "Alrighty, can you start exining now? We''ve only heard that they took the kid to make some scientific potion or something. Or witchcraft potion. Magic potion?" I asked as I sat beside general Emilio, where there weren''t any drawings. "This orc likes storytelling, so it seems," general Emilio started exining, "he just has some troubles expressing it." "...I can see that." I grimaced. "Starting with their base''s map," he said as he pointed at a nearby map scribble on the ground that had wonky and ovepping lines, "I''ll exin the rooms." While he exined all of the avable rooms, starting from the entrance and all the way to the barracks, meeting room, armory, clinic, and yada-yada. Instinctively, I reached out into my bag and took out a pencil and a small notebook. Wow, Jeanne even prepared some writing equipment for us. She was prepared for everything, huh? "Why are you writing them down, little cub?" General Zhang asked. "So I can review itter, obviously? Do you expect me to remember everything in one go and keep everything perfectly intact a few days from now?" I answered without looking up from my notebook. "Hmm. You''re full of preparation." He replied. "Isn''t this just the bare minimum, though?" I said as I tapped my pencil a few times to my lips while I continued taking notes. "Don''t mind him, kid. Keep being diligent. That''s good." Luke said as he proudly gave me a few pats on the head. "Everything clear about the map?" General Emilio inquired. "Uh-huh." General Zhang leaned back with a smile. "Where do they keep their leader? No way they''re keeping him in the clinic." I stopped writing to look up at general Emilio. "Good question. ording to this orc, they''re keeping him in the armory. Presumably for extra protection." He answered while tapping lightly on my notebook on where the armory was. "That would be extra danger, too." I remarked. "Well, orcs aren''t exactly the smartest monster around. Their bond isn''t even that strong, hence why we were able to easily persuade this guy--" "Not persuade, threaten." General Zhang cut Luke off. "Yes. Threaten. Whichever one that was," Luke nodded, "anyway, they''re lower rank for a reason. Also, they''re known to rarely wash their clothing and armor, even though they wear those every day." "That''s... A rather unrted piece of information, but thanks." I replied. "We could use that armory to our advantage," general Emilio added, "if we''re all clear, I''ll start exining the other drawings." "Yup yup." I gripped my pencil tighter, ready to take more notes. Usually, I wrote important points during my brigade''s briefings, just in case our mission got extended so long, that I might forget some of the information. Then in my free time before sleeping, I would review my notes just in case they got lost on the battlefield. Too unnecessary for some, maybe. But better be prepared than not. "That drawing over there represents the orc tribe." General Emilio pointed at a faraway drawing that looked like a bunch of scribbles to me. "...Okay." Didn''t get that, but sure bro. "They were doing okay before the elves came along, but then one day, their leader gathered them all for an important announcement." He started exining. ...How the heck could he understand the story so much from those scribbles? "And then, their leader told them that they needed to do something important," general Emilio continued, "and that was to take a throne." "Huh, so they also got the same message. Understandably so." I nodded and wrote a little remark on my book, ''orc peeps. Mission. Wack.'' "And then that drawing over there," he pointed at another scribble beside the one from before, "that depicted the day when the elves attacked them." "Cool, cool." "They were still preparing to attack the elves'' kingdom, but they were slower." General Emilio borated. "Pfft! Did they seriously think they could beat the elves?" General Zhang chuckled. "Well, that''s how you know I didn''t lie when I said that they''re not smart." Luke shrugged. "I know, we also have information about monsters," general Zhang replied, "we might know a lot more than we look, you know?" "Pay attention." General Emilio frowned. "Okay, sorry~" "What happened after they lost?" I questioned, which in turn, earned me a sad growl from the orc that was sitting in front of us. Huh, he was still listening. "Look over there," general Emilio gestured over the next drawing, "they quickly gathered the orcs at one ce and threatened to wipe them out if they wouldn''tply with the elves'' wishes." "I can see why that would work. To orcs, as long as they could survive, they didn''t mind much." Luke added with a little nod. "And then, ording to the next drawing, those elves upied their castle, and in just a few days, established an envement program." General Emilio continued. "Just in a few days? Dang, are the orcs just that easy tomand, or is that crazy king that good in management?" I frowned as I wrote a little note at the corner of the page saying, ''elf king, very, no no.'' "Most likely both," he said, "and that''s why we caught this guy over here. He and his mates were tasked to fetch some water." Oh, so it was a him. "And as for their leader, it turns out that he got his disease after the elves'' conquest." General Emilio added while pointing at a stickman with X marks I saw earlier. Ah, so that was what it meant. Gotcha. "Was he poisoned, then?" General Zhang asked. Right, probably the same poison that was used against us when we first met Ioriell? "No," general Emilio replied with a serious frown, "it''s worse than that." "Oh gosh, what now." I sighed, and added a little note saying ''sleep when?'' at the corner of another page. Ugh, when could we rest!? "They have a witch in their army." Chapter 94: The witch (1) Chapter 94: The witch (1) "Huh? Witches exist here? Are they like, humans with witch power or like, monsters?" I questioned, tilting my head, "but wait, what''s the difference between witch power and magic power? Huh?" Was I the dumb one here, or what? "This is also the first time I''ve heard of a witch." General Emilio replied. "Ooooooooh~ Witchcraftttttt~ Spooooookyy~" General Zhang suddenly peeked from behind me and spoke with an exaggerated ghostly voice while hovering his hands around my shoulders. "So it really is witchcraft? Dude, that''s so cool!" I eximed in delight. "Not so fast, kid. Their definition of a witch is probably different from ours." Luke said as he bonked my head in disapproval. "Aww, I was kinda hoping to meet a cool witch, but alright..." I sighed, "so, is it another human, then?" "Most likely so." General Emilio nodded. "Huh. But why would a human work with them?" I asked while I drew a little stickman with a little witch hat on my note. "That''s none of our business. We came here to get an army and extract the hostages. Remember that." General Emilio replied sternly. "Right..." Well, he wasn''t wrong. We needed to focus on our main mission. The rest of the problems could wait. "Alright, moving on, this witch of them seems to know her way around curses." General Emilio continued. "They call it curses? Is there a possibility that the orcs consider poison as curses? Or maybe, deadly diseases as curses?" I asked as I wrote down the two possible choices I had in mind. "Could be. We don''t know the details yet." General Emilio answered. "Whatever her power is, she''ll die if we kill her anyway." General Zhang answered while yawning. "Yeah, people die when they''re killed, no shot," I rolled my eyes, "but what you said has some truth to it. At least we know how to kill a human." "On to the next event, they''ve been keeping their leader inside the armory for extra caution while feeding him all kinds of medicinal herb they could find," General Emilio continued while pointing at another scribble, "but nothing seemed to work." "Did any of them cause worse symptoms?" I inquired. "As far as that orc told us, it simply didn''t do anything." He replied. "Huh. Weird. Maybe it wasn''t poison or disease, after all," I remarked as I scratched both of those words in my notebook, "because if it was, some herbs should make it a bit better, and some of them should cause worse effect, right? Kinda like if you drink a random pill when you feel sick. You may get better, worse, or also nothing." "...Good point. But that''s still debatable, we have limited information." He replied. "You two sure get along well when discussing boring stuff." General Zhang groaned. "It''s called nning. I don''t want to lose a teammate just because I cked off in nning." I pouted. "Sure, sure. Call me when you''re done." General Zhang yawned once again, and rummaged through his backpack to pull out a sheet of white cloth, beforeying it down on the ground neatly. "You wanna sleep? Now?" I frowned. "Of course. It''s past midnight. I need my beauty sleep~" He giggled. "...Okay." I sighed, and continued to chat with general Emilio about the continuation of the story. It turned out that the orcs were starting to give up on their leader, and just lived their life obediently under the oppressive reign of the elves. But then, a certain Prince entered their life. One day, while they were out baking ys, a peculiar Prince joined their work, as he usually did. Weird, but okay. I kinda expected thating from Ioriell. Anyway, they apparently were able tomunicate, even though the other elves couldn''t understand the orcs. Perhaps it was due to Ioriell studyingnguages? If I remember correctly, he mentioned that Erenduill studiednguages aside from politics, and Erenduill said that they received roughly the same training. Due to that, Ioriell got the info about their leader''s sickness. And he actually promised them that he would take back his sister''s crest and help cure their leader, since his sister was well-known for curing vigers before she died. That answered the mystery regarding Firiell. She had some kind of curing power from her crest, but she also had Monad-type magic from her human part. Dang, she was op. "But then, why did they kidnap her? Why don''t they just, you know, wait?" I wondered. "Their leader''s condition was deteriorating rapidly. They couldn''t waste any more time." He answered. "I see... Too bad for them, huh." I nodded. Yep, too bad that we were going to wreak their base soon enough and vaporize their hope. Uh-huh. "So, in conclusion. Both of them should be safe for now. They''ll be treated nicely as long as theyply, and from this orc''s story, they do." General Emilio concluded the story and stood up to tie the orc to a tree. ...Would that tree even be able to hold the orc? "Stay here. I''ve set up a trap. The moment you run away just 2 meters from your spot, your body will be filled with needles." General Emilio eerily exined. Ah, now that would keep the orc at bay. Yep. "Hngggg--" I stretched my stiff back, and rubbed my tired eyes, "so does that mean we can sleep now? A little bit of rest before we go pick them up?" "Yeah. We rest here today. Let''s take turns to--" "I''ll be on the lookout." Luke immediately volunteered and raised his hand. "You? But you need sleep too, right?" I inquired. Didn''t he also get tired when we went on a ''walk'' before? "I would love toy down and do nothing, but I don''t really need it right now," he exined as he stretched his neck to the left and right, "your mana is overflowing since we got off the forest, I feel like I can''t sleep even if I want to." "...Are you doing drugs using my mana?" "No! Sheesh, kid, who raised you?" He bonked my head once again, earning a yelp from me. "Ack! Fine, fine, go ahead, then!" I said as I held my head to protect myself from more bonks. "Thanks." General Emilio concisely said. "I''ll tell you if something''s up," Luke gave him a little nod of approval, "or I can just deal with any threats myself." "Thank you, big brother." I grinned as I punched him on his chest lightly. "Go get some sleep. You need enough sleep to grow, kid." He grinned back and patted my head. "Hehe~" I giggled happily and turned around as I saw him leaving to guard the perimeter. He could be caring sometimes. Ah, finally! After a long day that felt like months, we got to have some rest. Now where was my cloth, I needed that so I wouldn''t beying down directly on the ground... "...Huh?" I raised an eyebrow when I couldn''t find the cloth that I was looking for. Weird, I was certain that there was an extra inside my backpack. Where did it go? "Little cub, what are you doing? Come here, let''s sleep." "Yeah?" I turned my head to look at the eel that I thought had been sleeping this whole time, only to found out that he was awake. Andfortablyying on a white cloth without his shirt on. "Come." He smirked at me. "The heck!? Why aren''t you wearing anything above your waist!?" I freaked out and scooted backwards for quite a distance, messing up some of the scribbles unintentionally. Sorry, orc dude! "Well, why would I sleep wearing a charred shirt? I don''t like smelling roasted fabric and it''s kinda itchy." He answered with a shrug. "But, but... You... Why would you take off your armor? It''s dangerous out here." I pressed on. "Eh. Not dangerous for me." "Gah! It''s useless to talk to you!" "Yup, exactly. That''s why juste here and sleep with me." "No! Don''t say it like that!" Ack! Couldn''t I get a rest, for just 5 minutes!? "What do you mean, little cub~ I''m just inviting you to sleep beside me, I''veid down your cloth for you~" He said while he gave me a little mischievous wink and a giggle. This little-- "So you''re the one who stole my cloth!" I pointed my finger at him. "Word choice, little cub. I didn''t steal it, I took it to prepare your bed~ Look, I even got you a pillow." He grinned while he tapped the spot beside him a few times. "Don''t you lecture me about word choice," I huffed, "and what pillow?" "Me. I''m the pillow." ''THWACK!'' "Ow, little cub, what gives?" He pouted as he rubbed his head that I had just hit with a stick, the stick that the orc used to scribble, to be exact. "Don''t joke around." I frowned as I felt my face starting to flush. Dang it, I just wanted a nice, cozy sleep! "Haha! Okay, okay~" He chuckled and raised both of his arms, "I won''t tease you anymore, so let''s get some sleep before the sun rises, alright?" "...Fine," I hesitantly agreed and scooted over closer to him, and pulled my cloth a little bit, just before it touched the scribbles on the ground, "but I will sleep here." I didn''t move it too much from its original position. Our cloth was now merely around 30 centimeters apart. "Sounds good to me. I won''t force anything on you." General Zhang giggled happily. "Excellent. Let''s stay in our respective spaces and have some sleep." I said as I warily lied down, with my back facing him. Gah, I could still feel the rocks underneath pricking my back. Kinda expected, though... "Sure, good night, little cub~" He hummed, and then I heard his voice suddenly got quiet. Had he finally gone to sleep? ''Plop!'' "Huh?" I confusedly chirped when I felt something fluffy fell on top of me. "A nket and a jacket. I brought extra." I heard general Zhang''s voice, and immediately turned around. "You brought extra? What for?" I questioned as I examined the things he mentioned. The blue nket was quite thick and fluffy, and I could still faintly smell the detergenting from it, although it was masked by the ash smell from the forest. As for the jacket, it was your typical ck bomber jacket, with folding lines still visible, even though he threw it haphazardly at me. "Just in case. You can use them, I have no need for them." He said while still facing the other way, apanied by a yawn. "But you''re shirtless." "Exactly. I''m flexing my shirtless body. Do you like it?" "... I regret talking to you." I stared at both the nket and the jacket for a while. True, it would be nice to have both. ''Plop!'' "Huh?" General Zhang questioned and turned his body around to face me. "Let''s use it together. Don''tin," I said as I threw the nket to cover us both, "but no crossing over the 30 cm gap." He stared at me with wide eyes for a while, before finally breaking intoughter, "hahahah! Little cub, this is why you''re amusing~" "Ack! You''re too loud! We''re trying to sleep here!" "Sure, sure~" He giggled happily and stared at me with a smile. As I felt his profound gaze on me, I felt my whole body tensing up. Ugh, I shouldn''t have faced this way! Chapter 95: The witch (2) Chapter 95: The witch (2) "Alright, enough talking. We''ll sleep for real." I cleared my throat and closed my eyes to make it less embarrassing. "Yup. Good night." General Zhang replied with a little chuckle at the end of his sentence. I waited and waited until a few minutes had passed, until I was sure that he wasn''t staring anymore. I mean, people usually lost interest and stopped staring in less than 10 minutes, right? After around that time, and yeah, I counted each second because I couldn''t peacefully sleep, I opened my eyes a little bit to take a peek. "...What are you doing?" I frowned as I saw his ever-smiling face, still staring at me. "Staring. Respectfully." He answered. "Don''t stare. I can''t sleep." I pouted and turned around so my back was now facing him. "Well, you wouldn''t let me cross this gap, so I''ll just stare." He chuckled and shifted his position, tugging at our nket. "Weren''t you the most eager one to sleep?" I raised an eyebrow while still closing my eyes. "I found something more interesting now~" Ack, this is getting nowhere. Let''s just focus on something else and get some sleep for real. Bread bread bread bread bread... After focusing on bread and its variants, I was finally able to slowly get my mind off of him. Now, a buttered toast with honey and some chocte rolls had taken over my thoughts. Not long after, my consciousness started to fade away as I foundfort in the fluffy nket and the bomber jacket. The stones underneath me didn''t hurt as much as before now. As I started to take a step into the dreand, I felt something tugging at my hair. I opened my eyes a little bit and peeped over my shoulder to check, only to found a few strands of my hair in the palm of a certain slippery eel. He didn''t pull on them or something, he just kept them in his hand, gripping them softly. This time, I found him with his eyes closed, no longer staring at me. Huh, I didn''t expect him to fully listen when I said no crossing or no staring... I respect his respectfulness, then. Just as I was about to go back to sleep, I felt another tug on my hair, and checked it again. He had brought his hand that was holding my hair closer to his lips, and snuggling my few strands of hair. My gosh!? What was that eel doing!? I quickly shut my eyes and recited my bread spell again to keep my mind off of it as I felt my cheeks flush, and concentrated on getting some rest, instead. ...Ack, I had a feeling that I wouldn''t be able to rest well today. -------- ''Chirp, chirp!'' Ah, yes. My morning rm. I wasn''t even surprised by now. "Hngggh--" I turned to my side and stretched out my stiff body to start my day, before suddenly hitting something firm. "Huh?" As soon as I looked up, I saw a beautiful, chiseled sleeping face with his hair sprawled across the messy cloth underneath us. And to make things worse, I had his thumb tightly wrapped in my other hand. Did I-- Did I roll over to his side in my sleep!? "Oh gosh!" I immediately threw his thumb away and rolled away from him, as far as I could. Ack! I hope he didn''t notice! And I hope nobody else noticed! "Hngg... Little cub, you''re so energetic in the morning..." General Zhang groaned in his deep, sexy morning voice. No! My brain! "You just woke up?" I asked him quickly, without any pause in-between words. Please, please don''t realize! "Of course... I don''t like waking up early..." He groaned again while rubbing both of his eyes, before reluctantly sitting up, letting the nket gracefully fall off his scarred shoulders, basking them in the early morning sunlight. "Good, good. Don''t wake up. Stay like that." I nodded profusely. Great, I was safe. Only I knew what happened... And let''s keep it that way. "Ahh, I''m still so sleepy because of what you did to mest night~" He suddenly piped up and smirked, "I had trouble falling asleep because of you, you know~? Shouldn''t you say something to me?" WHAT!? What did I do except sleepst night!? And rolling over to his side, I guess... "I-I didn''t do anything. Stop teasing me, we have work to do." I cleared my throat before sitting up and tidying our nket. "So you don''t remember rolling over to my side and sticking to me like glue? Hmm, I guess you were sleeping, so that''s fair~" He giggled, a glint of mischievousness could be seen in his eyes. "No no no! It''s not like that! I just have a really freaky sleeping habit, I promise!" I shook my hands in panic as I fumbled with my words, "I wasn''t trying to do anything weird, I swear!" "Huh, I don''t mind if you do anything weird to me~" He inched closer and closer, until he was just about to cross the 30 centimeters gap that I had crossed myself, in my sleep. "Can I end you then?" I tly said as I felt my soul slowly leaving my body. Farewell, my non-existent dignity. You wouldn''t be missed. At least my dignity couldn''t fall lower than this when it was already at the very bottom. "I''d prefer a different kind of weird, but sure," he chuckled as he took my hand and ced it around his muscr neck, "kill me." "Then perish." I smiled. "Hey, kid-- Oh gosh have you infected others with your suicidal tendencies, you little rat?" Luke suddenly appeared behind general Zhang and freaked out. Ah, I guess from his point of view, it looked as if I was aggressively strangling general Zhang, while this sly eel looked like he was trying to get out of my grasp. Great, another weird rumor. Guess me and my dignity were falling to the depth of abyss. "No, big brother, I swear this isn''t what it looks like--" "Don''t fight among yourselves. Geez. We got a full schedule today," Luke cut me off as he grabbed my hands away from general Zhang''s neck, and helped me up, "here, use this to clean your face." He dropped a clean wet towel on my hands and straightened my jacket wrinkles, before tidying up my bangs and hair. "There you go. After that, go get cleaned up over there. That friend of yours already told the orc to fetch some water." Luke said as he pointed outwards. As my eyes followed the direction he pointed at, I saw general Emilio sitting near the tied-up orc, sharpening his spear. Beside them were a few buckets of water that looked very inviting. "Ooh~ Public bathing? Kinky~" General Zhang hummed as he stood up. "I swear, eel. One more word from your lips and I''ll make sure you will never talk again." -------- After I very safely and privately changed my burnt clothes into some bandages over my chest and the bomber jacket general Zhang gave me, I took the time to check my stats to see how much I''ve gained from yesterday. "Stats." [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 38] [Intelligence: 97 (+5)] [Agility: 29] [Physique: 38 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 0] Huh, not bad for a one-day progress. As expected, my agility didn''t raise as much because I didn''t run a lot. Instead, my intelligence and physique stat both rose by 4 points, which was nice. I really needed to start getting better at mana allocation, though. Probably some mana potion would be nice to keep. "Shop." ''Ding!'' "...Gah, I''m dirt poor." I grimaced when I saw that I only had 200 coins left to spare. Hopefully, a little mana potion wouldn''t cost much. [Would you like to purchase the item ''Low Mana Potion'' for 100 gold?] "Yeah. Two, please." I muttered as I saw the newly-bought items materialized into my inventory. These might be helpful. I should save them for emergencies, although I doubted that they would add much mana. With onest sigh, I fixed my brooch armor on my jacket and tapped it, "be nice to me, okay? I''m practically half-naked now so you gotta protect me. Don''t suck up too much of my mana or we''ll both die." Satisfied with my talk with the inanimate object, I smiled and approached the others who were already discussing how to enter the orc''s hideout. "Why bother doing all this hard work when we can just smash our way in?" General Zhang shrugged. "Because you never know when carelessness might end you." General Emilio answered with a frown. "That''s the case for weaklings. I''m not a weakling~" The other, white-haired man, replied smugly. "Uh, big brother, what did I just walk into?" I raised an eyebrow as I walked closer to the three of them and tugged at Luke''s sleeve. "They''re still arguing on how to start entering the hideout," Luke answered with a bored face, "anyway, have some pizza." "You made pizza!?" I eximed in surprise. Wait, but how? "Nah, it''s frozen. I just reheated it with whatever I could and added some extra toppings and stuff." He shrugged as he handed me a slice, which I happily epted. "Thank you!" I giggled, "you should enlist yourself as the Vanguard''s cafeteria''s chef, you know." "What even is that?" He questioned with a frown. Oh, right. I hadn''t taken him to the cafeteria yet. Man, once he tasted the food, he would understand why I said that. "Anyway, generals. Are you two done arguing?" I asked while munching on my new, half-cold pizza. Hey, it tasted great despite it being a frozen, long-overdue pizza. "...Yes. We decided topromise and not storm the armory right away," general Emilio sighed while stressing the word ''not'', "instead, we wille in through their back door, and then ''smash'' our way into the armory. Chances are they have some traps in case an intruderes sting right through the armory." "That''s a good point. But that means we will face more orcs." I said in-between my munches. "True. That''s why we might need to do some... Forceful persuasion, if needed." General Emilio replied. Ah, ckmail, just like what those elves did to the orcs, except this time it was us. I see. "Well, that sounds pretty good to me~" General Zhang grinned. "Alrighty. Let''s go?" Chapter 96: The witch (3) Chapter 96: The witch (3) ''Rustle!'' "Man, they really need to do something about their vigeyout. Do they not have a town nner or something?" I groaned as I shoved my way through a huge bush that was standing randomly in the middle of a road. Why did no one move this thing? "Well, I don''t think orcs really care aboutyouts and stuff," Luke answered while he walked beside me, "especially not in this area. I don''t see many houses around here, probably the majority of them don''t even live here." I sighed and nodded in agreement. After all, most of the buildings here looked like workshops or factories. No, not modern factories like in Korea. Based on their signs, they only made simple products like bricks, ys, leather, and some handcrafted stuff like tablewares or cloth. How did I know? Well, even though those orcs couldn''t write, but they disyedrge, wonky drawings of the products they offered. I almost mistook the symbol for a bowl and a te for a bra. I mean, if you put a drawing of a round bowl next to a round te, they kinda looked like... You know... Anyway! As the sun began to rise higher, we strolled towards their ''hideout'' that was actually disguised as a cksmith. Perfect to store and hide weapons, not a bad choice. Moreover, this area was conveniently located pretty far from the vige''s center, and more towards the less crowded industrial areas. The storefront looked simple and reputable, with handwritten--no, hand-drawn wooden store sign. I also saw a little yellow bell above the door to alert the owner whenever someone wasing. Through the hole on the wall that I presumed was meant to be a window, I could see a few orcs already working despite it being so early in the morning. All in all, not suspicious at all. But s, our aim wasn''t the front door, but rather, the back. Supposedly, their hideout was located underneath this cksmithing workshop, and it was essible either through the head cksmith via a secret password, or through the secret door behind the cab just to the right of the backdoor. "It should be this cab, right?" General Zhang asked as he observed a worn-down wooden cab that was used to store supplies like ropes, tapes, mechanic tools, and other misceneous items, including a few suspicious-looking liquids. "Yeah." General Emilio answered. "Wait, before we enter, let''s loot the heck out of this cab. They got some good stuff." I said as I quickly stepped forward and opened my backpack. It would be a waste to pass up this opportunity. Other than confirming our kills, another crucial thing to always remember was to loot everything useful. Emphasis on ''useful'', wouldn''t be good to bring dead weight. Hmm, tapes and ropes would definitely be useful. What else... A chain? Sure. What about these liquids? As soon as I reached out for one of the bottles, Luke grabbed my hands. "Don''t touch anything. It may be corrosive or poisoned." He frowned as he took the bottle himself, before twisting the cap and sniffed the liquid inside it. "Gah, that''s true... I was careless," I scratched my cheek in embarrassment, "but the same goes for you." "Nah, I''m not a human, I literally exude acid from my crystals as a serpent. You really think this will kill me?" He said as he poured some of the liquid into his palm, "this is just motor oil." "Oh, give me that. Might be useful." I grabbed it from his hands and pretended to shove it inside my bag, when actually, I opened my inventory and put it inside. Didn''t want the oil to identally spill on other things, so better be safe. "Are you done?" General Emilio asked. "Ah, yes. Now go ahead and wreck it or something." I nodded happily and stepped backwards as I saw general Zhang walking closer to the cab. "Open sesame!" General Zhang giggled as he pushed the old cab aside, revealing an iron door behind it. "Huh, an iron door. Pretty good considering most of the houses here use wood or something, I guess." I nodded in approval. "Let''s go inside then, excuse us~" General Zhang hummed while he raised his leg. ''BAM!'' The loud noise reverberated through the air right when his heels connected with the iron door''s hinges. It was a great idea to break the door''s hinges instead of just blindly hitting the door, but unfortunately, it didn''t work quite as well as I thought it would be. "Hm? It didn''t open." He tilted his head. "Well, you didn''t even try. Stop ying around," I sighed, "and do it fast, that sound will 100% attract attention. We''ll get spotted in no time." "I''ll stand guard." General Emilio chimed in and brandished his spear while he turned around with his back facing us, ready to take any enemies that might pop out. "Hmm? I think this door is fortified with mana." General Zhang said as he leaned closer towards the door, inspecting it. "Oh? Let me also check." I raised an eyebrow and focused my sight on the door. As soon as I did it, I faintly saw a glowing yellow aura around it. So, an earth element user? Just like general Owen... "Anyway, this time I''ll throw the door flying in just one kick," he chuckled excitedly, "little cub, let''s make a bet. Do you think I can send this door flying for at least 100 meters? 200 meters?" "But this door leads to the underground, and they have a store behind this wall." I frowned. "I can send this door through multiple walls." He grinned mischievously. "Hmm, I think I can also do that." I pouted and puffed my cheeks. I was also strong, you know... "Alright, now observe~" He raised his arms this time, and I felt a strong magic power gathering around him. "Be careful not to get us caught up in your freaky antic." I sighed and stepped back a little. How much power was this eel really keeping from us? "Alright, kaaaameeeee--" ...Wait, that was also a thing here!? How the heck!? Did someone bring cartoons from my era to this era? But?? "--haaaaameeeeee..." "Who''s there?" A foreign voice came from behind the door, alerting us all. It was undoubtedly a feminine voice, and although it was slightly muffled through the door, I could still hear a little squeak in her voice. "...Was that ournguage? Huh? There''s someone else inside? An elf maybe?" I whispered at both generals and Luke, who looked just as confused as I was. "Is it either Jeanne or that girl?" General Emilio frowned. "No. I''m 100% sure." I replied shortly. Well, I had a solid reason to believe why. "Hmm, 100%? That''s very confident of you, little cub~" General Zhang giggled and winked at me. "... Trust me, I can guarantee that much." I sighed. Although the woman''s voice was hard to differentiate from Jeanne''s since it was pretty muffled, but I wouldn''t say I was 100% sure if I didn''t have proof. While we were walking here, I was constantly checking on my mentalist skill every minute. The moment Jeanne''s name and Firiell''s name popped up, I instantly knew that they were within a 1 km range from us. And of course, I shot a message--well, a few messages to both Jeanne and Firiell. It cost me a lot of mana to do so, which was why I hated using that skill, but it was worth it. Well, I couldn''tin much since it was a low-grade skill, anyway. The content of my messages was basically ''hello we ring, pls stay away from the backdoor, thenk'', and then 2 more repeats of the same message, and then ''pls notice me'' for like, 3 messages, followed by ''i hope u guys got these messages'', and finally, another repeat of the first message. ...Well, I mean... This skill didn''t have a ''read'' feature, you know? I couldn''t have known if they got my messages or not, so better just spam them to be sure, right? Like, what if they were sleeping when I sent the messages, or bathing, or just doing something else that might distract them? At least I didn''t spam them with ads. Wait, I could make money out of this skill using ads. "Then, is it an enemy? Ooh fun~" General Zhang pped his hands in delight, bringing my focus back to this mysterious woman behind the door, instead of thinking about 30 seconds ads. "Well..." I pondered, "perhaps." I still wasn''t sure about that, since if she was another human, then why didn''t her name appear on my list? But on the other hand, if she was an elf, then why would she be in the orc''s hideout? Their loyalty to their kin was he strong, man. Ah well, it didn''t really matter what she was, either way, she wasn''t exactly friendly to us. "Answer me. Or I''ll have to treat you as intruders." The stern voice behind the door said to us. Was it just me, or did they sound a little bit shaky? "Hey, hurry up." General Emilio alerted us, right after we heard some orc growls getting louder and louder. "We''re not intruders!" I shouted, trying to maybe persuade her. She sounded a bit terrified, so might as well shot my shot, right? "Then why did you kick our door?" She shouted back, this time more aggressive than before. Oh well, time to do this the hard way, then. "We were knocking, respectfully!" Well, knocking with a foot, but still knocking, regardless, "anyway, we''reing in! Pizza delivery!" I shouted. "Pizza delivery? But we didn''t--" I grinned and cocked my rifle, "pizza delivery with extra death,ing right up!" ''BANG! BANG!'' Chapter 97: What are you? (1) Chapter 97: What are you? (1) ''CLANK!'' As soon as all of the hinges popped off, general Zhang busted the door down with a loud bang, sending dust of sand everywhere. "Kyaaah!" The moment I heard the shriek of that woman amidst the puff of dust, I used my psychokinesis to loop the rope from earlier around the area, and tightened it as hard as I could. When I felt like I caught something, I looped the rope again a few times and tightened it even more, making sure that she wouldn''t escape. "Hurry, get inside!" General Emiliomanded, "seal the opening! Those orcs are getting near!" "Roger~" General Zhang flicked his finger, and the moment the four of us passed the doorway, a thin of electricity was created on the ce where the iron door once was, sealing the secret entrance. Ah, it was like that time in the serpent''sir! "Thanks!" I shouted as I covered my nose and mouth with my jacket''s cor to avoid inhaling too much dust. "Now if any of themes, we will have free roasted meat. Tee-hee!" He giggled. "Ew, I don''t want to eat roasted orc meat. Go eat it yourself if you want to." I frowned in disapproval. "Kkh! Let go!" Thedy yelled as I felt her squirming and tugging at my rope. "Ack! Wait! Don''t resist too much!" I replied as I tightened the rope and waited for the puff of dust to settle down so we could see better. "No! Let me go! Do you want to die!?" She shouted again. "Gah! General Zhang, zappy zap, please!? She''s too loud!" I yelled back. "Intruder alert! Intru--" ''ZAP!'' Along with a sh of lightning, the sound of the woman suddenly ceased to exist, and I finally felt the resistance on my rope loosened. "...Thank you for that." I let out a sigh. As soon as the dust cleared, we were finally able to see the unconscious red-haired young woman, who was tied up from her chest all the way to her feet. Her head was down and her long hair covered her face, but it was definitely human-shaped. No elf ears, too. So what the heck was she? "Now we can''t interrogate her," general Emilio sighed, "oh well, let''s storm through this base first." "Alright. I''ll bring her along." I nodded and tied the other end of the rope to my waist to make sure she followed me everywhere. A pity that we couldn''t figure out who or what she was. Well, we would get to itter, I guess. "Beneath thisdder should be a horde of vengeful, angry orcs. But they shouldn''t be a problem," general Emilio exined, "the hard part will be to disable them but not to kill them, since we will need them to fight the minotaurster." "...That''s easy, we got a walking stun gun right here," I said as I poked general Zhang''s chest, "by the way, wear some shirt. Sheesh." "Don''t wanna. I want to flex my abs. Tee-hee~" He giggled. "Do you want me to wrap your abs with my rope?" I frowned. "Stop arguing. The longer we wait, the better prepared they are." General Emilio growled at us. "Then, don''t mind if I do!" General Zhangughed maniacally and jumped down the hole without using thedder as sparks of electricity flew around him. ''ZZAAAP! BANG!'' The ground beneath us shook as our vision was filled with shes of white and blue. asionally, we could hear the faint screaming of the orcs in-between the lightning strikes, but aside from all the zaps, the most prominent sound was the insane eel''sughter. "Ahahahhaha!" General Zhang creepilyughed while he wreaked havoc on the level below us. "...Why did we even spend time studying theyout if it''s just gonna be like this?" I sighed. "At least we won''t get lost when we look for the leader after this, uh, ''clean up''." General Emilio answered as he cleared his throat. "Clean up? This isn''t even clean in the slightest." Luke added as he observed general Zhang''s antics without much trouble. "Your eyes can also withstand shiny stuff? Man, that''s cheating." I puffed my cheeks while squinting my eyes to avoid overworking my iris from the shes of lightning. "Of course~ I''m a special monster, after all~" He grinned while proudly puffing his chest. Anyway, while we waited for general Zhang to be done doing whatever the heck he was doing, I should try contacting Jeanne and Firiell again. It should be fine since I didn''t use much mana today. Let''s see, what should I say... After fumbling with the message content for a while, I was finally satisfied with my message which says, ''ayein through, we here, give us a sign''. They should understand, right? Alright, sent! Man, using this skill sure was pretty tiring when done multiple times. Maybe my idea about ads wouldn''t be too good, after all. Bummer. ''ZAAP!'' ''THUD!'' "Hmm?" I peeked over thedder hole when I saw that the blinding lights were finally gone, followed by onest orc groan. "Oiiii,e down here, all of you! It''s doneeee~" General Zhang said with a giggle, "be careful not to identally step on their head and kill them, though~ Be gentle, got it?" "You should be thest one to say ''be gentle'' here." I sighed and jumped down thedder without using it for faster travel. Oop, almost stepped on an orc''s butt there. Close call. "Dude, this is a mess," Luke said while looking around at the pile of orc bodies on the ground, making the living room look creepier than it should''ve, "you sure they aren''t dead?" "Of course. I''m very good at controlling my magic, you know." General Zhang replied confidently. ''Cough! Cough!'' "Go drink some water." I replied nonchntly as I observed around the room, looking for anything useful. Other than the bare minimums like one single coffee table and two old sofas with a few boxes scattered around the corner of the room, nothing was remarkable here. I couldn''t see very clearly due to the dimntern lighting along the walls, but this was pretty disappointing, even for orcs. "Who are you talking to, little cub?" General Zhang asked as he popped up beside me. "Um, you? You coughed." I replied. "No, I didn''t. That wasn''t me." He raised an eyebrow and looked over at general Emilio, which shook his head, and then Luke who also did the same. "Huh? Did I mishear-- Oh, wait! It must''ve been Jeanne''s sign!" I gasped as I realized that was her response to my message earlier. "A sign? What sign?" General Zhang asked, still confused. "I''ll exinter, follow the sound!" I eximed in delight. Finally, we could reunite again! I wonder if they got a good sleepst night... Although I wasn''t very sure, I tried my best to follow the sound, which, to my surprise, didn''t lead us to where the armory was supposed to be. ording to my memory, the armory should''ve been further inside, but instead, the sound wasing from nearby, in one of these weirdly ced rooms. "This way?" I nervously took a right turn and ventured deeper into the dim hallway until I could see a white curtain-- well, more like a white torn-out piece of fabric that was messily hanged on a stick across the wall. ''Cough! Cough!'' The moment I heard the cough again, and this time, luckily, it sounded much clearer, I knew I took the right path. That was definitely Jeanne''s voice. "She''s here, but why?" General Zhang questioned while he walked beside me, "I can also feel that little girl''s mana, too." "Shh! Lower your voice!" I whispered as I elbowed him right in his abs. Huh, firm. "But what are they doing in the clinic?" Luke asked with a small voice as he touched his chin. True, this hallway was supposed to lead to the clinic if the map was correct. But their leader was in the armory, so did one of them got hurt? Oh no. "Eel, sh." I motioned general Zhang towards the door while I activated my mentalist skill to send a message to both of them saying ''close eyez, sh iing, thx''. "First you treat me like a walking stun gun, and now you treat me like a walking shbang? Geez, little cub, you''re so mean~" He pouted, but still walked towards the door regardless. "Think of it as apliment. You''re multifunction." I giggled quietly, since we had to be hush-hush about this... Well, probably toote to be hush-hush already, but why not start? "... I think the word you''re looking for is multitalented, kid." Luke said as he looked at me with a questionable expression. "No, she''s right. Multifunction." General Emilio added. "Mm-hmm!" I raised a fist at general Emilio, to which he responded with a fist bump. An ally! "Alright, look away and cover your ears~" General Zhang said as he crouched down and slipped a finger between the fabric. Ack, I should invest in some ear muffler after this trip, this constant sting sound wasn''t good for my ears. We nodded and did as we told, when suddenly a loud bang was heard alongside a sh of white for less than a second, and we immediately stormed inside, not wanting to lose any time. ''Grrr?'' I immediately used my psychokinesis to lift up the bedsheets around us and used them to wrap 2 orcs that I saw. General Zhang quickly followed by making zapping noises every now and then, and in just less than a minute, no orc was seen moving inside the clinic, but no injuries were found, either. After all, we needed to preserve their limbs for when we challenge the minotaurster, right? "Chaerin!" I perked up when I heard a familiar, soft and pleasant voiceing from the corner of the room, calling my name. I hurriedly flew my gaze over there, and spotted familiar blonde hair, tied into a ponytail. "Jeanne!" Chapter 98: What are you? (2) Chapter 98: What are you? (2) "Jeanne, are you guys okay? What happened?" I asked as I hopped over to her, careful not to step on an orc''s unconscious body. "Sorry for noting yesterday! I''m fine, but..." Jeanne answered with a worried tone as she averted her eyes somewhere to her left. Her face looked so tired, judging by the dark circles under her eyes and her pale lips. What happened while they were gone? "Don''t be sorry, it was something unexpected, you handled it well, whatever it was." I patted her back reassuringly so she could calm down a little. "I-- Uh, over there, Firiell is not okay..." Jeanne stuttered as she pointed towards the direction she was looking at, and I followed her gaze. "Wha--!" There, on a rusty and old clinic bed,id a very thin child, unconscious and unmoving. What alerted me more, though, was the IV line that was connecting her wrist to some kind of collecting bag that was already halfway full with dark red blood. "They''re collecting her blood to make some sort of medicine, and--" "We know about the orc leader''s condition and what she was brought in here for, but dang, this is how they do it?" I eximed in surprise before Jeanne finished her words. "How did you know?" Jeanne looked at us with a surprised look on her face. Oh, right. She didn''t know about our peaceful discussion with that poor orcst night. "We just kinda asked around," general Zhang shrugged, "Jean-jean, why didn''t you just kill all of these orcs and run away or something?" "Hey, didn''t you say that we need to keep them alive so we can use them for our armyter?" I frowned at general Zhang while I hugged Jeanne. "I mean, if they''re annoying, then..." General Zhang scratched his head. "I would also kill them if I could," Jeanne answered, "but that little girl willingly agreed to this." "Huh, what? She agreed to be kidnapped? What in the?" I questioned with wide eyes. Why would anyone want to be kidnapped? "No, she wanted to save the orc''s leader," general Jeanne sighed, "let me paint the picture for you." "...Okay? But let''s release that IV line first, that kid might die with that much blood loss since she''s as thin as a dried stick." I said as I reluctantly agreed and walked over to the bed. "Do you know how to release an IV line, too?" General Emilio asked while he walked closer to me. "Not really, we''ve been taught before, but I honestly don''t remember anymore. Usually, the medic in my team did that, not me. Isn''t it just simply pulling it out, though?" I answered while scratching my cheek. "Questionable, but go ahead. Fast. Their reinforcement is alreadying." General Emilio conciselymanded as he turned around and walked towards the door with his spear out. "Then I''ll go guard the entrance with your friend, kid," Luke said as he gave me a single pat on the head, "we just need to disable them without killing them, right? Should be easy with my poison, I guess." "Thank you, we''ll leave that to you." I nodded and shifted my focus towards the little girl in front of me, who was lying on the bed with a frown on her face. If she was already pale before, this time she was dangerously too pale, almost as if she was blending in with the bedsheet underneath her. Her hair was dry and messy, sprawled across the bed. "Let''s just do this as clean as possible. I hope I won''t do something bad." I grimaced as I opened my backpack to find the alcohol from before and some new, clean gauze to use. "Huh? What''s that behind you?" Jeanne asked when she saw me turn around to open my backpack. "Behind me? What''s behind me?" I questioned back while I opened the bottle of rubbing alcohol and drizzled its content onto one of the gauzes. "... A human. I''ve met her here before." Jeanne answered with a confused look as her gaze was fixed on the thing that I had brought along with me. "Ah, yes. We had a little disagreement, but we still need her for information, so we figured why not bring her along," I answered while I applied the alcohol-soaked gauze around the infusion site on her wrist, and rubbed it in a circr motion from the inside to the outside, "I''ll exin the whole thingter, but I''m pretty sure she isn''t human." "Huh? I didn''t expect that. She looks and behaves just like a human..." Jeanne stared at the unconscious creature behind me with wide eyes, "just what are you?" "An idiot sandwich, probably." I replied. "A what?" "Nothing," I shrugged, "I''ll take off the infusion line now, okay? Let''s hope nothing goes wrong." ''Plop!'' With one slow pull, I fished the long needle out of her wrist and threw it on the ground. Immediately after, I followed by pressing the wound with another, new alcohol-soaked gauze and taped it on her arm carelessly using the tape we found on the outside. Not the best and not the cleanest, but hey, it was something. "Let''s keep the bag. Might be useful for something, like bargaining with the orcs, maybe?" I said as I picked up the blood bag, sealed it, and popped it into my inventory while I pretended to store it inside my bag. "Bargain or threaten, little cub? Hehe~" General Zhang chuckled amusedly. "Either way is fineee, don''t act like you''re not thinking about it, too." I pinched both of his cheeks annoyedly. ''SLASH!'' ''Grrrr!'' We simultaneously turned our heads to look at the source of the voice, and found that both Luke and general Emilio were now fending off some orcs that were starting to gather at the entrance of the clinic. Should we help? "...Nah, they''ll be fine." I plopped down on one of the hospital beds, and rummaged through my backpack once again. Both of them should be able to handle a few orcs with ease. "I''ll help." Jeanne said as she grabbed the hilt of her sword and frowned. "Oh no no, you''ll stay here," I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her gently until she sat down on another bed beside mine, and put a bundle of cloth on her hands, "here. I packed some food for you, these are just cooked--well, reheated, probably, this morning andst night. It''s just some frozen pizza and roasted bird meat. Not the best, but you gotta eat." "This..." She stared at the wrapping with shock. "I also wrapped one for Firiell, but I guess she can''t eat in her condition," I sighed and plopped back down on the bed, "anyway, eat and have some rest while we wait for those two to finish, uh, cleaning up." "...Thank you so much, all of you." Jeanne smiled sweetly as I saw her cheeks starting to flush a bit. "Here, don''t forget to drink, too. We will be doomed if our general is down, right?" I chuckled and tossed her a bottle of water which she caught easily with one hand. "You guys will do fine without me." She let out a littleugh. "No, we''re notplete without you. So stop worrying about anything else and just rest. It''s time for us to take care of our general." I winked at her. "... I''m one lucky general, huh?" She giggled happily. I let out a sigh while smiling. She was always so mindful about others, that she often forgot to take care of herself, too. I bet she didn''t sleep a winkst night just to keep an eye on Firiell. Heck, the first thing she did after finally reuniting with us was apologizing to us for not popping up during our fight. If that wasn''t selfless, I didn''t know what was. ''Thud!'' After we rested for roughly 5 minutes while Jeanne swiftly ate and I argued with general Zhang who insisted to share the same bed as me, thest orc''s body finally hit the ground. "Are you guys done?" I asked as I pushed a certain white-haired eel off of my bed for the fifth time. "Yup. That should be all of them for now," Luke nodded and walked closer to us, "storytime?" "Storytime!" I eximed in happiness, "eel, seal!" "Now I''m also a walking doorlock? You''re mean~" He pouted, but still raised his finger to point at the clinic entrance, and zapped a of electricity on the entrance, forcing doom on whoever dared to cross. "You''re my multifunction eel, be proud." I grinned. "Yours? Hmm, I can roll with that~" He giggled. "I take that back. You''re simply an eel." I stomped on his foot, but he quickly moved his foot so I missed. "Jeanne, report." General Emilio shifted the topic to something that actually mattered. Finally, thank you! "Yes. I think I should start from where we separated," she started exining, "I''ll make it fast and skip the parts about the leader, since you already know." We nodded and I shifted my seating position forward. "The moment we separated, I and Firiell went to hide a bit further from you," she looked at general Emilio, "long story short, we got spotted by an elf, so I eliminated it swiftly by summoning a spear and puncturing his head." "Nice." I nodded and smiled. "I thought it was over, but when we looked behind, there was another sneaky assassin elf just about to stab us," Jeanne continued, "it wasn''t a problem, and I eliminated it again." So far there hadn''t been anything suspicious, okay. "But right when we killed it, two orcs came running to us and kneeled down, probably thanking us, since their backs were full of sh marks." "Oh, were they ves for the elves?" I piped in. "I assumed so, and we thought they were probably happy that they were finally free, and we needed them alive anyway so we can rally them against the minotaurs, so I didn''t kill them," she sighed, "instead, we told them to stay quiet since we were on a very important mission." ... I would''ve debilitated them first, but aight. She was nicer than I was. "But what we didn''t expect was, they suddenly grabbed Firiell and snatched her right when I was about to jump down and strike that prince." "Huh? Right on that timing?" I questioned. "Yes. At that moment, I decided to chase after them since we wouldn''t be able to extract the crest without her, and general Zhang was still there, so..." Jeanne bit her lip. "Yep, you got nothing to worry about when there''s me~" General Zhang proudly chuckled. "Hey, read the situation!" I elbowed him gently. "... It was still my carelessness, I''m sorry," Jeanne apologized, "but then, when I managed to get her back, something unexpected happened." Chapter 99: What are you? (3) Chapter 99: What are you? (3) "Everything is pretty much unexpected at this point." I sighed. "Well, I really didn''t expect her to volunteer to help the orcs," Jeanne continued, "she said that the orcs had always been friendly to her ever since they moved here, so she wanted to know their reason for abducting her." "That''s... Very risky to do at that timing, Firiell..." I grimaced. Couldn''t they at least discuss that after fighting? "As things turned out to be, they decided to snatch Firiell right at that moment because they didn''t want that prince to die, since they needed him for something." Jeanne exined. "That would be his promise to get the crest back and help their leader." Luke nodded. "Yeah, they were able tomunicate somehow and Firiell ryed that information to me," she sighed, "but once Firiell told them that she was the one who owned the crest now, they immediately begged her to follow them to where their leader was lying sick." "The prince can alsomunicate with the orcs, so it''s likely that they received education about orc''snguage." General Emilio added. "... Why." I uttered a single word that expressed my whole feeling right now. Couldn''t they just, wait for like, 10 minutes tops? We would''ve finished that prince by that time, and no one would be at risk. It was nice that general Zhang was there to step in, but if he wasn''t... "I also don''t understand her too well, yet," Jeanne said as she nced over at the little girl who hadn''t woken up, "but she insisted on helping the orcs." "... I guess we can only ask once she wakes up," I shifted in my seat, "we also need to tell her to be more aware of the situation, just in case this happens again." "That''s true. What''s even more worrisome is the fact that their method of healing is a bit... Questionable." Jeanne said as she pointed at her wrist. "Yeah, I was going to ask, what do they even need her blood for?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "She said her crest power was called ''Pureblood''. And I think you may already have figured out why, just from the name." Jeanne answered. "Ah, so it''s a y on the words? Her blood purifies others, like that?" General Zhang perked up, "ahahahha! What a concept!" Heughed loudly while holding his stomach. "They''re drinking her blood? That''s so metal." I grimaced. But did that work, though? "I think they''re doing blood transfusion. But the crest''s exact mechanism is still not understood," Jeanne corrected, before continuing, "but strangely, it didn''t work as well as we thought it would." "borate?" I leaned closer to pay attention. "At first, the leader did get better and his fever went down, but soon after, we noticed that his other symptoms persisted and he couldn''t even get out of his bed now." Jeanne bit her lip in anguish. "Huh, probably the curse they''re talking about works in aplex manner..." I touched my chin and began thinking of some possibilities. What were we missing here? There must''ve been a missing link. Hmm... "We need to wait until that girl wakes up, and then we''ll ask about her crest." General Emilio crossed his arms in front of his chest with a frown. I guess he was also pretty pissed. "Hngg--" "Speaking of which, someone else just woke up." Luke raised an eyebrow and stared down at my feet. "Huh? Oh! You woke up!" I eximed in surprise when I saw the creature we caught earlier started squirming around. I wasfortable resting my feet on top of her too, dang. "You. State who you are. I''ll give you 5 seconds." General Emilio suddenly swung his spear and pressed the tip against her neck, drawing a tiny drop of blood. "W-wait--" She gasped and stuttered while looking at us with wide eyes. "Four." "You''re going to regret doing this to me!" "Three." Huh, why did this feel familiar to me? What was up with generals here and their tendency to offer 5 seconds to someone who had just woken up? Uncool. "Two... One." "Kill me, if you dare!" ''STAB!'' "AAHHH!" Thedy''s high-pitched screaming made me flinch from the surprise. Dang, this dude really just jammed his spear right through her thigh until blood seeped through her pants and onto the ropes, dyeing them red. "... So you''re not gonna kill her for real? Just Stabby McStab time?" I tilted my head in confusion. "Not until she gives us information." He said with a t tone and an equally t expression. Huh, so that was what my fate would''ve been if I didn''t answer Jeanne when I first woke up here. Hmm, yeah, I would like to keep my legs, thank you very much. "You''re crazy!" She screamed so loud that my ears were starting to ring, and I covered them in annoyance. "Then talk!" I groaned. "I will never talk to you! Don''t you ever think my loyalty to my master will simply be shaken by this!" She snarled and thrashed around, pulling the rope on my waist. "Oh, so you have a master. Who are they?" I asked as I yanked the rope so she would stay put a bit more, since it was starting to get annoying. "Don''t talk to me!" She thrashed even harder, until my waist was hurting. ''Stomp!'' "Geez, fam, you''re making this harder on yourself," I frowned as I pushed her to the ground with my foot, "if you can just spill a few things, this will be much faster and easier for us both." "Then I''ll make this faster and easier, just like you want." "Hmm?" ''St!'' My eyes went wide when I saw blood gushing out of her mouth. The creature beneath me groaned in pain as she gagged and coughed, with blood spurting out every time she did either one of them. "Oh gosh!" Jeanne gasped and kneeled down beside her, while trying to check her mouth. "Ack! Why is everyone so metal today!?" I scrunched my hair in frustration when I realized that this woman just bit off her tongue in retaliation. She really did that just to avoid spilling info! Oh man, I got careless, even though I should''ve expected this! Geez, Chae, you weren''t a newbie at extracting information, how could you make this beginner mistake? "Ooooh~ How stubborn~" General Zhang hummed in amusement. I sighed in defeat, "forget it, let''s just loot her." She wouldn''t survive long enough for us to persuade her, anyway, if she was this stubborn. Might as well make do with what we have, which was loot. I was just about to crouch down and start searching her body, when suddenly-- ''Poof!'' "...Huh!?" The woman... Faded away into a puff of smoke!? "Luke!? What is the meaning of this? Do you know anything about this?" I asked in shock. "No! What do I have to do with this, kid?" He answered frantically, looking just as spooked and as confused as I was. "Huh? She''s not the same as you? You also do this poof poof thing often, so I thought you''d recognize your own kind!" I exined with apparent bewilderment on my face. "I do recognize my own kind, I recognized your suicidal friend!" He pointed at general Zhang who was just sitting there with one eyebrow raised. He didn''t even look that surprised. Pretty freaky. "Since when am I suicidal?" General Zhang tilted his head in confusion. "Since this morning! You started the day with choking!" Luke exined. "No! I already said it was a misunderstanding! Ack!" I yelled in frustration. How could we talk about this when a woman--no, a creature had just poofed into nothing in front of us? And she poofed away with valuable information that we could''ve extracted, too! "Then what is she, if she isn''t the same as... Whatever you are?" General Emilio inquired with a stoic face. At this rate, I wasn''t surprised anymore. That dude only looked surprised during big reveals. "Don''t ask me, I don''t know. Who do you think I am, her mommy?" Luke pouted. "...The heck?" I scratched my head in confusion. So she was confirmed to not be a human. Also clearly wasn''t an elf. Not a monster, too, since big brother Luke said so. Then, what was she? "Pfft-- Isn''t it clear already, though? I mean, her identity, that is." General Zhang chuckled, turning our attention towards him. "Then tell us, you annoying eel. Don''t act mysterious, this isn''t a quiz show." I frowned and stomped on his foot, which he took withoutints. "I mean~ She''s clearly ''it'', right?" General Zhang winked and grinned at us. "It?" The rest of us looked at each other, expecting at least one of us to understand what ''it'' meant, but apparently no one did, so we looked back at general Zhang. "An idiot sandwich, of course." He winked at me. "You wanna fight? Fight me, you overgrown eel." I said as I yanked his cor and clenched my fist in anger. "Aahahahha! I''m kidding, I''m kidding of course~" Heughed until I saw tears forming at the corner of his eyes, and his body curled up because he was holding his stomach. "Why the heck would you lie at this time, you-- ugh!" I growled in frustration. Sometimes he could be so childish! "Here, here, let me spell it out for you, then," he said in-between his giggles, "she has a master. What do you think that means?" "A boss, maybe? Just like the headmaster, or a general to us? Or someone she looks up to?" Jeanne suggested while putting her hand on her chin. "Tsk, tsk. Try to think of something more literal." General Zhang said as he swung his index finger from left to right, and back and forth. "... Her teacher?" General Emilio tried. "Nope. Although the term is spot-on, but try to think moooore literally." General Zhang giggled. "Owner? Is she like a pet?" This time I tried answering. "Your word choice is always questionable, little cub. But something like that, yes." He finally nodded and grinned. "A human pet? What!?" I eximed. "I said your word choice is weird, right?" General Zhang sighed, "she isn''t a pet, she''s just..." I gulped. She was just..? "... She''s just magic." Chapter 100: An idiot sandwich Chapter 100: An idiot sandwich "...Are you drunk?" I squinted my eyes, "nah, my bad, magic here is kinda wack. Perhaps I''m the drunk one for expecting normal things." "Oooh, I''d love to get drunk right now," general Zhang giggled, "drunk murder spree with me? Just kidding, just kidding... Unless?" I shot him a re while he paraded his exaggerated puppy eyes at me, apanied by a few blinks. "Too bad, I don''t drink," I huffed, "except if it''s a sweet liquor. I can''t stand the bitter taste of alcohol." "Aww, I''ll get you used to mature taste~" He said with a little chuckle, which soon turned into full-onughter. "Shut up, you eel. Focus, will yoouuu!?" I pinched both of his cheeks in frustration while I frowned. Really, we were in the middle of wrecking--ehem, respectfully visiting the orc''s base, and a humanoid ''magic'' had just vanished in front of us along with useful info, and he joked about alcohol. Great. "A living magic?" General Emilio inquired, looking just a sliiiightly bit puzzled. "Well, depends on how you define ''living''. Tee-hee!" The white-haired man freed himself from my grasp and responded with a grin. "I think the more pressing thing here is who sent her, and for what reason," I added, "isn''t it really weird? Now that we''re certain that a human was behind her, it''s even more confusing why those humans contacted the orcs." "True. Most likely they''re from the same group as the one who once raided the elves." Jeanne nodded in approval. "You humans have such weird rtionships. I''m not even sure who''s on our side and who''s not anymore." Luke sighed with his hands on his hips. "I don''t likeplex stuff. So in my eyes, we''re a team and everyone else is not our team. Simple as that. I fight for my team." I sighed and plopped myself down on the bed again, sitting on the edge of it. "It''s okay. We should all calm down," Jeanne stood up and looked at each one of us, "when it''s starting to get confusing, like how it is now, let''s just calm down and take one step at a time, okay?" "... Okay," I pouted and grabbed Jeanne''s arm to hug it tightly, "thanks, that''s nice to hear." "Yeah, it is. Someone once told me that, and now it''s stuck inside my head." She giggled a little, but somehow, a little frown formed on her forehead. "Well, that being said, I think it''s time to take a step forward and ruin that orc leader''s life, right guys~?" General Zhang pped his hands together in delight and beamed us with his creepy smile. "Right. Let''s go." General Emilio immediately turned around and walked towards the clinic entrance while carelessly stepping on the unconscious orcs. Sometimes I saw him stepping on an arm, sometimes on the face, making a weird squelchy sound, and sometimes on the orc''s hoohoohaha. I hope they didn''t feel pain... "Time to flex my persuasion skill, then." I stood up and followed his lead. -------- ''BANG!'' "Good morning to you, sir! Would you like to hand over your leadership to us or would you like to die?" After we broke the door hinges to the armory and sent the iron door flying a few meters away, I cocked my rifle and pointed it right at the huge orc in the corner, who was surrounded by 5 other muscr orcs equipped with armors and weapons like a sword, a spear, a mace, a bow, and even a random hoe. ''Grrrrrr.'' They simultaneously growled at us, but none of them tried to attack first or even responded to my question. So the leader''s guards were more careful than the other orcs. "Ehem, excuse me, perhaps I was unclear," I cleared my throat, "hey you, the dying one, would you like to hand over your leadership to us or would you like a slow, painful death?" ''GRRR!'' One of them stomped its feet on the ground a few times before throwing a nearby axe towards me, which I quickly deflected by grabbing another axe using my psychokinesis and shing them together. This armory was the perfect terrain for a psychokinesis user like me... Poor them, they had to face us. "Hey, they don''t seem to be in the mood for talking." I pointed at the angry orcs who were baring their yellow teeth at us, un-menacingly. "I don''t think their leader can properly talk or think in his condition..." Jeanne frowned while she adjusted the strap on her waist. We had decided that the best way to bring that unconscious little girl along was to strap her with rope on the back of one of us, and Jeanne volunteered to help, as expected of her. "Even better. Perfect for persuading." I whispered to her so the orcs wouldn''t hear. "Oiiii, do you seriously still need to think about it? Don''t y''all see the pile of bodies outside?" General Zhangughed loudly, "you''re delusional if you think we''d hesitate to do that to you." ''ZAP!'' In a sh, the body of the frontmost orc that was holding a sword and a shield fell on the ground right after a bright white light filled our vision, making a loud ''thunk'' sound as the metal shield shed with the fallen sword. ''GRRR!'' "Not enough? Do you want more? Oohh, kinky~" He grinned and raised his finger again, making a finger gun motion. ''ZZAP!'' "Pew, pew~ Headshot!" He hummed and pretended to blow the smoke off of his finger gun. "You and your antics..." I sighed deeply, but wasn''t surprised anymore. ''Grrr...'' After they saw two of the orc guards fell down with a few convulsions, the three of them stopped trying to be aggressive and instead adopted a defensive posture. "Are you guys willing to talk now?" Jeanne asked with her usual soft but stern voice. When we received no response from them after a while, I got impatient and raised a few swords to point at them simultaneously, using my skill. "Let''s freaking do this the hard way, then, if you guys don''t want to cooperate," I groaned, "blink twice if yes, blink thrice if no. Answer me, do you guys got it? If you don''t, then off with your heads." ''Grrr-grrr!'' The orcs immediately shook their heads and dropped their weapons frantically, while positioning themselves at the front of their leader''s bed to protect him. Good guards, poor fate. "General Emilio, I think we can start the negotiation now," I nced at the stoic general beside me, but I didn''t drop the swords, either, "probably we should stick with the yes or no questions, since Firiell hasn''t woken up yet. None of us could understand theirnguage." "Good," he stepped forward and pointed at the humongous, unconscious orcying on the bed, "you guys want to save him, right? We can save him." ''...Grrrr?'' One of the orcs tilted its head, and they started looking at each other and scratching their heads. ''Grr-grr, raaah.'' The orc on the right pointed at us a few times, before pointing at its wrist and then at their leader. "No, we won''t be using that way." General Emilio shook his head. Of course we wouldn''t use Firiell''s blood. At this rate, she would be dead soon...And we still kinda needed her for something else. Well, I needed her. I wanted her to do something that only she could do. "The curse, we will lift it entirely." The stone-faced general stated firmly. ''Grr? Grr-grr...'' The orcs'' growls became louder as they seemed to be discussing among themselves, and arguing back and forth. Gah, this was really time-consuming. After a while, they settled down and drew a question mark on the air. "How? We will kill the witch for you. That will surely lift the curse permanently, right? You guys won''t need to continuously extract blood, either." General Emilio exined with proficiency, instantly understanding their question. "A witch hunt! Yay!" General Zhang cheered with happiness. "No! That''s not how you''re supposed to use the term." I nudged his chest in disapproval. As we had discussed earlier, the best and surefire way to end the curse was, of course, to cut its roots. We already knew where and whom the curse came from, and we already know that she was a human, at least. What general Zhang said was correct, that as long as she was human, we roughly knew how to kill her. We could figure out the detailster. It wasn''t like we had never faced unknown enemies before. ''Grrr.'' They nodded a few times, but they seemed pretty unsure about it. ...Were they doubting our ability? Fine, just wait until we brought you guys her head. "In return, we want your leader to hand over his leadership for a while," general Emilio continued once the orcs had agreed, "all of you will have to obey everything wemand, no questions asked. It''s only for one trip, so it shouldn''t be a problem, am I clear?" ''...Grrrrr...'' After giving us a weak nod, they let out a long sigh as their shoulders slumped down, seemingly defeated. Finally, one problem was finished. "If you dare break our agreement, of course we will annihte your race, so be prepared." General Emilio mmed the hilt of his spear on the ground roughly, making the orcs flinch, as he shot a re towards them. ... Ah yes, that part was also important. ''Grr, grr!'' The orcs profusely nodded in unison and bowed at us. Although they seemed terrified, it wasn''t long until they started hopping in joy andughing among themselves, presumably because they were d that their leader''s curse was finally about to get lifted. Kinda cute to see, not gonna lie. Hopefully none of them dies during our raid at the minotaur''s kingdomter, or else it would be a sad show. Chapter 101: The crest (1) Chapter 101: The crest (1) "Hmm, something''s weird..." I muttered to myself while I crouched and fumbled over the pile of shields that were stacked inside the armory. Should I bring a shield, too? Or would it be a bother to carry one? Hmm... "What''s weird, little cub? Aren''t you the weird one for muttering to yourself?" General Zhang who was also crouching beside me giggled while he rearranged the pile of shields that I had just ruined. "The elf king. The news about his brother''s death should''ve reached him by now," I sighed and turned my body to face him, "so then, why isn''t he looking for us now? Doesn''t he want his crest?" "Who knows what''s going on in his head. By the way, where did you put the heart?" General Zhang inquired. "Oh, here, inside my bag." I answered as I took my backpack off and opened the zipper juuuuust small enough for my hand to go in without leaving any opening. After making sure I pretended to rummage the content for a bit as if I was trying to grab the heart among all other things, I opened my inventory and took it out, before finally slipping it outside of the bag. "Here you go," I grabbed his hand and ced the still heart on top of his palm, "hey, your palm is kinda cold. You okay?" I instinctively rubbed his hand with mine to warm up his hand, since I was so used to do that during my time in the army, especially during winter or somewhere damp. People used to drop dead from hypothermia from time to time, or some of them would lose a toe or two, so we were always looking out for each other, and helped each other to get a bit more warmth. "Hoooo~?" His brows raised and surprised, followed by an amused hum and a sneaky grin, "hey, little cub, my chest is also cold~" "Oh god, what''s wrong with your head!?" I frantically pushed him away and walked in the opposite direction while hiding my flushed face. Why. Would he. Say that. Even in this time!? He was too chill! "Ahahahahha! Just kidding, just kidding~" Heughed a bit wayyyy too hard, that general Emilio came to check on us. "What are you guys doing?" He frowned. "I''m just picking some armor that might be useful, and he''s just being a slippery eel as usual. Don''t mind us. Definitely nothing weird happening here." I answered while keeping my head low by pretending like the ground was very interesting to watch, just so he wouldn''t see my flushed face. "Yeah, I''m just being a cold and freezing eel." General Zhang answered with a muffledugh while holding his stomach. "General Emilio, aren''t you guys kinda simr to, like, thew upholder in the town?" I asked since I wasn''t sure if they knew the word police or not, "can I please have a restraining order for him?" "What''s that?" He raised an eyebrow. "Nevermind. Was stupid of me to hope." I sighed and scratched my head in defeat. "Anyway, I''ve been meaning to ask..." General Zhang suddenly stoppedughing. "What is it now? I swear if you ask something weird again..." I red at him in annoyance. "How can this heart still be in the exact same condition as when we fetch it out of that prince''s chest? It''s been almost a day since that time, hasn''t it?" He questioned while he lifted the pinkish heart for us to see. ...Oh, no. "See? How can this still be a bit pinkish? I mean, it changed color a to a reddish shade after that little mini-movie thing you went through," he continued, "even then, it''s still pretty pink for a thing that should''ve run out of blood. And wet." Oh, hell no. "...True. Howe?" General Emilio walked closer and crouched beside the white-haired eel to inspect the heart, before nodding, "peculiar, indeed." I totally forgot to check if items didn''t age or change once stored inside my inventory! Ack! What was supposed to be a useful feature was now bringing me a lot of headaches! "I think the crest has something to do with that? There''s still a lot we don''t know about that thing, after all." I ced a finger on my chin and made a serious face, as if I was contributing to analyzing the phenomenon. "True." General Zhang suddenly giggled, which creeped me out a bit. "You think so?" General Emilio nced over at general Zhang with a puzzled face. "Yep, yep. Absolutely. I never miss." Thetter winked and gave the former a thumbs-up. "... If you say so," general Emilio closed his eyes and stood up, before heading back towards the armory entrance, "then I''m going back to patrol the area." "Have fun keeping the orcs at bay, porcupine~" General Zhang waved his hand happily until we couldn''t see general Emilio anymore. After we finished our ''discussion'' with the orcs, we came to an agreement, although one-sided, that we would keep the orcs at bay inside the bedroom, except for their leader who we allowed to be kept in the clinic alongside 3 of his guards. General Emilio volunteered to be on the lookout for the orcs, while Jeanne was taking care of Firiell in the clinic, and Luke rested inside me because he got bored and wanted to roll on the bed inside my rent-free mana room or something. While this eel, this dang eel had decided to follow me around everywhere as I looted and explored this ce. What did he want from me? "So little cub, why did you lie?" General Zhang''s sudden question made me tense up. "How could I lie when I wasn''t sure what happened, myself?" I tried to answer as if I was in the same clueless boat as them. Not too defensive and all-knowing, but not too ignorant, either. "Ahahha! I would''ve believed that lie if you had told me before I mentioned it first," he grinned, "there''s no way you didn''t notice that when you handed the heart to me." I flinched a bit and gulped in nervousness. "Sooo, why didn''t you mention it, little cub? Or should I ask, what are you hiding from us?" He crawled over to me and took my chin into his hand, lifting it a bit so our eyes would meet. "I..." "Hmm?" "I don''t need to tell you." Ack, those words just kinda slipped out of my mouth without thinking. "Eh, I mean..." I nervously looked away and towards the floor, as if I was a kid who got caught eating candy right before having lunch. As I peeked from the corner of my eyes, I could see him raising his eyebrows a bit as his eyes widened. Was he angry at me for saying that? "That''s true." "What?" I looked up when I felt a gentle pat on my head. "You don''t have to tell me, and you don''t have to tell anybody," he patted me while giving me a surprisingly calm smile, "you don''t have to do what anybody says. Good." ... Huh, he was surprisingly respectful about that. "I can wait until you want to tell me yourself," he grinned mischievously, "doesn''t mean I''m not curious~" "... It''s not something bad for our group." I exined with a sigh. I understand why they would be suspicious of me, but I didn''t want to spill everything about me, yet. It hadn''t even been a year since I met them, so why should I? Well, that eel did do me a favour by convincing general Emilio that it was nothing, so I got that going for me, which was nice. "Hmm~ You sure are full of surprises, little cub~ I''ll take my time and enjoy uncovering you." He chuckled like a little boy while giving me a sharp stare which made my cheeks feel warm again. I immediately crawled backwards and released my chin from his grip, creating a considerable distance between us. "I--" "You two. Come. The kid''s awake." Right as I was opening my mouth, general Emilio appeared like a ghost from the entrance. "You spooked me. Geez." I sighed and stood up to straighten my jacket. While doing so, I made sure to pick up a small, light shield and a sharp dagger. I was going to give this to Firiell. The shields and weapons here wouldn''t be of much use for me, but Firiell could do well with a little bit of extra equipment. "You''re easily spooked." General Emilio replied concisely and immediately turned around, disappearing from our sight again. Well, might as well follow him. -------- When the three of us entered the clinic, I noticed that it was already much cleaner than when we left it. And by cleaner, I meant no more limp orc bodies scattered on the ground. "Hey, it''s kinda nice here. What happened?" I remarked as I observed my surrounding. The clinic was still pretty dimly lit, just like the other areas here. Pretty much expected since we were underground. But at least, the beds and the furniture were now arranged neatly and even the bedsheets were all made. On the furthest bedid the orc king, with his 3 guards ying cards beside his bed. And as for our Firiell, she wasying in one of the beds in the middle, with Jeanne sitting next to her, grabbing her hand. "I told the orcs to get to work. I don''t like messy ces." General Emilio replied with a t expression. Ah, so he was the reason why. "Oh, you''re here," Jeanne greeted us, but instead of smiling, her face looked worried sick, "she''s awake, but she''s weak." "Mmm..." Firiell whimpered as she squinted her eyes to see us. "That''s alright, don''t overexert yourself," I sat beside Jeanne and stroked Firiell''s head, "we just need to ask a few questions, but if you still feel unwell, you can rest more." After all, I still needed you alive for something. "I''m okay..." She smiled weakly and adjusted her position so she was now half-sitting up. "Are you sure?" Jeanne questioned once again, just to make sure she was ready. "Yes... I''m sorry for running off on my own," she started, "I can exin..." Now, what should we start with? Chapter 102: The crest (2) Chapter 102: The crest (2) We started our discussion with some exnations from our side, since Firiell could use a little more rest while she recovered after having been unconscious for a long time. We exined the events that took ce, starting from my drip rifle thingy up until I joined general Zhang, and how that eel was just running around killing every elf he met in various ways because he was starting to get bored. "Huh, I''ve never thought to use a rifle in that way. You''re a smart little cub, aren''t you~?" General Zhang grinned while ruffling the top of my head, messing up my hairdo. "Ack! Don''t ruin my hair!" I protested and grabbed his hand to shove it away from me, "well, but, I''ve never thought to try experimenting with the elves'' lightning threshold, too." I stuck my tongue at him for his antics while we were away. He actually took the opportunity to test the elves'' lightning threshold and its effect on their body. Well, thanks to his ''experiment'', at least we knew that the elves were a bit more resistant towards lightningpared to humans. Neat. "So that was why both of you showed up at the same exact time." General Emilio piped up. "Yep, yep. I was nning on staying hidden for a longer time, but this freaky eel just decided to jump in by himself." I sighed and elbowed the mentioned person. "You can just ignore me, you know~" He giggled. "Yeah but you purposely didn''t move away from Ioriell''s attack, you monkeyface." My brows furrowed into a frown. "Oooh~ Thanks for caring about me, little cub~" "... General Emilio, please continue with your story." I smiled wide and turned my back on the jittery general to look at the stern general that was staring at us with a questionable expression. He just nodded without much talking, and immediately exined the whole battle in like, 5 sentences at most. Efficient with words as always, that general Emilio. Immediately after he finished telling the story up to where I fished the crest out of the dead prince''s heart, he nced at me and gave me a little nod to signal me to start exining. And so, I did. I skipped the part where I was shown the sequence of memories, and just brushed it off as ''a weird story about your parents''. I purposely said it with a vague meaning, so it could be taken in two ways. Jeanne and Firiell should think that we were being told a story by Ioriell, while the generals knew that I literally got my soul yeeted into a movie theater showing Ioriell''s memories. I also skipped the part where I stored his heart inside my bag, though, in hope that they wouldn''t notice and I wouldn''t need to be in that weird spot again. I carefully chose my words this time, to not hurt Firiell with a glimpse of her parent''s past. Surprisingly, she took it very well. "As expected of mom. She used to always tell me the same thing." She grinned wide, a bit more refreshed now after she had some water and some food, although it was cold food. "Hmm? Told you what, Firiell?" I tilted my head to the side questioningly. "She told me about how we should take care of others, too, not just ourselves," she exined while munching on the cold pizza that we brought for her, "mom''s always been like that, so in my childhood years, I genuinely thought it was a natural thing to do." ... You... Were still in a childhood phase now, though? "But apparently, most elves tend to keep to themselves," she sighed, "a pity, even though it would be nice if we can just coexist happily..." "Well, although I fully agree with you, the world isn''t kind enough for everyone to be happy," I patted her head gently, "and although elves can be pretty exclusive at times, in the end, every species is kinda exclusive to some extent. We also tend to prioritize humans above, let''s say, elves or animals." "Yup... I still try to help out as best as I can whenever I''m able to, though. Mom told me it''s better to help and regretter, rather than not helping and regretting itter." She answered. I see, so that was why she was so hellbent on helping those random orcs. Still though, it could''ve gotten ugly... "Sometimes, choosing to help someone meant abstaining from helping another." I told her with a slight smile. "I guess that''s true..." She chuckled with a hint of sadness, "perhaps that why she stopped telling me that after the incident." I bit my lip upon hearing that. Well, from what I saw, and experienced actually, I roughly knew how passionate Edelweiss was about caring for other... Species. It was only a one-day trip through memoryne, but if that one day was enough to see her love for others, I could only imagine how apparent it was to Firiell and Ioriell. ...Wait, their name kinda rhymed. Did Edelweiss do that on purpose? "Too bad, though. Uncle Ioriell was starting to open his heart to others, and that happened..." Firiell continued, "but even so, my mom still looked up to uncle Ioriell, and admired his respect and love for a life. She believed that uncle Ioriell would understand her vision one day." Ack, why must the feel-goodsies guys die? I wonder how different their entire culture would be, if Ioriell and Edelweiss were the ones to survive and reign supreme. Sometimes, I wondered if alternate universes existed, and how different the ''me'' over there would be. Wild thought, I knew. "Well, he''s dead now," general Emilio suddenly proceeded with the story, "we took his crest as we had intended, and fleed the forest." "... Very direct." I let out a small sigh when general Emilio coldly continued our story while Firiell was having a moment about her family, her dead family. But understandable, since this was quite a pressing matter. He quickly exined all about our escape, the meeting with that now-fingerless orc, and how we got him to spill the information that we currently knew. And of course, he didn''t forget to mention our first meeting at the door with the ''magic''dy. "I see... So that''s how you already know about a lot of stuff that was happening here," Jeanne nodded, "as for thatdy, she has been here since we first stepped foot in this ce." "So she has been nted here since before we came~ They were faster." General Zhang said with a smirk on his face. "We''re up against some troublesome humans." I sighed. Ahh, I would like to avoid another human versus human situation, but well, I mean, if I had to... "Most likely, yes. I''m not sure what she was here for, but she mostly just took notes and checked the supplies here, and checking on the orc leader once in a while," Jeanne exined, "she was the one who taught us about the blood transfusion method, and she was also the one doing it." Ah, so that was how they got the IV line in ce. It would''ve been funny if there was a smartass orc among them who got delicate fingers. "So the humans over there are pretty knowledgeable." General Emilio remarked. "I think they''re supplying the orcs with the equipment in the armory. She was frequently taking notes of their numbers andints about the weapons and armor over there." Jeanne added while holding her chin with her hand. "... Not gonna lie, I thought they made it upstairs, in their cksmith workshop thing." I scratched my head in embarrassment. "Nah, the quality''s too good for an orc''s handicraft," general Zhang surprisingly chimed in, "still far from Koji''s work, though~" "Oh, great idea! We should bring some home and ask Koji to check them. Maybe he can figure something out?" I pped my hands together excitedly. I thought it was a pretty good idea. It felt good to not always be the dumb one in the group. Hehe. "Will grand cksmith Koji agree to that, though? He''s quite busy..." Jeanne worriedly asked. "Don''t worryyyy~ He will agree if I ask him." General Zhang giggled. "I kinda feel like he will be forced to agree, but at least it works..." I sighed. "For now, that''s all we know about thedy. She has never spoken a word to us, and she has never left this area, either. We can just hope that we''ll find out more as we progress. We will eventually meet the other humans, anyway." Jeanne concluded her exnation about thedy and turned to look at the little girl on the bed. "I guess it''s time for me to exin about the crest." Firiell beamed with happiness. Huh, she was still so positive despite the series of unfortunate events that kept happening around her. This girl got a steel-hard mentality. "Hey, eel. Show me the heart." I tugged at general Zhang''s sleeve. "Here you go~" He grabbed my hand and put the slightly pale heart on my hand, "your hand is cold--" "No." I immediately withdrew my hand just before he could start rubbing our hands together, just like how I did earlier. Ho could he mock me now, of all times? Ack! "Here, before I start exining about the crest, let me extract it for you." Firiell grinned and offered her hand. "Ooh, how will you extract it, though?" I asked curiously and kept the heart in my hand, instead of handing it to her. Not yet. "Ah, it''s actually quite simple. See, when you have royal blood inside you, as I do, the heart will automatically react once you touch it and fill it with mana," she exined, "there will be three phases to initiate a new crest, and yes, mom taught me how to do it before, so don''t worry!" She proudly eximed. "I see, so as long as the blood is inside you, it works, huh?" I nodded, "what about the three phases? What are they like?" I continued asking. "Yep, that''s true. My mom said that the phases are there to help the crest to ''settle'' into its new owner. As for the three phases..." Chapter 103: The crest (3) Chapter 103: The crest (3) "Wait, settle?" I tilted my head to the left, still a bit confused. Upon hearing my question, she looked at me with a smile, "exactly! It needs to ept the new owner, and the new owner needs to ept it, too." Hmm, still a bit too abstract for me, but let us see... "The crest is our heart, the core of our soul. So when it''s transferred to another royal, the two souls will be conflicting against each other. The new owner''s original crest might reject the new crest and it will lead to a dent in the soul, causing the new owner to go crazy." She exined with a frown. "I see, I wonder how crazy." I nodded and waited for her to continue her exnation. It must''ve had happened before for them to know about this information. From the way that freaky king exined to us when we talked inside their castle, I was under the impression that he might have witnessed that himself... Probably. "That''s why it''s important to get to know the crest first, ept it, and finally, integrate it into one''s soul!" She grinned, proud of her knowledge. Aww, I was proud of her, too. Such a smart girl. "So how do you initiate each phase?" I asked as I rummaged through my backpack to open my inventory, looking for something. "The first one is simply by touching the heart while flowing your mana into it, and it''ll unlock the most important, most meaningful part of the past owner''s life, and shows it to the new owner," she continued, "it''ll onlyst for a few seconds, but the new owner might be shown an hour''s worth of memories, or even a month''s worth of memories, depending on each crest." Great, that meant I had already initiated and passed the first phase. "And what do you need to do after that?" I questioned as I grabbed a certain something inside my inventory. Ah, there it was, still in one piece. Good, good. "Hmm, I''m not sure... Mom said that you won''t need to do anything, you just need to understand the previous owner''s heart..." She looked up, as if trying to recall her memories, "because, as my mom said, you need to know the crest well to sessfully pass the second and third phase!" She giggled as she held up both of her hands, showing 2 and 3 digits. "Hmm, it''s quite an borate process. Does that mean you have to go through all three of them, Firiell?" Jeanne asked as I saw her tighten her grip on the little girl''s hand, "I think you should get some more rest first. How about doing it after you recover?" "Oh, no no, big sis Jeanne. I won''t need to!" She giggled. Aww how cute, she called Jeanne ''big sis''. "What do you mean you don''t need to?" Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "I only need to touch the heart while channeling my mana into it. After starting the first phase, the crest should be revived! And then we can hand it over to uncle Erenduill without undergoing the second and third phase, since he''s the one who wants to use the crest." She beamed with happiness. Wait, that''s right. Erenduill did say that we can ''revive'' it with mana... So did the first phase activate for me because my mana was overflowing after general Zhang touched me? Quite a usible exnation. And as for the royal blood, I was pretty sure it was only because Ioriell''s blood got into my wound when I was, um, rearranging his insides, respectfully. ... Nice. It turned out that extracting the crest wasn''t as impossible as I thought it was. "I see. That''s great to hear." Jeanne answered with a gentle smile on her face. "I just hope I don''t identally trigger the second and third phase, though. Hahaha..." Firiell nervouslyughed. "Ooh, try, try!" General Zhang excitedly told her as he leaned forward in anticipation. "No, I''ll die!" She eximed. "Die? I thought the worst that could happen was you going crazy?" General Emilio casually asked, as if going crazy was something normal. "That''s the case for elves, as for humans, uh..." She pondered for a bit, "generally, their mana will sh with each other, causing a turbulency in mana flow and that should lead to um, death..." "How do you know that?" He pressed on. "... Mom said that several experiments have been conducted in order to fully understand how crests work, so..." She averted her eyes from us. "I see, and because you''re half-human, you might also die." I nodded my head a few times. Geez, they must''ve tested it on a lot of humans beforeing to that conclusion. Although I wanted to say that it turned out that they weren''t exactly a peaceful species, that''d be hypocritical of me, since we humans had been conducting a hecking lot of tests on animals too. On other humans, even. "Yeah, that''s why I''m concerned. But it should be fine! The second phase will only start once the crest is fully charged with mana," she exined with confidence, "after the first phase is over, the dead heart will have changed into a crest. It looks the same, just with a slightly different color, which signifies that the extraction isplete." "A different color...?" General Zhang muttered to himself. Oh, crap. Was he going to realize it? I had to make this faster! "Firiell, that''s nice. But may I ask what happens during the second and third phase?" I nervously asked, although it was abrupt and out-of-ce. "Mmm, we''re not entirely sure about that either. So far, it was reported that the new owners always cked out for an unknown time period, and when they woke up, they described the feeling as ''being reborn''." She answered while putting a finger on her chin and looking up, thinking about something. "Being reborn?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yep. They said they feel like they have arger mana pool, and although it felt strange and unfamiliar to them at first, they eventually grew ustomed to it," she continued, "they didn''t say anything about what happened during the ckout though, no one remembered anything, which was quite strange, to be honest..." "Ahh... I see, I see." I grinned and nodded my head profusely. "Now, are there any questions before I start the extraction?" Firiell pped her hands together happily, and looked around the room for any raised hands. "Nope, but I think this little cub has some, hehehehe!" General Zhangughed while giving me a weird look. "Stop giving me the stink eye, and no, I don''t." I pouted. "Hahahhaha!" He continued tough his butt off as veins popped on my forehead. This eel, he knew that I had identally extracted the crest already, but he wouldn''t say anything about it. Not sure why, but he was being a bro in this case, so let me give a silent thank you for that. "Wait." General Emilio suddenly stopped us. We turned our eyes towards him and waited for him to continue his speech. "I don''t n on handing the crest to that king. I thought we can give it to the headmaster, but now that we know that humans can''t use it, it''s kinda troublesome." General Emilio concluded. "What-- So that''s what you meant when you said that you had other ns? But... How else are we going to get their cooperation? We can''t possibly extract the hostages with just the orc''s help!" Jeanne interjected with a worried look. "I... I don''t think uncle will like it if we lie to him..." Firiell shuddered with fear, a contrast to the bright little girl just now. While they argued about what step to take, I stood up and pointed at the orc leader that was lying unconscious on his bed. "Alright, you guys go discuss while I check on that fat orc. He was starting to move. I might be able to talk to him or something." I told them as I turned around, and walked away with my backpack in my hand. Once I''ve gotten far away enough and made sure that they were busy arguing without noticing me, I unzipped my bag to reveal the blood bag from Firiell that I had saved before. Who knew it''d be useful in this way? "Oooh, sneaky little cub, are you thinking what I''m thinking~?" "Oh my gosh, you spooked me!" I quietly eximed as I jumped away from the silly white-haired general that suddenly appeared behind me. "Are you going to make new friends with the orcs? Aww, I''m left out~" He circled his arms around my shoulder and eximed loudly, a bit too close for me to keep my cool. "Ack! Wait--" "Pretend like I''m bothering you. That way, they won''t pay attention to us. That porcupine is quite perceptive, so you have to do better than just walk away," he whispered into my ear while grinning, "I''ll block their view. Say ''get away from me'' or something." Huh? He was helping me? ... That was unexpectedly kind of him. Although a bit suspicious. "Get away from me, you eel." I said as I squirmed a little in his embrace. "No, I don''t wanna~ Let me join you, they''re talking about boring stuff back there~" He whined with his trademark annoying voice, but his face was grinning. Only I was able to see it, though, since our backs were facing the others. "Shut up." I replied concisely while I quickly took out the blood bag and poked a little hole on the corner of it using my finger that I had coated with mana. Once I was about to bring the bag to my lips, I took a second to nce at general Zhang, who just stood there beside me, observing my lips with those striking red eyes of his. Ack! What was I thinking! Well, here goes! ''Gulp!'' I held my breath as I took a few gulps from the bag, making sure to not drink all of it in case I could use it again in the future, and frowned when I felt the taste and smell of blood filled my mouth and nose cavities. "Hngg--" I whimpered quietly as I sealed the hole in the bag with the tape I picked up earlier from the cab outside. "Aww, it didn''t suit your taste? Do you want candy to go along with it? Or a kiss?" He whispered to me while winking. "No." I pushed his unfairly beautiful face away before my cheeks could get even more flushed. Okay, back to the main problem here. By drinking that, it should count as ''having royal blood inside me'', right? I mean, having Ioriell''s blood seep in through my wound worked, so I didn''t see why this wouldn''t work. "Go on, little cub, I''m waiting," he chuckled, "don''t worry, I''ll make sure to take a veeeery good care of your body while you''re unconscious." "... That''s even more concerning." I let out a deep sigh, and focused my sight on the heart in my hand. Alright, time to fill this thing up with mana. Luke, you better thank me for giving you extra living space, you parasite. ''FLASH!'' Chapter 104: The crest (4) Chapter 104: The crest (4) "W-what was that!?" Jeanne eximed in surprise after a bright white sh of light filled her vision for one solid second. They were just weighing the pros and cons of each other''s ns, when suddenly both of them couldn''t see anything for approximately one second. General Emilio squinted his eyes and gripped the hilt of his spear in caution, while looking around the room to check if anything had changed. "Th-that sh... Could it be...?" Firiell flew her gaze towards the direction where Chaerin went to, and gasped upon the sight. "Big sister Chae!" She raised her voice in shock, and concern was apparent on her tired face. "Oh, gosh!" Jeanne jumped from her seat to quickly approach the unconscious girl that wasying on a certain white-haired man''s arms that was crouching on the floor. Her long hair touched the clinic floor as her head tilted to the side. Seeing that, the main in question adjusted her position so none of her hair touched the dirty ground. "What happened?" General Emilio approached the both of them, too. Although he only disyed a little frown and lookedposed, a little crack was slipped in his tone of voice. "Not much, she''s just tired. Tee-hee!" General Zhang replied while tightening his grip on the dark-haired girl in his arms. Her face was peaceful, without any fresh wounds or even a frown, as if she was just taking a sudden midday nap out of nowhere. "What do you mean-- Stop acting like that! Why is she suddenly unconscious!? She was fine just a moment ago!" Jeanne panicked as she kneeled down until they were on the same eye level, "don''t tell me... Did you... Did you attack her with your lightning?" She let out an audible gasp while looking at the grinning eel with wide eyes. "Ehe~" He replied ambiguously while taking a step back and turning his body around so that Jeanne couldn''t snatch the girl in his arms away from him. "Stop fooling around. You didn''t attack her. That sh of light from before was different from your magic. What in the hell did you do this time?" General Emilio interrupted with a growl. "Why are you guys using me, I''m the good guy here. See? I''m taking care of her~" He pouted as he brought Chaerin''s head closer to his chest, hugging her, but also pinching her squishy cheeks. "Let me check on her." Jeanne frowned and inched closer. "Nope. Only I can," general Zhang denied her as he hugged Chaerin''s body and stood up, "you guys can continue your bickering. We will be waiting patiently here~" "Why--" "That big bro is right. He didn''t do anything to big sis Chae." Firiell suddenly popped up, joining the conversation while struggling to walk out of her bed. "You seem to know something, kid." General Emilio raised his eyebrow in question and turned to face her. "That sh of lightning just now... And the fact that big sis Chae had just fallen unconscious..." She gulped, before continuing, "I''m pretty sure she just triggered the second phase." "What!? But we haven''t even started the first phase yet... And wait, before that, only royals can activate the phases, right? So how could she...?" Jeanne bombarded her with questions, bbergasted by what she had just heard. "No, try to take a look at the heart closely." Firiell shook her head, and pointed towards general Zhang''s hand, who was now holding a pale-pinkish heart. "Only look, no take." General Zhang casually chuckled, as if the situation didn''t bother him in the slightest. "I didn''t notice that the heart already changed colour, that it has already been activated before," Firiell frowned, her voice was trembling, "but how did big sis Chae activate the first phase? She... She doesn''t have royal blood flowing in her... No, wait. The main issue here is what should we do!? At this rate, she''s going to die!" "Can we cancel the second phase? Or perhaps, do something to stop the disturbance in her mana flow?" Jeanne frantically asked. "I... I don''t know. We haven''t been able to cancel it before, since we didn''t really need to." Firiell shook her head and looked down. General Emilio sighed upon hearing the statement, "ugh. Now it''s decided that we''re not giving the crest to that elf king, but we''vended ourselves a new problem." "I''m so sorry, if only I realized it sooner, then this wouldn''t happen..." Firiell apologized with teary eyes as she fumbled with the hem of her worn-out jacket. "Stop. There''s no reason to discuss who''s at fault," general Emilio interjected, "rather, what do we need to do after this, kid?" "Umm... We just wait until big sis Chae wakes up by herself, or we find a way to cancel it somehow," she answered with a little hesitation, "but no one has ever tried canceling it before, so I genuinely have no idea how to do it..." "... If we opt to wait for her to wake up, we have no way of knowing when it happens?" Jeanne asked. After a brief silence followed, Jeanne opened her mouth again to ask another question, "Firiell, how long was the longest time a new owner stayed unconscious? You said that the elves conducted several tests, right?" "Well, we''ve had a case where the new owner woke up in just a week." She exined, her voice trailing off as she averted her eyes to the side. "''Just'' a week!?" Jeanne eximed in surprise, "we''re supposed to wait for at least a week, while avoiding that elf king? ... That... Is troublesome, indeed." Jeanne put her hand on her chin, trying toe up with a n, any n that could get all of them out there alive, including the hostages. After all, the lives of those she cared about were all that mattered to her. Too bad, though, nothing good came up on her mind. "She asked about the longest time, not the shortest time. Answer the question, kid." General Emilio pressed on, seemingly unsatisfied with the little girl''s answer. Firiell flinched a bit, before looking around the room again to avoid the gazes that were glued on her. "Um..." "It''s okay, tell us, how long?" Jeanne urged her on gently. "... 2 years." -------- "... What the heck is going on here?" Luke groaned as he got up from his bed inside Chaerin''s mana, scratching his head in a mix of confusion, irritation, and shock. Up until a while ago, he was just chilling in his bed inside his dear host''s mana, contemting on whether he should try creating a huge, 120 inch TV to watch movies like how he observed the humans did during a certain time period, or to cocoon himself back in his smooth, fluffy nket and enjoy another few hours of blissful sleep. Ultimately, he decided to wrap himself up asfortably as possible inside his nket, since he figured that TV stations might not reach all the way here, anyway, so why should he bother making a cool 120 inch TV? But now, the room he had built and designed himself had started to distort and swirl into what seemed like a dark, creepy void where he couldn''t even see what was inside. It started with a small, ck dot that appeared out of nowhere. It was minor, and anybody wouldn''t have noticed it at first nce. But Luke, he immediately knew the second the foreign ck dot appeared. No, it wasn''t because his eyes were keen enough to spot a speck of dust floating in the middle of the white room, but because even though it was just one ck dot, the mana flow disturbance was great enough to make him jolt from his bed. Even before he spotted the teeny-tiny dot, he noticed the mana turbulence first, and immediately located its source, which was just a small distance away from where he was. Which meant that whatever it was that caused such disturbance had sneaked its way up to near the core of Chaerin''s mana, where he currently resides. After he finally stood face-to-face with the tiny dot, he tried to force Chaerin''s mana to contort to his will, just like how he did it when he first designed his own ''room'' inside her mana. However, the mana seemed to refuse to bend as he wanted it to bend, which surprised him since he and Chaerin''s mana should be one and the same. And yet, this mana flow seemed to go against him. Which, ording to his thinking, meant that if something was about to mess with Chaerin''s mana, it would mess with himself, too. "No way..." He muttered to himself, bewildered by the sight of the small dot that was progressively growing bigger and bigger, alongside its spikes which were also getting longer and... More swirly? "Oh gosh, did that suicidal rat include me in her suicide n? What did she do this time..." He sighed, and started to stretch his muscles from top to bottom, to brace himself for what wasing. "Hey, kid! Can you hear me? What the heck happened outside? Is this your doing, or what?" He bellowed into the air, waiting for a response from the unconscious girl that never came. After a brief pause, he let out an annoyed sigh, already giving up on getting a reply. "Alright, whoever or whatever you are,e out. You gotta face me before you fuck things up around here. After all, I got a noisyndlord. Can''t have her yelling at me for messing up my rent-free room." He grinned, and walked straight into the void that was starting to make the contour of the white room he was in appear swirly. "Let''s see what you truly are, shall we?" Chapter 105: The crest (5) Chapter 105: The crest (5) ''BANG!'' "Ugh--! What was that just now!?" Luke shouted, taken aback by the sudden explosion sound that came from the ever-expanding void in front of him. "Huh?" He raised an eyebrow when he noticed that the sound didn''t exactlye from the void, or rather, from the inside of the void. Instead, the source was much closer than expected. His arm. A sizzling sound that followed and the smoke that slightly wafted in the air made him realized what just happened. "... So you''re gonna y hard to get, huh?" Luke smirked as he rubbed his charred arm. The foreign void in front of him had denied his entrance, and gave him a subtle greeting in the form of a lightning zap. That one little gesture sure caught the humanoid serpent off-guard, but he didn''t look bothered, not even one bit. "Let''s see..." Luke closed his eyes as the air around him began to fluctuate, bringing the hem of his robe and his flowy blue hair up in the air, floating gracefully. "... You''re not like me," he slowly opened his eyes and tilted his head, "then what the heck are you? How can you upy this mana space by force?" After waiting for a response that never came, Luke sighed, and decided to try a different approach. "Okay. I have no idea what''s happening, or if you can understand me at all," he sat down on the floor, directly facing the dark, expanding void that was looming over him, casting a purplish shadow over his figure. "But if you really insist on staying here, then let''spromise and be good roommates, yeah?" After saying that, Luke leaned back and sighed, observing the void''s behaviour. He wasn''t scared at all, nor was he too bothered about it, despite already being zapped once for an unknown reason. He wasn''t exactly fond of having a roommate, but as long as he could keep Chaerin''s mana core safe, it was enough for him. At least, that was his top priority for now. Although he seemed to be just chilling, doing nothing, he wasn''t sitting down just to simply watch as the expanding void devour this ce. Luke was sitting down so he could concentrate better, and control the mana flow around him that was still under his control. Even though he couldn''t get rid of the unknown void, he could, at least, sync the mana flow around them so the damage wouldn''t be too bad. "You little rat, you better thank me after this..." -------- That grumpy snake Luke better thank me after this. ... Weird. ording to Firiell, didn''t she say that those new owners felt as if they were being reborn? This ce didn''t look like my mother''s uterus to me, but okay. The moment I filled that creepy heart with my mana, I lost my consciousness for like, a second at best, before waking up to this depressingly bleak white room. Well, this probably wasn''t even a room, to be honest. I was just floating around, doing absolutely nothing. I had tried swimming back up, opening my status and skill window, calling Luke, but none of them worked, nothing, nada, zilch. I knew for sure though, that roughly an hour had passed. I was already used to estimating the amount of time that had passed the moment I ended up somewhere unfamiliar to me. But the fact that there wasn''t anything that I could use as an indicator was starting to mess with my head. "Yooo, if this is where I meet someone, then give me a siiiign..." I half-shouted without much energy, because I was starting to lose hope of seeing any progress. Was this how being a damsel-in-distress feels like? So powerless that you had to wait and rely on someone else? Nahh, not my kinda jam. "Hello? Is this like, a test ce? Do I need to pass some kind of test to wake up?" I called out once more, "ack! This is wasting my time!" After ruffling my head and messing up my hair, I tried to calm myself down and think of a way to escape this situation. C''mon, Chae. Find something from Firiell''s words. Or that freaky king''s words. This whole situation was weird, anyway. I was sure that cunning king knew that there was a high chance of us betraying him. And yet, why would he purposely send us off? ... Did he, perhaps, figure out the fact that we would activate the crest ourselves? Did he deliberately send us on a suicide mission? Ack, that would be a really good n if it was true, though. It would get rid of his brother without putting the me on him, and we humans would get painted in a bad light because not only did we set their entire forest on fire, but we would also be the ''thieves'' who stole the precious royal crest. The elf vigers wouldn''t even care that we helped prevent the coup, and the me would be all on us, which meant that they would have a valid reason to dere war against the humans, our group of humans, not the other. Ugh. This did not sit well with me at all. Well, first and foremost, I wasn''t nning on dying because of this crest. I was gonna pay a surprise visit to that smug king and strip him off of his title. "Oh, wait..." At that moment, I realized something. That king was able to be so sure that one of us would die because the elves had been conducting several tests with the crests on humans, right? That would mean that they had injected royal blood into humans before. That meant that although I may be able to activate it myself, there was indeed something that I would need to ''pass'', and that ''something'' was a guaranteed failure for humans... But why? Well, maybe, the first thing I had to worry about was how the heck do I trigger this ''something''. "... Perhaps?" Upon the sudden realization, I brought my thumb to my mouth and bit it hard until blood was dripping from the wound. "Hello? Can I start now? I got the ticket here?" I asked into nothingness as I waved my bloody finger around. That should be it, right? The royal blood ticket? No? ... So it was a no. [O, little princess of nature. The crest has acknowledged your presence, and acknowledged your desire to understand another life force.] UM!? Creepy!? [So heed my words, O lost little princess, and bear witness to your heart''s desire.] ... Who was this poetic dude...? "Uh?" I felt like I saw something sh behind me, and so I turned around to check. Was it the creepy voice, perhaps? "Whoa!? The heck!?" I yelped in surprise when I see that the white nothingness behind me hadpletely turned into a small,fortable apartment roomplete with neat furniture alreadyid out, and most importantly, a fluffy white bed with a freshly-washed bedsheet that smelled like flowers. On top of it was a medium-sized ugly hamster doll that was kinda getting cuter the more I looked at it. [Now look at the honest desire of your heart, and see that it is there.] The voice continued. ... I desired an apartment? What? I sounded like a middle-aged old man who had just lost his 9-5 office ve job and was left with just a box of cup ramen tost for a whole month, on top of getting chased out of his ce for not paying rent for over 3 months, but okay. Perhaps I was the one misinterpreting this whole thing. [Open the door, O young princess of nature.] I gulped, andnded myself on the room''s floor. Now that I could walk and wasn''t floating anymore, my feet brought me to the small door beside the cupboard. Kinda felt icky to be called young princess of nature, but alright, mysterious crest dude. Whatever floats your boat. ''Click!'' As soon as I twisted the doorknob, my ears twitched upon hearing the sudden influx of background noises. I could faintly hear people talking,ughing, and screaming in the distance. Illusion? Or other people? "W-wha--!" I gasped and stuttered the moment I fully opened the door. In front of me, was a whole-ass D*snend, with its various attractions and food stalls, and evenplete with lots of visitors, too. I immediately looked above to check if we were still indoors, and surprisingly, the blue sky was above me. "What the hell is happening here..." I frowned and frantically looked around, observing my surroundings. It was then that I noticed something amiss. The faces of all the people here were blurry. Not only that, but the attractions were also pretty blurry and they seemed to be stuck in a weird, off-sync loop for some reason. Man, this felt like something straight out of horror movies. "Hey, voice dude! What do you want from me by showing this?" I asked while rubbing both of my arms from the goosebumps I got. [Feast your eyes, O princess of nature. And see that all you desire is futile.] Sounded like a typical propaganda speech, but alright, continue. [Now, avert your attention from the temptation of your heart''s desire and focus your eyes on your King.] I looked around once more, trying to find the ''King'' he mentioned, but so far, I saw no changes whatsoever in my surroundings. Not a single person appeared. [Do you see your King before you now, O princess of nature?] ... No? Was I supposed to see someone? System error? Hello, your ''King'' character didn''t load properly, perhaps? [Bow down before your King, and listen to his request.] "What." I let out one word which exined pretty much what was going on in my mind right now. [Now that you''ve heard His wish, O princess of nature, you have two choices.] ... I did not hear any wish, but go on. Perhaps a certain King character was supposed to appear before me, and give me an order, but that character didn''t load? Geez, that was why you need to patch your system every week, dude. This was he buggy. [Choose now, O princess of nature, to keep what your heart desire, or to grant what your King desires by killing yourself.] Chapter 106: The crest (6) Chapter 106: The crest (6) "Pff-- What?" I snickered when I heard the strange voice offered me two choices. It wasn''t just because it was so obviously a trap, but also, because both offers were unattainable. Normally, wouldn''t one offer something that one could actually give? ''Choosing what I desire'' was simply not an option. Anyone with a straight mind could figure out that this whole thing was just an illusion at best. Well, whatever it was, this wasn''t real. So anyone who chose that would be dumb as heck. While the other option, however, while it seemed wild at first, actually wasn''t a bad choice. I mean, if I was to die in this weird, nd ce, I would either be trapped here forever, or wake up, right? Kinda scary, but when youpare it to the other option, which was practically a stay-here-forever-and-get-your-mind-melted ticket, at least I had a small chance of waking up. Didn''t mean I was going to do it, though. "Hey, voice dude. Why do I only have two choices?" I questioned while looking around the room, since I wasn''t sure which way should I face. Where the heck was he, anyway? [What else is there to choose, other than your own desire or your King''s desire?] He replied. "Do you think the world revolves around you and your king? Sheesh." I shook my head in disapproval and let out a deep sigh. [Of course. One''s world revolves around oneself. The universe is merely a collection of individual worlds. Each person lives a different life, and thus, exists in their own world. Who are we to invalidate one''s world?] "That part is true, each person is the main character of their own life, after all," I tilted my head, "but why should we alienate each other? Living in different ''worlds'', as you put it, doesn''t mean we have to devalue others or deem that our ''world'' is the most important one." I concluded my exnation while I plopped myself on the bed. [Your view is quite different, O princess of nature.] He replied with a little hum at the end of his sentence. Why did it keep calling me princess of nature, anyway? I wasn''t a princess, and I certainly wasn''t nature-ish, especially after we had just incinerated a whole forest. ... Oh! Silly me, it was because of my ''ticket''. I should''ve known. Wait, if my spection was true, then... I already knew why the ''king'' NPC didn''t appear, and I think I knew the correct answer to this ''test''. The only reason I was able to enter this realm was that I drank royal blood. And that was the ticket. That exined why he called me princess, since the only ones that were supposed to be able tond here were those with royal elf blood flowing inside their veins. In other words, this mysterious dude considered me a princess because I drank the blood of a princess. And thus, the ''king'' character never appeared. Since for me, there was no king. If a legit elf was to end up here, it would simply summon their rightful king, because elves were so devoted to their king. At least, that was what I assumed. Humans had always failed to ept the crest, because the test itself was designed specifically for elves to take. Those elves wouldn''t even think twice if their kingmanded them to off themselves. While for us humans, it would be an abomination to just obey a non-existent king and kill ourselves. Which meant that the correct answer for this test was... To kill myself? -------- "Big sis Jeanne, here are some nkets!" Firiell called out to Jeanne as she trotted over while carrying a pile of white, but slightly yellowish nkets that were neatly folded. "Thank you, Firiell," the blonde general smiled, before tapping on the vacant bed a few times, "nowe here. You should have some sleep. After all, you haven''t fully recovered, haven''t you?" "Umm, but what about--" "Don''t worry. I''ll look after Chaerin. I''m sure she will be okay, so just focus on getting enough rest, alright?" Jeanne said as she propped the little girl up onto the bed and tucked her in. She said those words with a reassuring smile, but little did they know, that her smile was meant to reassure herself, since Jeanne desperately needed reassurance herself, just so she wouldn''t go crazy from imagining all the bad scenarios that may happen. "But you also need rest, big sis Jeanne. You''ve been looking after me since we got here, too..." Firiell pouted. "I''m strong enough to handle a few sleepless nights." Jeanne giggled, happy that the little girl cared enough about her well-being to remind her. "No. Fatigue will affect your work. Go rest, that''s an order." General Emilio joined the conversation while he sharpened his spear on the bed across from the girls''. "But, general--" "I and general Zhang can take turns. I don''t want a tired general guarding us." He cut her off with a stony look on his face. "It''s okay, Jean-jean, chill~" The aforementioned general Zhang chuckled, "I don''t n on sleeping this night, either. So there''s no use if you stay awake." Jeanne''s eyes widen for a bit, before a big, warm smile appeared on her pale face, "thank you so much. I appreciate your concern." Although their words seemed cold, she knew it was their way of telling her to get some rest and to leave the hard work to them. Even though she was the newest general among the five that existed, but she had been working with them for years, long enough to understand their peculiar way of showing care for others. "Sure, sure~ Now off to bed you go, Jean-jean. It''s almost midnight now." General Zhang waved his hand before lowering it down to stroke a certain dark-haired girl''s hair, ying with the strands of her hair. "I will do just that. Then, excuse me, and I''ll leave it to you guys." Jeanne gave them a smile before she hopped on the bed just next to Firiell, and tucked herself inside the thin nket. She knew that the nket wouldn''t be enough to keep them warm for the night, so she took another nket and covered the little girl with it, before finallyying down to sleep for good. Thankfully for her, it didn''t take long for her to immediately drift away to dreand, which was expected seeing as she had neglected to sleep for days, on top of being utterly exhausted. After all of the girls went to sleep, the clinic suddenly went quiet, as if no one was actually awake. The noises that filled the room since morning was finally starting to lessen. That morning quickly turned to daytime, and daytime shifted to afternoon in a blink, and finally, nighttime came while they were stuck in the orc hideout''s clinic. After trying for hours toe up with a n to get away from the elf king, they were unable to reach a consensus where they could safely extract the hostages, im a throne, while not getting killed by a mad elf king. However, in the midst of their argument, one person remained calm and chill. It was as if he already knew that everything would go well. The red-eyed man just calmly sat on the edge of a bed, apanying the unconscious girl that justid there, unmoving. asionally, he would either poke Chaerin''s cheeks or y with her hair. "Hey." General Emilio called out to the other man who was awake aside from himself. "Yooo, porcupine, what''s up? Can''t sleep? Want me to tuck you in? Tee-hee!" General Zhang grinned wide. "No, thanks," the stoic general replied without even looking annoyed, "I''ve got a question for you." "Oh? Let''s hear it~" "Tell me everything you know about this situation." He dered. "Porcupine, that''s more like amand rather than a question, you know~" General Zhang pouted with an exaggerated voice while blinking furiously. "Skip the small talk. They''re both sleeping right now, so it''s a good time to spill whatever you''re hiding from us," general Emilio frowned, "or would you prefer we go somewhere else to talk about this?" "Hmm, nah. I have to stay here. I''m waiting for someone to wake up." General Zhang answered with a faint smile while pinching Chaerin''s nose. "Okay then. Now speak." General Emilio crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Well, if we''re talking about crests, I really don''t know much about it aside from the fact that it can unlock someone''s mana pool," general Zhang exined with a calm smile, but also with a threateningly sharp re, "I think that little girl you guys picked up would be a more suitable person to ask, no?" General Zhang tilted his head, giving the other general a mysterious smile that wasn''t exactly warm, but also wasn''t very dangerous-looking. "No. I didn''t ask about the crest," general Emilio kept his stance, "I''m asking about this situation." "Now, now, porcupine~ You''re ourmander in this raid, so you should know the most out of us, am I wrong?" General Zhang grinned. "Yes, you''re wrong." General Emilio replied without blinking. "Yowch, that''s mean." "Did you..." The stoic general trailed off for a bit. "Did I what?" "Did you already know about the other humans before we got here?" "... Hmmm~" The white-haired man raised an eyebrow, and smiled in amusement, "and what would you do if I say yes?" A brief pause followed, as both of them exchanged res between them. However, only one of them seemed to be enjoying this moment, seeing that one of them bore a wide grin on his face. "You will know once you say it." General Emilio replied without the slightest change of expression on his face. "Well, I..." Chapter 107: The crest (7) Chapter 107: The crest (7) "Well, I..." General Zhang trailed off, but his eyes never left the other man. With a smirk on his face, he observed the man in front of him tighten his grip on his newly-sharpened spear. The other general, however, didn''t say anything and just waited for general Zhang to continue his sentence. His expression was as t as polished wood, and no one knew what was on his mind at that very moment. "I... Obviously didn''t know, tee-hee!" General Zhang winked while sticking his tongue out. "You didn''t?" General Emilio''s eyes widened in surprise, and a little frown formed on top of his forehead. "Of course~ Who do you think I am, porcupine? Some kind of an all-knowing god?" He leaned in closer to general Emilio, "I would love to be one, though. Hey, what kind of god do you think I''d be, if I was one?" "... Are you certain?" General Emilio asked another question, instead of answering the prompt. "Why shouldn''t I be certain?" The aloof general asked back, tilting his head. "You''ve always been the headmaster''s... Loyal subordinate." General Emilio answered, hesitating for a bit. "You can just call me hispdog if you want to. No need to hold back." General Zhang grinned, his eyes glinted with malice. "Well, if you wish to be called one, then so be it." The other man red back without flinching even in the slightest. "Hmm~" The red-eyed man just hummed as the tension between them rose, and consequently, their mana also slowly rose, overtaking each other. "You--" "UWAH!" Both generals jumped when a high-pitched yell broke the tension, filling the rtively quiet room. They immediately looked at the source of the yell, and stared at the dark-haired girl with wide eyes once they realized that the unconscious Chaerin had suddenly woken up without any warnings, not even a slight groan before jumping into a seated position. "Little cub!?" General Zhang eximed with surprise, his mouth wide open for the first time since Chaerin arrived here. "You''re awake!? Now?" General Emilio also loudly wondered. "Oh my gosh, am I finally awake? For real?" Chaerin gasped as she uttered those words in-between her heavy breathing. She was pale, very pale that her usually red lips lost their colour, and sweat trickled down the sides of her forehead, although her fingertips were almost as cold as ice. Her eyes were wide open with shock, scanning the room carefully, and stopping for a few seconds on each person she saw. "Are you really awake?" General Zhang shifted his seating position to face Chaerin, and leaned in to inspect her carefully. "That''s what I just asked, you dumb eel," she replied with a huff, "am I really awake now? ... You''re real, right?" "Huh? You''re asking weird questions, but..." General Zhang raised an eyebrow, before grabbing her ice-cold hand and wincing upon the icy touch, "here, touch me. Do I feel real to you?" He grinned as he brought her hand to his face, until her hand was cupping the side of his cheek. "Uh--!" She stuttered when she realized what the young man had done, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. In a panic state, she quickly reacted by... "Ow, ow, ow!" General Zhang whined when she pinched his cheeks, hard, "little cub, why are you so mean~" "Did the pain feel real to you?" She asked back, still with a flushed face. "Of course it did," he pouted for a second, and then a smirk appeared on his face, "if you''re still unsure, let me convince you that I''m real..." He leaned in closer and closer, until they were just about ten centimeters apart, and-- "Chaerin! Thank goodness you''re awake!" Jeanne, who was awoken by themotion, rushed to Chaerin''s side and pushed the sneaky general away. "Ah, Jeanne!" Chaerin''s face beamed with happiness when she saw her closest friend so far in this era,ing to check up on her, "hehe~ I''m d you''re here when I woke up~" "Are you alright? How do you feel right now?" Jeanne asked as she checked the girl''s body all the way from top to bottom, starting from her face, her body, her hands, even down to her feet, "does it hurt anywhere?" "I''m okay, I suppose. A bit tired, but life is always tiring anyway, so who am I toin?" She answered with a little chuckle. ''Thump!'' "Uh? J-Jeanne?" Chaerin stuttered when the blonde general suddenly hugged her tight. She was bewildered and didn''t exactly know what to do, since nobody, well, except a certain edgy prince called Elias, had hugged her tight out of genuine care. "... You got me scared there, Chaerin... Don''t do that again, please." Jeanne muttered into her ears while tightening her hug. Chaerin, still in a daze, only managed to give a little nod and a few back pats to Jeanne. She just awkwardly hugged back, and once a few seconds had passed, she finally eased in and slumped her shoulders back down, and even snuggling her face into Jeanne''s shoulder. "So warm..." Chaerin whispered ever so slightly as she rubbed her face on Jeanne''s shoulder, enjoying thefort. Surprisingly, although it was foreign to her at first, she kinda liked the feeling of being hugged in this way. This hug, for some reason, was warm. Unlike the hugs she received from empty greetings and shameful men that think hugging without consent was okay. "Hey, you." General Emilio called, snapping her back to reality as she raised her head to look at him without releasing the hug. "Yeah?" She chirped. "Your memory, how is it? And are you crazy now, or not?" He abruptly asked. "Oh, are you checking whether or not the crest thingy was a sess?" Chaerin instantly picked up on the meaning of his questions, "geez, you could''ve said it in a better way, you know." "Yeah, porcupine, that''s not how you talk to a woman. At this rate, you''re gonna die without ever dating anyone, you know~?" General Zhang interrupted with a giggle. "Dude, you''re one to talk. You''re not better than him, even worse, probably." Chaerin sighed, as she always did whenever that easygoing general was around. "Your mana is not too different from before. ording to what that kid said, shouldn''t your mana change after taking the crest?" General Emilio pressed further, "but if you fail, shouldn''t you either be dead or crazy right now?" "Well, first of all, you said not ''too'' different, so you already know that something definitely changed, right?" Chaerin pouted, "and second of all, who said that there are only two oues? Do you want me dead that much?" She ended her exnation by sticking her tongue out. "Then what''s the other oue?" General Emilio raised an eyebrow, curious about the answer. "Alright, alright let me tell you, but let''s wake Firiell up first, since I want to ask her a few things, too." Chaerin sighed as she released her hug, and hopped out of the bed. "Oh, you''re right. I didn''t notice that she didn''t wake up despite us being so loud... I guess she''s very tired and needed rest," Jeanne nodded and smile, "understood, I will go and wake her up." "Thank you, Jeanne," the other girl grinned happily, "now while you wake her up, I need to take care of something..." "What is it?" "Um, toilet?" -------- "Okay, now that we''re all here, let me start exining what happened." Chaerin pped her hands together, finally ready to describe the bizarre events that she had just gone through. She was in a rtively good mood now, though, since she was able to finally go to the toilet after one whole day of not being conscious. Anyone''s dder would''ve been so full it was starting to be painful. They were all gathered in the middle of the clinic, while the orc leader and his guards were peacefully sleeping in the corner of the room. "Huwaaa! Big sis Chae! I thought you will never wake up!" Firiell cried out, her eyes were red from the tears, a huge contrast to her overly pale face. "I mean, I kinda wish--" ''Bonk!'' "Word choice, little cub. I won''t allow you to die while I''m still alive." General Zhang bonked the girl right in the middle of her head. "Urk... Anyway, let me exin what happened, and this might take a long time since I actually spent a whole lot of time in there, even though one day barely passed here," Chaerin continued, "so grab your drinks and snacks, and enjoy my free storytelling." She leaned back for a morefortable position as she told them the events that transpired, starting from when she woke up in an unfamiliar bleak room, the strange ''illusions'', and the choices that were offered to her. "...And after that, I soon realized that the correct answer was to kill myself." She continued while exining her thought process. "I see. That might be true, and now it makes sense why no human has ever been able to seed," general Emilio nodded, "so, you killed yourself?" "You need to find another hobby aside from being suicidal, little cub. Tsk, tsk." General Zhang sighed. "No, of course I didn''t. Why would I justply like that? I don''t even have a ''king''!" Chaerin pouted. "Then, how did you wake up?" Jeanne asked with a concerned expression. "Well, so it went like this..." -------- "Hey, voice dude. You said I should obey my king, right? So how should I kill myself?" I asked with an obvious frown on my face. Ack, I was starting to get super pissed at this situation. [You''ve made an admirable choice, O princess of nature--] "I haven''t made any choice. I''m just asking, are you deaf or just stupid?" I cut him off. [... True, you haven''t,] he paused for a brief moment, [allow me to present you with a sword.] I raised an eyebrow as I saw a green sword materialized in front of me, which was the exact copy of Ioriell''s sword. [Now, carry out your faith.] The voicemanded. "... Make sure you watch." I concisely replied while I extended my hand and grabbed the sword that was made of mana. "Uh?" I yelped when I felt the sudden surge of manaing from the sword. For some reason, the foreign mana was very condensed in this sword. However, even though I said ''foreign'', I think actually recognized it. It was definitely Ioriell''s mana. No doubt about it. The only difference was that this one was far more malicious, as if it was infused with a lot of seething hatred. Even just touching it already made my heart skips a beat, and my hands start trembling. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and tightened my grip on the hilt. Alright, time to start putting my n into action. Man, this better work. If not, I was as good as dead. "Ioriell, speak to me." ''FLASH!'' Chapter 108: The crest (8) Chapter 108: The crest (8) [W-what are you doing, O princess of nature?] The voice called out with a hint of shock in his usually calm voice. "Shut up, just watch." I replied annoyedly, trying to concentrate. I slowly inhaled and exhaled, controlling my breathing as I felt my mana flowing into the sword. C''mon, answer me. "Ioriell, I''ve seen, no, I''ve lived your experience, your memory," I whispered as I kept trying to pour my mana into the sword, which was refusing me pretty badly, "now, will you listen to mine?" "Urk!" I flinched again when I felt his mana started going awry, with spikes every now and then. It was as if his mana wanted to force its way into me. "I''ll make this fast, Ioriell. I won''t ask you to understand me, so please at least listen to me." I frowned as I stopped trying to force my mana into the sword, too, and focusing on defending myself. The more I dragged it out, the more I felt his obvious rage towards... Wait, towards who? "You''re angry, I can feel that," I continued, this time with a much more calmer voice, "I too, would be angry if I was in your position." The mana suddenly had a spike, and I felt like I was going to throw up. It was as if something foreign decided to mess with how your body works, and suddenly your body was going ''nope'' on you and decided to toy with you just for fun. "Tell me about your anger. I will listen to everything you have to say, but first..." ''BOOM!'' "Sit down with me. We have plenty of time here." I grinned when I saw that the sword had finally stopped flowing its mana like crazy. Thank goodness Elena taught me how to counter mana flow. She had warned me about elves who were proficient with mana handling, who could fight using pure mana alone, and how I had to be able to manipte my mana to counter it. If the opponent created a sword using their mana, then make a mana shield. If they created a rope, then make something sharp to cut it off. So, when this thing went wild, I went ahead and created a cage, well, more like a hamster ball, actually. The only difference was that it contained a raging sword instead of a cute little hamster. "Hey," I called with a small voice, "do you hate me?" ''FWOOSH!'' A gust of wind came from the cage, throwing my hair into the air. I had to squint a little so my eyes wouldn''t dry out. "Do you hate me, or do you hate those humans who robbed you of your life, your future?" I questioned further, still without raising my voice, "those humans who took advantage of you guys'' kindness, and took your sister''s trust for granted, don''t you hate them?" I frowned and continued to focus to strengthen my mana cage, making sure this sword wouldn''t suddenly burst out or something. But then, something quite unexpected happened. The wild spikes of mana calmed down a bit, although it was still wiggling around. And I also noticed that instead of it giving off a malicious feeling like before, somehow this time it was more... Sad. "You should hate them." I said as I put a hand on top of the cage, caressing it gently. The more mana I flowed around it, the more I felt his sadness as our mana gently intertwined. Although a bit messy, but I tried to adjust my mana flow ording to its flow. "If I was in your position, I would hate them, too," I calmly continued, "and not just because of that, but I would also hate them for robbing those children''s future. Those children you called family in that orphanage." My shoulders slumped when I felt the flow of his mana slowed down, as if it was losing energy, losing the drive it had earlier. And since I was starting to connect our mana together, I was also starting to feel a bit gloomy. "... Are you going to feel okay if you''re leaving just like this?" I asked, when suddenly, the mana started to spike again. "Hey, just to be clear here, I don''t n on sharing a body with you. Or a mana pool, I guess, so cut that out." I pouted while I bonked the cage. It tried a few times to poke the cage, but after seeing that its effort was going for naught, it finally calmed down again. "I wouldn''t be okay to just die without having my revenge, you know? I''m sure most people feel that way, too," I continued, sighing as I looked up to the bleak white ceiling on top of us, "we both know that you and I aren''t saints, and I know that you still have something you want to do. Am I wrong?" I nced back at the sword, which stayed silent, not even a spike of mana popped out. "Hehe, I''m spot on, right?" I giggled, "it''s okay. Be angry. Be vengeful." I said as I stared back into the ceiling while leaning back. "Tell me, what is it that you want to do?" I questioned, "if you''re able to get out of here, where''s the first ce you want to go to? What food do you want to eat? Who do you want to meet?" I smiled, "or, who do you want to kill?" I waited and waited until his mana flow started to change a little. Before, it was very static and tense, as if on guard against anything. But now, it took the initiative to bend itself to adjust to my flow. Finally, he was willing to talk to me. I closed my eyes to better direct my focus towards intertwining our mana into a little dancing river of two very different mana. He wasn''t able to talk to me directly, like how I usually talk with other people who actually had mouths. Instead, I could only feel his emotions and his passion for things. He ryed to me how he loved and worried about the burnt forest, and how he wept so hard remembering his fallenrades. He also made me feel how empty and lonely it was to lose the majority of people who he cared about, and who cared for him. He even made me miss the feeling of my mother''s hug, even though my mother had never given me a warm hug before, not even once. But that was just how much he missed his ''mother'', and how crushed he was to lose that important figure in his life. But among all those, he also passed unto me the anger he felt towards those humans who wrecked his home, his family. The seething hatred that was never calmed, and never able to reach its target. Not to forget the revenge he wanted and worked for so badly, but couldn''t carry it out, leading to the self-doubt that blossomed due to him putting his self-worth on his revenge n since he failed to protect those he cared about. Previously, he put his self-worth on the well-being of his ''family'', but since he failed to do so, he desperately clung to the hope of revenge, and once he failed for the second time, his self-worth plummeted to the bottom of the ocean. ... This poor, lost prince. He really was suffering underneath that angry facade. The thing that shocked me the most, though, was when I felt his tremendous hate towards himself. He loathed his every action, every decision, his very being. Although he knew those humans were at fault, he took some of the me himself. I actually felt physical pain in my chest as I drowned myself in his suffocating emotions. I didn''t even realize that I was gasping for air until I started to feel my throat drying up. "You... You''ve been through a lot." I said in-between my heavy breathing. As expected, it didn''t say anything back because, well, no mouths, no talk, right? "You deserve a rest after all the sufferings you''ve gone through." I smiled and gave touched the sword gently, feeling his mana more intensely. The moment I caressed it, I could feel the flow of his mana getting calmer and calmer. "... But, don''t rest," I calmly said, "don''t rest after you''ve worked so hard for your revenge. Don''t just give up under the pretense of resting." As I said that, I noticed that its mana started to swirl in a weird motion, but I quickly adjusted my flow, too. "Let me ask you, do you hate me? Or do you hate those humans?" I repeated my question from before. But instead of a sudden gust of wind, I received nothing but a calm and gentle wave of mana. "I''m sorry," I whispered, "I''m sorry for not giving you a chance to tell your story. I can''t say I''m sorry for the things those humans did to you, since I wasn''t responsible for it." His mana flow, now as calm as a still pond, responded to me by joining our mana flow together gently andfortably. ''PANG!'' I released the mana cage, and grabbed the hilt of the sword while pressing the tip of the de to my neck. "But don''t be like this. Don''t submit yourself to me." I stated with a stern voice. "Hate me. Doubt me. Be angry, be vengeful towards those who wronged you and get their owed apology, or destroy them just like how they destroyed you," I eximed loudly, "stay with me and hate me, doubt me, until either you''re able to forgive me, or you''re able to kill me." I took a deep breath before continuing, "don''t stop halfway. Pick your ending. Come with me and get your revenge on those humans." I pressed the tip harder to my neck, until I felt a drop of blood trickle down the side of my neck, "I''m not scared of you. Don''t change yourself and hate me if you want to. Get your revenge and kill me if you can." After hearing that, his mana rose again, this time more energetic and more ''him'' than the calm and tranquil flow from before. Feeling this, a huge grin appeared on my face, e with me, as an equal." ''SLASH!'' Chapter 109: Reborn? (1) Chapter 109: Reborn? (1) "Ahahahahhaha!" General Zhang burst outughing while holding his stomach. Tears even formed in the corner of his eyes while hisugh bellowed in the air. "Why the heck are youughing?" I questioned angrily as I pinched his cheek. "Ahahah! Forgive me, but-- Ahahahha!" He loudly cracked up again, "--but that''s so typical of you, little cub! You''re always doing something funny that''s not in the script!" He said as he wiped the tears in the corner of his eyes. "Of course people don''t act ording to whatever script you''re talking about, they''re not robots." I huffed. "Yeah, but I can''t believe you deliberately told him to hate you and to kill you," he chuckled, "I can''t ever get bored with you, little cub~" "I mean... I don''t get why would he give up after he made such efforts, you know? Like, if I was in his shoes, like hell I would give up after I''ve suffered for years, and after I''ve built up an army slowly over the years. I would want the fruit of my effort before I die or something." I exined while shrugging my shoulders. "Wait... I don''t understand, I thought you said you didn''t kill yourself?" Jeanne asked with a troubled face. Ah, I did end the story in a weird spot. "Oh no, no. I didn''t stab myself. You misunderstood." I giggled while waving my hand in front of my chest. "Then what was that stab?" She tilted her head, looking confused. "I stabbed the sword, of course." I grinned wide. "Ahahahhahaha! See, you always do the weirdest stuff, little cub!" General Zhang broke intoughter yet again. "Come again?" General Emilio raised his eyebrow, also looking confused. Quite a changepared to his usually monotonous expression. "You see, like this," I raised my right hand and formed a sharp spearhead using my mana, "sh, sh. But on the sword. Makes sense, right?" "... Not quite," general Emilio sighed, "how did ite across your mind?" "Hey, I said ''as an equal'', so if I paid the entrance ticket with my blood, he better pay with his blood, too," I pouted, "or so I thought. Turns out the sword didn''t have blood in it." "Wow, sh news, inanimate objects actually have no blood! How shocking~" General Zhang said in a patronizing voice while struggling to suppress hisughter. "Urk-- I figured it might be possible, you know! After all, I still don''t understand how this whole magic thing works here! A lot of things are still foreign to me..." I sulked while I fidgeted with my nket. Ack! So embarrassing! "There, there. It''s okay, I understand that this can be confusing to you," Jeanne stroked my head gently while trying to ease my embarrassment, "you''ll learn as you go. There''s still a lot of time for you to learn, so no need to rush." "Jean-jean...!" I looked at her with sparkling eyes. Ah, Jeanne was the best! She never stopped being kind and understanding, no matter the situation! I grabbed her arm and hugged it tightly, clinging unto it, "see, Jeanne is being supportive. Unlike you, eel." I red towards theughing general. "So then, what happened after you broke the sword?" General Emilio asked. "Yeah, about that... I''m not really sure. I only remembered the part where the sword suddenly gushed out a tremendous amount of mana, and then..." I trailed off. "And then?" Jeanne tilted her head. "And then I cked out and woke up here. Hehe." I scratched my head while grinning. "... Right at the most important moment." General Emilio sighed while closing his eyes. "I never thought that such a test existed..." Firiell chimed in with a bewildered expression on her face. "Me too. Nobody would know since you said that they didn''t remember a thing after waking up," I leaned back on my bed, "but I do. And I think I know why." "Why is that?" Jeanne inquired. "This is just a spection, but doesn''t it make sense that if I was to follow either one of the instructions, which were to stay there or kill myself, then I would end up the same as them?" I started exining to them. "For starters," I held up one finger, "if I was to stay there, then I would probably just end up dead. Like the other humans who I suspected did just that because why would they choose a nonexistent king''s order?" And then, I held up another finger so now there was two of them raised, "and if I killed myself, I would probably end up forgetting everything, and woke up feeling like I was ''reborn''." I concluded. "Wait, I don''t understand the connection between killing yourself and being reborn..." Firiell wondered with a frown. "Well," I smiled and patted her head, "I think the moment they agreed to submit to their ''king'', the new crest imed a spot in their heart," I continued, "I don''t know how to exin this well, but I suppose it''s close to sharing a heart? Like a 50-50 person?" "Oh, you mean they lost a part of themselves, in order to make room for a new soul?" General Zhang stepped in to exin it with simpler words. "Ah yes, exactly. Thanks, I''m not fluent in the humannguage. Hehe." I scratched my head in embarrassment again. "I see, but you went for the third route, so... We''re back to square one. We have no idea, huh..." Jeanne sighed. "Actually, we might do." I took a deep breath before I tried to call for a certain blue-haired man that had been enjoying his sleep for a biiiit too long. "Luke,e here. You got some exining to do." I muttered the words as a blue-ish puff of smoke started to emerge from my palm until it got bigger and bigger, and finally, ''poof!''. "Oh my goodness, kid. You have no idea what you just did, you little rat." He frantically scrunched up his hair in frustration the moment he appeared before me. "Yep, exactly as you said. I have no idea what I just did. Exin, please?" I grinned with joy. So he really did know something. I figured that since he was the one who resided inside my mana, he must''ve had seen something, right? Something mana-rted or something? "I got a room renovation." "Excuse you?" I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "You heard me right. You have two mana cores right now. How the heck can you do that?" He questioned. "What!? How can that be? Humans can only have one mana core. And that''s absolute." Jeanne said with wide eyes. "I have no idea, either. This is the first time I''ve seen someone with two mana cores," Luke continued, "just before it appeared, there was this random void that started eating up your mana space, so I desperately tried to adjust your mana flow so it would flow with it instead of against it." "Oooh, thank you for your help." I smiled. So he did the same thing as I did. "And then, all of a sudden, the void stopped eating you up and instead, it helped me build another room," he exined, "so that''s how I got a renovation because a random void just decided to create a new mana core inside you without interfering with your current one." "... Wild story you have." I stared at him as I tried to process the info dump that had just happened. "So... In summary, Chaerin, you sessfully mastered the crest. But fortunately, instead of recing half of your soul, you now have two?" Jeanne spoke up, summarizing for pea-brained creatures like me. "I guess so, yeah." I sighed in desperation. "Big sis Chae, do you feel something different after, um, that event?" Firiell timidly asked. "Now that you mention it... I do have more mana than before. But I don''t think I have another freeloader inside my mana. Just this dude." I pointed at Luke. "Yeah, that crest is different from me." Luke nodded in approval. "Hmm, hmm." I quietly opened my stat window, which actually made me super nervous since I had never opened my system in front of so many people before, much less this close. I had to try my best to not look as if I was staring into space. [Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)] [Strength: 38] [Intelligence: 130 (+5)] [Agility: 29] [Physique: 38 (+5)] [Stat points avable: 0] Whoa!? Dude, now that was a surge in int stat. Heck, if my int stat could rise this high, that would mean that my mana pool rose even higher, since int stat determined how well I could use the mana, not the actual mana pool itself. But I guess ''understanding'' that dead Prince yed a great part, too, because their crest, their magic, is basically their heart. So if I was to understand his heart, I would understand his magic a bit better, too. Oh, what about my skill, though? Did I get something new this time? "Skill." I whispered the word so quietly under my breath that it almost sounded like gibberish. This system needed a patch, seriously, having to call it out each time was getting annoying. As soon as the screen popped up in front of me, I quickly scanned each and every skill I had. But s, there was no new skill. Still the same old. Well, I should be grateful for what I already had, I guess. "Little cub, hold my hand." General Zhang suddenly asked, snapping me out of my trance. "What!? No!" I flinched backwards in surprise. "Just do it. And then try to use your magic to burn my hand or whatever." He grinned mischievously. "... Why?" I raised an eyebrow. Suspicious. "I sensed something from your mana. It''s okay, do it." He said as he grabbed my hand first, intertwining our fingers. "Uh--" I quickly looked around to see the other people in the room, who seemed to have no problem with it and instead, they had this anticipating look on their faces. Did they all sense something different? "I... Okay, don''t me me if you get hurt, then." I sighed in defeat. "Don''t worry, I''m strong~" He grinned and leaned closer. "... Here goes." I hesitated for a bit, before firing my elemental magic into his hand. Ah, his hand was going to get some burn wounds. Well, not my fault. ''CRACKLE!'' "Huh!?" I eximed loudly in surprise, as did everyone in the room who had their eyes and mouth wide open. Instead of burning his hand, I... Froze it!? Chapter 110: Reborn? (2) Chapter 110: Reborn? (2) "What!? What''s happening here?" I eximed in surprise while reflexively withdrawing my hand, "Luke? Firiell? Do you guys have any idea?" I looked at both of them with wide eyes. "New element? This is the first time I''ve seen someone with two elements..." Jeanne gasped as she covered her mouth in shock. "Try using your fire. Can you still use your fire?" General Emilio asked in a slightly more rushed tone than usual, which rmed me since he wasn''t usually like that. "Uh, m-maybe..." I raised the palm of my hand and tried again to use my elemental magic. ''Crackle! Fwoosh!'' This time, a surge of me appeared on my hand as little shards of ice popped and scattered everywhere. "Ack! Sorry, sorry. I''m having a little bit of technical difficulty!" I said as I fumbled with the shards that were spilling everywhere. "Whoa, you really can do both now," general Zhangughed while grinning upon the sight of his frozen arm, inspecting it carefully until I broke it off, "I wonder how many more elements you can control?" He said as his eyes glinted with something I couldn''t really pinpoint. "Is it really a big deal to be able to have both?" I asked while I tried to carefully summon only me on my right hand, and only ice on my left, "I''m still unused to it, though. It''s as if I''m drawing two different things at the same time using different hands. With no artistic talent, to boot." "I don''t think we''ve documented someone with two elements," Jeanne answered while she leaned in closer to touch my ice shards, and then my fire, "yeah, this is definitely your elemental magic... But, how?" "Wait, I get that this is probably the crest''s doing or whatever, but isn''t that elf prince''s element wind, though? So shouldn''t she get wind element instead of ice?" Luke tilted his head in confusion. Huh, so he had no idea, either. "... I think that''s possible." Firiell spoke up. "Oh, how? Can you please exin it, but simply? I have no energy forplex stuff." I asked without looking at her, since I was fully focusing my attention on trying to get these two elements under my control. "The crest never gives the new owner a new power, but instead, it taps into the new owner''s mana pool, erging it," she started exining, "maybe big sister Chae has already been able to use two elements at once all along, but was only able to manifest it just now." "Hehe, I agree with that~" General Zhang hummed, "I know that the crest can only help you unlock your potential. Though, I''m itching to know just how far your potential goes..." I got goosebumps immediately after peeking a nce at the grinning eel, because his smile was a little different from usual. Instead of his usual, yful grin, I was being observed with a mysterious, slightly creepy grin. And so, I pretended to not notice anything and focus on trying to summon both of my elemental magic simultaneously while they argued about their theories. Normally, I would join them and try to understand this whole thing as best as possible while also prepare for tomorrow, but I was so tired already and my mind was in a fuzz. Wait, did we even have a n for tomorrow? "Hey, guys. What do we have for tomorrow?" I looked up to ask them. "We have no n yet, to be honest. We didn''t expect you to wake up so early, so we thought we would be staying here for a bit longer..." Jeanne answered. "Great. Then can I suggest a n for tomorrow?" I asked while I tried to freeze the bed beside me, which surprisingly worked quite well. "Depends on what you suggest." General Emilio replied. "Hmm," I paused for a bit, "yeah, let''s freeze their whole castle." -------- "... I''m not sure this will work." General Emilio said with a little frazzled frown as we hung out in the cksmith on top of the orc''s hideout. It was getting crampy inside, so this morning, when we all woke up after like, 4 hours of sleep at most, I suggested we all go upstairs to get some fresh air. Well, by 4 hours of sleep at most, I meant for them. I only slept for roughly 2 hours, because I had to do a little workout to increase my stat a bit, and also some magic testing. If I was going to be sleep-deprived anyway, then might as well be sleep-deprived and warmed up, right? That said, my 2 hours workout only earned me one point each for strength and agility, making them 39 and 30, respectively. Finally, all of my stats were now at least 30. "It''s a shame that we can''t negotiate anymore. Now we have to get their cooperation by force." Jeanne sighed while stirring her cup of warm milk tea that she made for all of us earlier, using the things avable from the orc''s pantries. "Huh? I don''t n on negotiating anymore the moment he told us to go fetch him the crest," I raised an eyebrow and turned to look at general Emilio, "were you, general Emilio?" "No." He replied with only one word. So efficient of him. "Negotiating isn''t exactly fun~" General Zhang, who was sitting beside me at our round table, agreed. "Eh? I really thought we were going to negotiate?" Jeanne asked, obviously confused. "Ehhh? Me too, I can''t even begin to imagine betraying uncle Erenduill." Firiell frowned. "Negotiating only works when both parties have something valuable to offer, which we didn''t actually have. He just made it seem like they needed us, when in fact, he was simply using us," I shrugged, "and Firiell, snap out of it. Don''t be under the control of your elvish instinct of always obeying your king. Instead, control your instinct." "Um! I-I''ll try!" She enthusiastically nodded. "Good. Define yourself, and decide for yourself what you want. Don''t be caged by what your species dictates," I smiled and ruffled her hair, "I''m only saying this because you''re ourrade, though. I hope the other elves have a strong instinct, since we''re going to take advantage of that elvish instinct you guys have." "I-I''m yourrade?" She stared at me with wide, sparkling eyes that made her look like a Pomeranian puppy. "Yeah, of course. What else are you?" Iughed happily, seeing how innocent she was, "you''re not an idiot sandwich like this spooky white-haired general, so of course you''re ourrade." "... Uwahhh! I''m so happy!" She cried out and threw herself on me, which surprised me. "Eh??" I grabbed her and hugged her tight so we wouldn''t fall off of our chairs, but what was I supposed to do in this situation? Huh?? "Hahaha. She sure likes you, Chaerin. I could understand why, though." Jeanne giggled as she saw the predicament I was in from across the tiny round table. "... I have no idea why, but I appreciate it?" I said as I awkwardly caressed Firiell''s hair. Man, elf hair sure was beautiful. I wonder what kind of shampoo they used? Hey, they would be perfect models for shampoomercials! ... Wait, I needed to stop thinking about how to capitalize on everything. Ehem. Anyway, this morning, while I was doing sit-ups on top of a tree branch, I took the time to skim over my inventory. As expected, I got a few drops from killing some elves. They were pretty useless, though. [Elf''s Boots (equip: feet) x3] [A pair of boots that were once worn by an elf. Made out of organic material, so they''re fragile unless the wearer is an elf. +10 Agility for elf species, -5 Agility for other species] [Elf''s Tears (material) x5] [Made out of an elf''s agony. Might or might not give an extra benefit if incorporated into an equip or armor] [Elf''s Hairpin (equip: essory) x2] [A hairpin from an elf. Very fashionable and attracts attention. No effect on status] I unconsciously let out a deep sigh once I remembered the bad loots that I got. The equips were useless, and the materials were pretty vague. The boots might be useful for Firiell, but I had other ns for her equipter on, so the weapon and armor from downstairs should be enough for now. Meanwhile, I decided to keep the Elf''s Tears just in case it would be useful to craft something. Also, the name was kinda metal, so why not? The rest of them immediately went to the shop to get converted into some sweet, sweet gold for me. Surprisingly, they sold for a solid 1200 gold, which was way more than I had expected. Kiiiinda tempted to farm the heck out of the elves, but I probably should wait until we finish rescuing the hostages first. But, that wasn''t everything I did with the shop. I also searched for something that I was sure I could find. A buffing scroll. [Low-grade Intelligence Buff Scroll (consumable) x3] [A scroll that can be used to increase the user''s intelligence by a small amount for a short time. Can be stacked with other buffs. Max stack count is 5. +20 Intelligence. Duration: 5 minutes] And sure enough, I was able to buy three of them for 300 gold each. Perfect. I wasn''t sure if this would be enough for me to freeze their whole castle, but I was pretty confident in my ability. It should be okay...ish. Now that the preparation was more or lessplete... "Alright, shall we get going?" I asked as I sat up from my seat and stretched my body. "So in the end, we''re going to have to force them into submission, huh..." Jeanne stood up with a sad frown. "No. Who said we''re going to force them? They''re going to listen to us willingly, so don''t worry, Jean-jean!" I gave her a wide grin and a few taps on the shoulder to cheer her up. "They will?" Her face brightened up. "Definitely," I nodded and turned to look at Firiell, "you." I pointed at the little girl who was looking at me with excitement. "I''m going to make you the elf queen." Chapter 111: The castle (1) Chapter 111: The castle (1) "I-- What!?" She jumped back in shock, bumping the table until our tablewares made nking sounds. "Yes. You guys don''t have a minimum age requirement for a coronation, right?" I grinned widely, "then, get ready to be the youngest elf queen in history." "But-- Why!? And how!?" She eximed loudly, her eyes wide open and her jaw dropped low. "Hmm~ Is this another one of your wacky ns, little cub?" General Zhang tilted his head while humming, "I''m in!" He chuckled and stood up to circle his arm around my shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, wacky. Please get a mirror for yourself." I sighed and just stayed quiet while he started to pinch my cheeks. "How do you n to kill the current elf king?" General Emilio asked, "he''s not an easy opponent to take on." I smiled upon hearing his question. As expected, he caught on quickly. "Do you think I n to freeze their whole entire castle just to negotiate?" I opened my mouth to answer him. "Not negotiate. Threaten." He corrected. "Right. Threaten. Not very far from what I have in mind, actually," I started exining, "freezing the castle is just a little part of my n. It''s not the main course." I grinned. "Ooh~ Then what is the main course, little cub?" General Zhang squished my cheeks together with his palm. "Bleh," I shook my head to get myself off of his grip, "we''re going to do something that''s so morally wrong. But at least, after all this is done, we can all live somewhat respectfully towards each other, regardless of what species we are." "What''s that got to do with killing the elf king?" General Zhang raised an eyebrow. "You''ll know when you know," I sighed and ruffled Firiell''s hair, who was still standing there with a shocked expression, "just know that if we seed, we''re one step closer to realizing your mother''s wish-- and yours." I smiled when I saw her expression morphed from being shocked, to being teary-eyed and red-nosed from happy crying. "Huweee! Big sister Chae! I thought nobody will ever support me and my mom''s belief!" She cried again and hugged me so tight, I was feeling pain, "thank you... Thank you for believing in me when no one was willing to..." I said nothing and just returned her hug while caressing her hair. Well, to be honest... I didn''t even stop to think for one second about all of this ''coexisting'' stuff. I really came here with the full intention to either wipe them all out, or oppress every single one of them to submit to us as our disposable army. But, a better option just presented itself to me on a tter. Based on my experience, an empire built on oppression will copse horribly, sooner orter. Not only that, but the quality of life of its members usually existed on the extremes. Either incredibly prosperous and respected, or incredibly abused and miserable. If I was to build an army like that, I would be building a ss cannon. Powerful, especially at the start, but very easy to take down, too. Meanwhile, an empire built on mutual interest tended tost longer, and more bnced. It would be more beneficial in the long run, and it would be better for its members. And I kinda had no time for petty coup-de-tat or revolution drama that usually happens in an oppressive environment, so... "Hehe~" Firiell snuggled closer to me as I observed this little girl. Well, aside from that, I didn''t think Firiell would just agree if we were to invite her to kill her own family, right? Oh well, in any case, it would be nice if my n worked out, but if not, then I could always go back to my initial oppressing n. Seeing that Firiell didn''t even protest about me killing her uncle, her king, made me wonder what exactly did he do to her to make her feel okay-ish about him dying... Perhaps it had something to do with what I said about not letting herself be controlled by her instinct, too, though. Or maybe she understood that King Erenduill was too engrossed in his ideals that he would rather die than surrender. ... Eh, she was doing great, that was all that mattered. I didn''t need to read too much into it just yet. "So what do we do now, little cub?" General Zhang asked while grinning, "I''m already excited~" "I need to speak to the orcs first to confirm something. Firiell, can you help as our trantor?" I scratched my cheek. "Okay!" She excitedly eximed. -------- "Here it is! The first one! Ta-da!" Firiell proudly spread her arms wide, pointing towards the old well that was sitting in the middle of nowhere on the vige''s outskirts. "Good. Let''s quickly finish our business here and head for the next one," I smiled in satisfaction, "he said there are three wells in total, right?" I pointed at the orc from the cksmith that we had forced to tag along. "Yep! Two on the outskirts, and one inside the vige!" Firiell nodded happily. "Is he 100% certain those are their only wells, their only source of water?" I questioned again, just to make sure. "Uh-huh. So now, what do we do?" Her eyes glimmered with excitement. I gave her a smile, "now we do nothing." "Eh?" I walked up to the old well and looked down. Aside from the mosses that were growing alongside the cracks in the stone, nothing was remarkable about this well. Not to mention that it was too dark to see anything. Hmm, this well must be quite deep. ''Crackle!'' A little ice shard appeared on my hand as I quickly conjured it up using my newly-found elemental magic. Although I hadn''t fully mastered using both elements at once, it was pretty easy to do just one element at each time. There was no difference from when I controlled my fire magic. I should ask Elena for some advice regarding this. Perhaps she might know a thing or two about controlling two elements at once. After all, she was like a walking library. ''Sploosh!'' I grinned when I heard the sound of water sshing as I dropped the little shard from my hand. Alright, one down, two more to go. "Let''s go, Firiell. You too, orc dude. We don''t have all day." I turned around and walked away from the well. "Huh? We''re finished? Just like that?" She frowned, still confused that we really didn''t do anything in her eyes. "Mmhmm. C''mon, lead the way. There''s still a lot of things we need to do, in preparation for tonight." I answered. After asking the orcs back at the hideout, we found out that there were three wells that were used by the elves and the orcs. It was fewer than I thought, so it was excellent news, but the problem was that one of them was located inside the vige. Meanwhile, we couldn''t possibly enter the crowded part of the vige just like that, could we? Imagine if a group of wanted criminals just strolled around the market as if they had done nothing. We would be captured in a heartbeat. And that was why I asked Jeanne and Emilio to help look for some elvish clothing anywhere they could find. Maybe they could go buy some with the orc''s cash or like, snatch them off some elf vigers, I dunno. I assumed that they would be done by the time I and Firiell finished our business with the wells, though. As for that eel, I asked him to do something else. Something that was so, horribly, horribly wrong. But I mean, we gotta do what we gotta do, right? He should be able to get some lead, especially since the orc''s facade was a workshop. The day quickly progressed until the sun was strongly shining upon us, trickling sweat down the sides of our foreheads. Ugh, I had always hated summer for this reason. I wasn''t the greatest when it came to heat. And yet, I got fire magic. Great. "Look, big sister Chae! There''s our second well!" Firiell''s voice snapped me out of my haze as she pointed towards the distant grey-ish dot in front of us. "Ah, nice. Let''s quickly get this done ande back. I should ask Jeanne to make us some more milk tea. And maybe I could use my new magic to make some ice cubes? Ah, that would be a nice business idea..." I sighed as we strolled quickly through the ins until we arrived at the well. "Are we going to do nothing here, too?" Firiell tilted her head in question. "Something like that, yeah." I replied and looked down the well once again. This, too, was pretty deep and I couldn''t really see anything from here. Absolutely perfect. ''Crackle!'' I summoned a small ice shard once again, and let it drop down from my hand until it made another sshing sound. "We''re done here. Let''s head back to the hideout and hope that they already have some clothes ready for us." I grinned wide. So far, so good. "Hmm, is doing this really enough?" Firiell put her finger to her mouth while she seemed to be thinking hard. "Yep, yep. Don''t worry, big sis Chae will handle theplicated stuff." I smiled and ruffled her hair. I felt bad for not telling them my exact n, but I couldn''t tell them just yet. I needed their genuine reactionter when I revealed my n to Erenduill. Couldn''t risk anything, you know? After all, the best way to fool your enemies was to fool your friends first. Chapter 112: The castle (2) Chapter 112: The castle (2) "Jean-jean! How did it go?" I waved my hand excitedly from my seat on our designated round table in the middle of the cksmith when I saw the front door open, revealing two tired-looking generals. I thought we were prettyte already, considering that it was already past noon, and the weather was starting to get more forgiving. But the moment we entered the cksmith, we only spotted one general. A sneaky, white-haired one that was ying tic-tac-toe with a random orc. "Not too good, Chae," Jeanne sighed as she walked closer towards us, "we only managed to steal a few robes." She said as she put a bundle of ck cloth on top of the table. "Steal? Where did you get these?" I took one and examined it out of curiosity. It was a in, ragged ck robe that had golden detailing on the hem of it. It was a bit too long for me to wear, but eh, whatever, I could just think of it like wearing an oversized shirt. Pretty cute. "We had to be really careful and sneaky while doing this, because the situation in the vige was pretty hectic." She sighed and shook her head. "Hectic? Describe, please?" I tilted my head in confusion. Now that I thought about it, we--no, I hadn''t been into the vige''s center or their rural housing area since we got back from taking the crest. It was pretty quiet over here on the industrial side, so I thought nothing major happened. "There were guards stationed everywhere, the same ones with the uniform we saw in the orc''s castle. Sometimes they checked random people, and even checking their belongings," she exined, "not only that, but they''ve been distributing flyers of ''wanted criminals''... Us." "Here." General Emilio handed us a few crumpled flyers that had our... Uh... What the heck are these? "... Are these us?" I said in the most monotonous voice ever when I saw the ''portraits''. "A bit different, but yes." General Emilio nodded. "What the heck." I frowned when I saw that our portraits were basically just smileys--angry smileys with hair of different colours. Hey, at least they gave me a little green ribbon for my ponytail. I actually didn''t have a ribbon, though. "Ahahhahahah! Little cub, you look like a boiled egg!" General Zhang burst out intoughter when he saw the flyers. "Hey, you look like uncooked eggs!" I retaliated. "They''re iming that we''re a threat to the kingdom because we fooled them and took the crest for our own gain," general Emilio continued his exnation without paying any attention to us, "and they said that we might strike anytime, so all vigers must keep an eye out for suspicious people." "nting the seed of fear among his own people. ssic dictatorship." I huffed. "That''s why we were only able to get these, even with the time given. We''re so sorry..." Jeanne looked down while closing her eyes. "Ah, don''t worry, Jean-jean. I''m pretty good at borrowing shirts. I''ll get us some outfitter," I grinned wide, "for now, can I ask for more milk tea? I wanna try drinking it with ice~" Jeanne looked up in slight surprise, before giving me a warm smile, "sure, Chae. I''ll make some for all of us right now. Do you want to join me in the kitchen? We can start preparing for lunch, too, since we haven''t eaten all day, have we?" "Sounds nice. Let''s see what we can whip up with the ingredients avable." I nodded excitedly before we left to prepare some much-needed food. Ever sincest night, I and Jean-jean had started to call each other with nicknames if we felt like it. It secretly made my heart feel happy-happy warmsies. It was hard to describe, but if I had to describe it, perhaps it was simr to how spring felt like? ... Having friends sure was nice. -------- "Okay, now observe as I get us some clothes with one simple step." I proudly eximed as we stopped in front of a small diner. "We''re going to get clothes here, big sis Chae?" Firiell asked with her big, doe eyes. "Yes, exactly. But the only onesing are me and Jeanne," I grinned wide, "the rest of you, wait outside, crouch beneath the window to eavesdrop or something, I don''t know." "Me?" She questioned. "Yes. Ah, make sure to let your hair out a bit, so it''s somewhat visible." I nodded. After we had filled our stomach with some good food, we immediately prepared for tonight''s act. I gave Firiell a small dagger from the armory earlier and a shiel that was big enough to shield her entire body if she crouched. She should be able to carry it easily using a strap on her back. We didn''t do much preparation aside from donning the ck robe to hide our hair colour and eye colour, simply because there wasn''t exactly anything we could prepare except for our mental state. So, after a swift prep, we immediately set out to look for an empty diner, one that was quite unpopr. ''Ding!'' "Wee to our diner! What would you like to have today?" I looked up and saw that the owner was a young, enthusiastic elf that was wiping some freshly-washed, wet cups. He seemed to be so happy hearing the ''ding'' of the bell on top of the door, indicating that some customers had stopped by. "Hello there. Good day." I spoke gently and gave him a sweet, sweet smile. "Good day to you too, Miss! Are you new around here?" He returned my smile with an equally sweet one. Ugh, he immediately recognized that I was not from here, annoying. "No, sir. I just rarely go out of my home. I usually just help my mother with household stuff, especially cooking!" I eximed happily with the sweetest, bubbliest voice I could muster while I quickly grabbed both of his hands excitedly, "but today is my birthday! And I heard that this ce has the best food around! So I''m very excited to finally try some food made by the best chef here!" "A-ah... I''m not the best here, but... Thank you!" He blushed and looked away in embarrassment. Although he looked flustered, I could see that he was happy, seeing that he got an even wider grin on his pale face. Great, now he wouldn''t be focused on my identity. Misdirection for the win! "Mother, what should we order today?" I looked back at Jeanne without letting go of my hands. "Um... I''m fine with anything." She flinched a bit before answering. I guess she didn''t expect me to suddenly ask her. "You heard, that, chef! ... Um, if you don''t mind, may I ask for your name?" I asked with a timid voice, while averting my eyes from him with slightly flushed cheeks. "M-my name is Azkar," he answered nervously, "... What about yours, if I may ask?" He tilted his head slightly while shyly asking. "You''ll find out the next time Ie back here, so wait for me eagerly, okay?" I winked at him yfully. "Then, I''ll be waiting for your return!" He chuckled happily with rosy cheeks. ... I forgot to think up a fake name. Oh well, at least I saved it by acting mysterious. Sometimes people liked some mystery and chasing. "Are you alone here, Azkar?" I asked him. "Oh, no no. I live with my parents here, but they''re currently outside." He answered happily. "When will theye back?" I tilted my head. "Usually during the night. Hahaha!" "Then, I can have you all for myself until night?" I asked again while averting my eyes timidly. "Ah--! I... I guess..." His face flushed with embarrassment. "That''s wonderful! Now, what menu do you rmend, Azkar?" I gave him a pleasant smile while saying his name. "Um, we have--" I just smiled and nodded as he went on and on about their dishes, which I definitely didn''t remember much except for the first dish he mentioned. In a situation like this, names and other specific, personal things should be remembered. After all, calling a person by their name, or saying a specific thing could make people feel closer. "We''ll have the egg fried rice, and whatever you think will suit my taste, Azkar." I winked at him again, making sure that he heard me saying his name. "O-okay! Coming right up!" He flinched and blushed until his face was as red as a tomato, "d-do you want to eat here or would you like to take these home?" "I''ll take them home, thank you." I smiled, still not releasing his hands. He didn''t seem to mind, too. "Ah, I see... Okay," his shoulders slumped slightly, "would you like anything else?" "Hmm, let me think," I grinned, "can I take you home?" "W-what!?" He blushed even redder than before, which I didn''t think he could, "I-I suppose so..." He looked down in embarrassment. "Great! Can I also take your gloves home?" I beamed with happiness. "My gloves? Eh? Um, sure?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Thank you. And your shirt, please." I continued. "Huh? Wha--" "And your pants, also your hat. Sir, this is a robbery. Thank you for agreeing to cooperate with us," I grinned wide and immediately froze both of his hands, "oop, no screaming or we will wait here and kill your parents in front of you when theye back. We don''t want that, do we?" "Wh--" "Shh. You agreed, right? Don''t worry, we will only take a few pieces of clothing. Now, strip." I chuckled as I put a finger on his lips. ''Crackle!'' As his lips froze upon my touch, I could see his eyes getting wider and wider while his body trembled and his legs gave out. I crouched down until we were on the same eye level. "If you dare speak a word about us..." I touched his face with my palm, stroking his cheeks while smiling. "I will freeze your entire digestive tract from your mouth to your poopoo, and your entire family''s too, until none of you could ever shit talk or shit again. Understand?" "Nn-nggh!" He nodded profusely as tears started streaming down his face and his trembling got worse. "Okay! d we have a mutual agreement!" I pped my hands together in delight. Great, now, we had secured some outfit. Chapter 113: The castle (3) Chapter 113: The castle (3) "Pff-- Ahahhahah! Oh my goodness, little cub, that was quite a show!" General Zhangughed his butt off once we reunited again, this time a bit far from the diner in order to avoid suspicion. We hid behind a house beneath a huge tree that we had confirmed to be empty. After gathering just enough clothes for all of us, I left them a considerable amount of money that I fetched from the orc''s hideout. I would''ve given them my money, but based on the looks of their coins, they weren''t using the same currency as we humans did. I should make sure to pay back the orcs in one way or another. "Hey, at least we got what we came for." I pouted as I distributed the clothes among us. "We could''ve just stormed right in, you know~ Then you wouldn''t need to seduce him like that. Or touch his hands." General Zhang tugged the hem of my robe. "That won''t do. It''ll make a hugemotion, and people will flock around us." I sighed. "I can kill every single one of them if you want me to~" He hummed and took the clothes I gave him. "Then kill their king for me," I turned my back away from him, "... Sorry, can you guys go change somewhere else? We need some, uh, privacy." I scratched my cheek nervously. "But I wanna see--" "Yes." General Emilio immediately grabbed the white-haired general and dragged him away before he could finish his sentence. I sighed as we girls proceeded to change our clothes into something more elf-ish. This way, we only needed to wear a hat or a hoodie to hide our hair and eye colour. Well, Jeanne and Firiell didn''t really need to hide their hair colour, but they needed to hide their eye colour still. Meanwhile, I, being a Korean with dark hair and eyes, had to tie my long hair into a bun and wore a cap. "... Howe they''re wearing skimpier clothing than us?" I frowned as I inspected myself from top to bottom after we had finished changing. My green armor with golden rim just barely covered my chest with separate shoulder tes and matching gloves, Meanwhile, the bottom part only started from my waist down, leaving my neck, my stomach, and my thighspletely open. "Maybe because we took these from vigers, not soldiers..." Jeanne also sighed when she saw her own outfit, which wasn''t very different from mine, aside from the fact that she had her stomach covered, at least. "Ack, kinda annoying." I let out a long sigh and crouched down to give Firiell a jacket as a finishing touch, to make sure that at least she was dressed properly. Although this outfit was extremely impractical, at least I had my brooch with me, which acted as armor. For now, we had to make do with what we have. "Mkay, now let''s head to thest well, shall we?" -------- ''Ssh!'' "Nice. Now our preparation isplete." I grinned as I dropped another ice shard into the well. Although this well was located in the middle of the most popted housing area, nobody suspected us when we strolled around freely, and I assumed that was mainly because I told Jeanne and Firiell to hold hands while general Emilio walked beside them. Me and General Zhang, however, walked a little bit behind them. I suggested that because upon a short nce, people would only think of them as a regr happy family of three. Families, especially ones with kids, usually arouse less suspicion and attract less attention. "Well, what do we do now, little cub?" General Zhang, who was leaning on the well beside me, asked with a smirk. "Let''s immediately head towards the castle. It''s freezy-freezy time," I grinned back at him, "and you''re gonna help with the zappy-zap." "Gotcha~" -------- ''Crumple!'' The sound of dry leaves crackling beneath our feet felt so lonely in the middle of the suspiciously calm night. We had been walking for hours now, including the time we spent before reaching the third well, and all the way over here. I knew that the castle was located quite far from the vige, but I didn''t realize that it was this far, since we rode... Um, maybe the correct word was, we were carried? Well, we were carried by a giant tree monster the first time we came here. I nervously gulped when I thought about having to fight that giant tree monster, alongside the elf king. And quite possibly, if things took turn for the worse, the rest of the elves. I would like to avoid that if possible, though. Haa, this was going to be a long night, that was for sure. "Halt!" A new, raspy voice came from right in front of me. It belonged to a tired-looking elf guard, who was d with the same armor I saw when we first visited this castle. I continued walking forward as the elf guard called out for us a few more times. Even though we decided to take a little detour and approached the castle from the side instead of the front gate, it turned out that they had prepared some guards over here, too. Well, not a problem as long as there weren''t any vigers around, I guess. "I said halt!" The guard repeated again, this time with a wider and lower stance. His friend, the other guard, also followed suit by raising his shield. Huh, did he think shields would be useful against us? "No can do, random guy." I raised my hand and a little zap came from behind me, hitting the first guard until he was convulsing on the ground for a few seconds before stopping. "Wha--" "Whoops, don''t you dare do anything to my little cub~" ''ZAP!'' Another lightning zap came from general Zhang''s finger, cutting off the other guard''s speech while his body flopped on the ground beneath us. "Ooh, thank you, my personal stun gun~" I giggled as I teased him, "now, everyone, please help guard the perimeter as I start freezing the castle." "Are you sure you can do it?" Jeanne grabbed the hem of my robe, stopping me on my track with her worried face, "if you feel like you''re running out of mana, you can stop anytime, okay? We can still go back..." My eyebrows went up when I saw that she was concerned about me, and I smiled, "there will be no need to run away, Jean-jean. I''ll get this done in just five minutes tops." "Five minutes?" She tilted her head in confusion. I just nodded and walked closer and closer to the castle gate''s wall. I stopped for a bit to admire the view of the lush green vines that crawled along the dull brick wall. The tiny colourful flowers on them stood out in the middle of this dusky night. As I flew my gaze upwards, I unconsciously held my breath for a second when I saw just how humongous this castle really was. I took a deep breath to calm myself down before doubt could start seeping its way into my heart, and tightened my fists. "General Zhang, did you do the thing I told you to do?" I looked at the goofy general that was poking fun at the unconscious guards. "Of course, little cub~ I won''t disappoint you~" He answered with a grin. "Good, thank you." I nodded. Looking back at the wall, I secretly opened my inventory and took out the int-buffing scrolls that I had purchased. I carefully took them out under my robe so no one would notice, and immediately used all three of them. [Ding!] [Intelligence: 130 (+5) --> 130 (+65)] I grinned as I saw the massive increase in stat. Too bad it would onlyst for five minutes. I had to get this done in that time frame, which was pretty nerve-inducing. Now all that was left, was to actually freeze this whole thing. I took another step forward and ced my hand on the wall, feeling its damp surface. "Freeze." ''CRACKLE!'' Ice shards shot out from my hand at an explosive rate, freezing anything and everything they touched. As the ice grewrger andrger, I closed my eyes and started controlling my breathing. I focused my attention on controlling the ice, directing them to block all entrances first, from the gate, the doors, the windows, and even the venttion, trapping everyone inside. I could faintly hear the yelling of who I presumed to be guard elves from afar, but I paid no mind to it, because I trusted my teammates to be able to handle those guards while I did my thing. "Just a bit more..." I muttered as the speed of my ice''s growth rapidly increased, covering half of the castle from the bottom already. ''CLANG!'' I heard the sound of swords shing against each other, but I didn''t open my eyes even in the slightest. I knew that they had my back. ''CRACKLE!'' I could feel my ice going further up, just a little bit more till I reached the top... "Ahahhaha!" Now general Zhang''s maniacalugh was the one that entered my ears. He was probably being a little trigger-happy, zapping left and right. Ack, hopefully no elves died from the zapping though, we needed a big army for the minotaur raid. ''CRACKLE!'' "Done!" I eximed as I finally opened my eyes, gasping for air. I couldn''t believe how tiring it actually was, until I tried stepping back and everything around me started to swirl. "Oop! Watch out, little cub~" General Zhang suddenly appeared and held me up by my shoulder, preventing me from falling. "Ah... Thank you," I fixed my standing position, "I was a little tired, but I should be okay by now." "Wow, you actually froze the whole castle..." Firiell said as her eyes twinkled in amazement. "We can''t rest easy yet. We still have to ''talk'' with that king." I said in-between my huffs. When I looked around me, I noticed that there were quite a big number of fallen guards around us. They must''ve noticed by now. And surely, that elf king, too. ''BOOM!'' "Ah! That''s--!" Jeanne eximed in shock when a st came from one of the top floors of the castle, breaking a chunk of ice off of the castle. "... He''s here." I smiled and frowned at the same time in anticipation as my heart raced. I knew that he would easily get out of my ice prison, but that didn''t matter. I needed him outside, anyway. After I quickly re-sealed the hole he made, my gaze followed the floating man that was slowly descending upon us. Out of nowhere, a smile appeared on his beautiful, smooth face as his hair that was framing his angr face floated in the air oh-so-gracefully. "I''ve been expecting all of you." Chapter 114: The castle (4) Chapter 114: The castle (4) "Likewise, you insane king, likewise." I smiled back at him, although mine was obviously tenser than his. "... I see you''ve made a mess of my castle." He spoke softly as he maintained his smile while slowly descending. This guy''s mana control sure was amazing to be able to float so wlessly like that. "My castle now." I grinned condescendingly upon him. "I didn''t expect you to be so bold." Hended with a soft thump just a few meters in front of us. I instantly held my breath as my back tensed up upon seeing him up close. He didn''t do anything yet, but his presence alone instigated fear inside me. "Your fault for thinking I''m a soft tofu." I talked back. "Soft-- Puhahaha!" General Zhang broke out inughter, making me flinch in shock. "You-- Don''t joke around in this situation!" I poked his shoulder in annoyance. This man seriously feared nothing, huh? "But you started the joke! Soft--soft tofu... Ahahahha!" He continuedughing while I just facepalmed. Well, although I said that, hisughter actually made me ease up a bit... "I trust you have a business with me?" The calm elf king smiled at me, attracting my attention once again, "isn''t that why you put up this big show?" I gulped and took a deep breath to calm my nerves again before speaking. He was right. I came here for one specific thing. I should focus, especially if I wanted to finish this in just five minutes. "I want to offer you a proposal," I started speaking, "I know you have a lot of ancient scrolls stashed in your treasury. I want you to trade that with the lives of your people." "Hmm? The lives of my people?" He raised an eyebrow, "are you that confident that you hold the lives of my people in your hand?" He asked, still with a smile. But this time, for some reason, I felt chills down my spine. "Yes. Will you ept?" I frowned and tightened my fist, trying to not take a step back. Chae, don''t you dare be intimidated by this clown. "No one is allowed to hold my people in their hand, except for me, their rightful King." He opened his eyes as I saw a malicious glint inside his beautiful jade green eyes. ... He said ''King'' instead of himself. It sure was scary, how strong his ideal was. "You are mistaken if you think I''d fall for your threat," he chuckled slowly, "but you caught my attention with the scrolls." I stayed silent and waited for him to continue what he was saying while I watched his bodynguage started to change. Good, although it may sound bad, if he willingly raised his guard against us, that meant he was starting to take us seriously. "I know some stuff," I took a step forward, earning myself an amused smirk from the blonde elf king, "you wanna know who told me about that stuff?" I grinned. "Hmm~" I felt his mana rose slowly, as if he was trying to slowly mess with my brain. "Your dead baby brother told me. Isn''t that wonderful news to you?" I scoffed, "finally, the little brother that''s always been better than you in terms of gaining support and love from your ''subjects'' is dead." "... So you saw," he paused for a bit before continuing, "I wonder just how far did you see?" He leaned in closer to me, "how much of me did the crest show you, and how much of me did he treasure inside his heart?" "Enough for me to know that you will never pick those meaningless ancient scrolls over the lives of your subjects." I stood still without backing away. He was a bit off the mark, since I knew about the ancient scroll during my time in the weird white room, not from the shbacks. And I also knew that the elves hadn''t been able to figure out what those scrolls were for, so they kinda just kept it there, without knowing that they contain some pretty sweet stuff. "You seem confident. What more do you have in store?" He questioned further. Finally, the question I was waiting for. "Aside from this castle," I smirked, "your wells are mine now, too." "You--!?" He flinched for the first time since we had met, and for a second there, I felt like his mana flicked a little. Good, good. Be alert. Be doubtful. Be scared. I couldn''t help but grin at the thought of him losing hisposure, "you can tell your subordinates--sorry, I mean your subjects, since you look at them that way, to check all three of your wells." "... So you can freeze from a long distance." He frowned. "I guess." I shrugged him off and tilted my head while grinning. Actually, I couldn''t exactly ''freeze'' something from a long distance. Especially not something that wasn''t even in my vision. But the practical thing I noticed this morning when I was training at dawn while the others were asleep, was that my ice could be extended. It was simr to how Firiell could summon a branch on top of a branch, I guess? Anyway, that was the exact same technique I used when I extended my ice from the castle gate''s wall all the way to the whole castle. The reason I dropped a small ice shard into the well was that usually, ice shards have less density than water, hence why it would float on top. And ording to the orc, they only scooped up water at midnight, like when we first caught that fingerless orc, which was still a few hours from now. So, my shard should still be floating nicely on top of the water inside those wells. With just a little bit of effort, I expanded the shard until the whole topyer of the well was frozen still. "Now that I''ve frozen your entire water supply, surely you will agree to my request?" I continued pushing. "Wh-what!? So that was why we went to visit all those wells..." Firiell eximed in surprise. "I... I didn''t even think of that." Jeanne muttered in disbelief. Well, of course she wouldn''t. This was basically a foul y, endangering the lives of innocent elf vigers. Oh well, extreme situations called for extreme measures. The elf king raised his eyebrows as he noticed their shock, and frowned a bit, as if thinking about something. Nice, their responses looked genuine, this was the importance of not telling my friends about this n. Because, their shock would make it appear as if I had really frozen the entire well, when I actually only froze the topyer. "Hmm, interesting n you have there, human," he chuckled, "but we still have--" "We''ve poisoned yourke with lead, so don''t even start." I cut him off and gave general Zhang a little grin, which he returned with a cheeky wink. The elf king''s eyebrow twitched slightly as he brought his hand to his chin, supporting it, "now that''s some predicament we''re in, huh?" "Sure is. Just give up, this kingdom is located in the middle of nowhere, you won''t get water supply from anywhere else before your people start dying." I smirked and tried my best to sound confident, even though my heart was beating like crazy right now. C''mon, just ept! "... But why shouldn''t I just kill all of you right now?" An evil smirk appeared on his face, as he stared at us with his icy cold re. "Pfft-- Hahaha! So you really don''t know!" This time, I was the one whoughed instead of general Zhang. "What are you talking about?" Erenduill questioned. I could sense his wariness from the tone of his voice. Great. "You," I pointed at him, "you''ve never absorbed a crest before, haven''t you?" "... It does not concern you." He frowned. "Oh, Erenduill, that''s what happens when you only study from past experiments, but never actually get some hands-on experience." I exined, referring to the experiments they did on themselves and on humans during their research about crests. "Are you iming that you know more than I do?" He was now looking visibly upset. "Considering that I''m a human, which you didn''t study thoroughly, and the fact that I did absorb a crest," I took a step forward and poked his chest, "yes. There''s something that I know, which you don''t." Suddenly, he went quiet, which actually surprised me. For once, this cheeky king was at a loss for words. But even though nothing came out of his mouth, I was sure that countless things were racing in his mind right now. Various scenarios, possibilities, theories, ns, you name it. He was the type who would proceed after thinking about it thoroughly, with careful nning, instead of acting first and thinkter, which suited histe brother more. "Entertain me with your knowledge." He ever so politely gave me a smile without backing off. "Well," I smirked, "you know that a crest is equivalent to a heart, and I''ve absorbed one." He nodded in approval, following my story so far. "So now, inside me there are two mana cores instead of one. My fire and my ice." "I fail to see how that bothers me." He smiled sweetly at me, which just irked me more and more. "Well, you see, normally, when someone dies, their magic just kinda disappears," I huffed, "but in my case, I have two. And I''ve linked both of them so that when one vanishes, the other will explode. Only one of them will vanish alongside me, and that''s not the crest." Hearing my exnation, he chuckled and said, "that''s wonderf-- Wait..." I grinned with satisfaction when I saw his eyes widened, and horror was painted all over his face. "Yes. Kill me. Eradicate me as you see your castle explode into a pile of rubble and corpses," Iughed, "or watch your subjects die of dehydration because you can''t find a water supply." "Kkh--!" He frowned with anger, and his mana suddenly rose sharply. "The moment my heart stops beating, so will your people''s," I grabbed his hand, and ced it on my chest, "kill me, alongside with your subjects." Chapter 115: The castle (5) Chapter 115: The castle (5) "You..." He gritted his teeth as I felt his mana grew more and more malicious. He wasn''t the only one who was anxious. I was probably way more anxious than he was. C''mon, agree with my terms, why were you so hard-headed!? I bit my lower lip as I felt my heart race. He must''ve also been able to feel it, since I deliberately put his hand on my chest. With this, he only needed to extend the mana that was coating his hand a taaad bit more, and there would be a giant gaping hole in my chest, straight through my heart. And dangit, the more I thought about it, the more I regretted doing this. Like, I''d much prefer a painless death, not something painful like this! I swear, don''t you dare kill me now you freaky king, or I''ll haunt you for years and annoy you over every little thing. "You''re quite an annoying pest." He grinned at me, which spooked me a bit, causing me to tighten my grip on his hand a bit. "And you''re about to listen to this annoying pest''s wish." I pressed on. "Don''t try to sound confident while your heart''s beating this much," Erenduill leaned closer to me and whispered into my ears while circling his other arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him, "I''ve held women intimately, whose hearts weren''t beating as fast as yours." I smirked back, and touched his right cheek with my left hand while whispering into his ears, "and you''re about to find out whether it''s because I''m scared to die, or..." I released his cheek and leaned back, "... because I can''t wait to see your subjects deem you as an unworthy king." His eyes immediately went wide, and his chest stopped moving up and down to exchange air. For a fraction of a second, everything seemed to be at a standstill. Crap, did I say too much? ... But, I thought that threatening him with his identity as a great King would definitely do it. I still remembered it clear as day, when his younger self exined to Ioriell about the thing that was most important to him. ... Was I too hasty, perhaps? Would I die here? Should I just make a desperate attempt to attack? "Too bad, I will never let myself be an unworthy king for them," he removed his hand from my chest, and tucked my hair behind my ear, e with me." "Uh?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise. ... Did I seed? Did he just give me the a-okay? "I''ll take you to the treasury. But only you." He smiled wide at me, this time seemingly yful. "Why?" I leaned further back. "Because the treasury is up there, near my room," he pointed at the top of the castle, around the spot where he just sted himself outside before dramatically descending upon us, "and I''m not in the mood to carry all of you up there." He answered calmly, still with a smile stered on his face. "But--" "You froze the castle yourself, so unfortunately, the entrance is blocked," he cut me off before I was finished, "and you didn''t say that all of you have toe when you proposed this to me." Ack, this dude was a handful. Sly monkeyface. "Fine, fine. Let''s get this done fast," I sighed, "it won''t make a difference anyway. If I die, you all die. Whatever." I shrugged it off, still keeping up my act. "Good. Hold tight." He tightened his arms around my waist while grinning. "E--" ''WHOOSH!'' "Uwahhh!" I screamed as soon as this cheeky elf king shot the both of us into the sky, with me in his arms. "Calm down, human. We''re merely taking a little walk," he reassured me although it wasn''t working, "but..." "What!?" I asked loudly, panicking and fearing my fate of falling to my death. "... Could you please stop pulling so fiercely on my hair?" He continued. "Huh?" I blinked twice, before finally realizing that my hands, in a state of panic, quickly grabbed and hanged on to anything that they could grab, which was his lustrous blonde hair that was now messy because of my pulling and grabbing. "... Ah." I nodded slowly and kept my mouth shut as I immediately removed my hand from his hair... What should I grab now, though? "Thank you. Now hold on tight." He said as he raised his other arm towards the castle. "Uh, where?" "On me." He smirked while a bunch of swirly green aura gathered around his hand, forming a ball that was roughly the size of an apple. ''BOOM!'' I gasped when I saw himunch the ball of green aura towards the spot where I had patched up with new shards of ice, destroying it into little pieces that glimmered under the moonlight. "There we go." He smiled in satisfaction while seeing the huge gaping hole that led to a long hallway that was adorned with beautiful red carpet with golden fringes on the floorboards. ''Tap!'' Wended sessfully in the hallway, and I immediately looked around to check my surroundings. Didn''t he say that the treasury was around here? Near his room? "Impatient, aren''t you?" He chuckled as he observed my head turning left and right, and left and right again. ''Tap!'' "Huh?" My ears twitched when I heard anothernding sound. Who was it? "Yep, she sure is impatient." My jaw dropped in surprise when I saw a familiar puff of white hair fluttered ever so slightly in the air, shimmering as the moonlight poured upon each of its strands. "You''re not getting away from me, little cub." He gave me his trademark grin and walked over towards us. "Why are you here!?" I eximed in surprise. "Hmm, interesting. I thought your element was..." Erenduill paused as he squinted his eyes, "lightning. Your sparks are still visible. So how did you float up here?" Hearing that, I tried to squint my eyes, too, but I could barely make out tiny spots of blue that didn''t look like lightning sparks at all. I guess he was better at sensing magic than I was. "I didn''t float. I ran," general Zhang smirked, "hey, little cub. Before you start scanning your surrounding, get away from him first." He said as he pointed at us. "Ack! Right!" I flinched when I realized that I was still glued to the elf king, and immediately jumped away. Phew, that was dangerous. Anyway, back to the scrolls. "Hey, king. Show us the scrolls." I quickly reverted the topic back, considering that the five minutes limit should be close now. Bad. "Please, follow me." He turned around and started walking away. "Little cub, how did you know about the scrolls?" General Zhang suddenly crept up behind me, making me flinch for the hundredth time today. "Dude, you''re spooky," I frowned, "about the scrolls, Ioriell ryed the info to me during my time in that creepy room. He didn''t explicitly say it, but he showed me his effort and hard work in managing his kingdom''s affair, including the sleepless nights he went through trying to understand the mysterious ancient scrolls they have stashed in their treasury. It all ended up in vain, though." "Hmm, do you know what those scrolls are, since you seem so eager to get them?" General Zhang asked as we followed the elf king''s steps. "Roughly," I answered simply, "hey king, can you please go faster? As you''ve said before, I''m very impatient, please and thank you." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and changed the topic. Actually, I was pretty sure that those ''ancient scrolls'' were just buffing scrolls. When I saw the snippets of images in that room, I felt like I had seen those scrolls somewhere, but I couldn''t really remember where. And then, it hit me when I was doing my morning workout. I hadn''t been in this world for long enough to visit a lot of ces, so it was definitely somewhere close. And so far, I hadn''t been to a library or somewhere that stored important items. And that was precisely why, I didn''t see them in this world. I saw them in my shop window when I was frantically searching for other items on other asions. That was why I was so sure that I could buy the scrolls earlier. "Here we are." Erenduill stopped his feet in front of a small, normal-looking wooden door. It looked more like an entrance to the kitchen, since there were a few barrels stacked beside the door, and a little shelf filled with various nts and herbs,plete with a little basket of fruits. "Well-hidden." Imented about their choice of making it so obvious that you wouldn''t think anything important was hidden beneath this door. "Thank you," he grinned and opened the door, "after you." "Nah, you go in first." I replied. "Alright then, curious little human." He chuckled and opened the door with ease, which surprised me a bit. They must''ve had a secret door inside as well, if it was so easy to open. "Oooh~ I wonder what you will use them for~" General Zhang giggled beside me while giving me a funny stare. "Don''t worry. You''ll like it." I gave him a confident grin. "Then, I''ll look forward to it." He patted my head softly, which kinda felt nice, to my surprise. "This way." Erenduill stepped inside the dark room, only to reveal that it was indeed a kitchen. Huh, was the secret door a fridge probably, or a cupboard? Oh well. Gotta focus now. The real battle would soon begin. I took a deep breath, and followed him into the room. I better not miss this one opening. The one opening that would appear after I finish using all of the scrolls. That would be the only chance we have in killing that elf king. Chapter 116: Our time to strike (1) Chapter 116: Our time to strike (1) "By the way, human..." Erenduill suddenly chatted me up. "What?" "When will you remove your ice from my castle?" He asked while stressing the word ''my''. "I''ll release it once I''m done with those scrolls. Until then, your castle mates are my hostages, in my castle." I replied, also putting emphasis on the word ''my''. "Fufu, I''m not surprised. Humans are capable of doing the cruelest things to others, even to themselves." He chuckled calmly while leading us towards a huge freezer. "Yup. I''m horrible and will copse this entire castle, killing everyone inside if you don''tply wish my wishes, so chop chop, let''s get moving and show me those scrolls." I nodded, agreeing with his statement. Well, the ice castle, aside from being my backup n, was basically just a huge show to put pressure on him. I thought that he would be more careful and y it safe by agreeing to me if I took as many hostages as I could. If they somehow got another water supply somewhere, he still wouldn''t be able to refuse if I had hostages. What he still hadn''t figure out, however, was the fact that I half-lied about the wells. I actually didn''t freeze the whole well, that would be crazy. My mana wasn''t enough for that type of stunt... Yet. If only he knew that only the topyer was frozen, while the rest of the water underneath was not frozen, then maybe he wouldn''t be as obedient as he was now. "Our treasury is beneath this door. I shall retrieve the scrolls for you, you may wait here," he smiled, "unless you want toe in?" "No, thanks. Get it done fast. If I don''t see you back by 15 seconds, I willmit dead." I replied. "Did you meanmit suicide, or...?" General Zhang couldn''t hide his little cheeky giggle. "Shut up, eel." I elbowed him in the stomach lightly to make him stop. "Alright, then excuse me." Erenduill gave us a small bow before opening the freezer door, revealing a very dark, badly lit room. Even though the kitchen light was on, I could only see as far as 3-5 meters inside, at most. And there wasn''t even anything for me to see aside from some floor tiles. The reason why I didn''t want to tag along was that ording to Elena, going into the treasury was a big no-no for us. Their treasury was specially designed only for elves. Aside from the horrible lighting that only elves with superior night-vision could see in, they had toxic incense set up in the whole room. Based on Elena''s information, which I wasn''t even sure how she knew, the incense was actually just a mix of herbs, but it wasn''t toxic for elves, and yet toxic for humans. Not sure about other species, though... Wait, was there a possibility that the ''witch'' was the one who designed the mix? Oh god, I still didn''t have a n against the witchie. "Hmm, should I follow him inside? I''m pretty sure I can withstand a little poison~" General Zhang crept up beside me. "No. You haven''t paid me my winning money yet." I replied while crossing my arms in front of my chest. So he also knew about the poison, huh. "Aww, so mean... You''ll miss me if I die, you know?" He replied. "Why would I?" I raised an eyebrow. "Because I''m going to leave my mark on you--" ''Tap!'' Right as general Zhang was leaning closer and closer, closing the distance between us, that elf king suddenly appeared from the door, holding a small wooden crate that was wrapped with a few intricate red ribbons. "Here you go." Erenduill smiled as he ced the box into my hand, which I dly epted. "Good. Now please wait, I gotta check." Immediately after I touched the box, I hastily undid the ribbons, not even bothering to check if he hadid any traps in it. I had a few more seconds left, at best. ''ck!'' The moment I opened the box, the smell of old books filled my nose, and a little nostalgic feeling overwhelmed me for one second. I kinda missed just sitting in my bed for a few minutes before bed, reading whatever book I borrowed from the library. Even though those moments were rare, seeing that I was extra busy trying to get some cash to live, but those moments truly made me feel appreciative towards my life. Inside the box were lots of various-sized scrolls of different colours and different materials. Although most of them were well-kept, some of them were already tattered. I quickly searched for specific-looking scrolls, ones that resembled the item I knew. Ah! There they were! [High-grade Intelligence Buff Scroll (consumable) x1] [A scroll that can be used to increase the user''s intelligence by arge amount for a considerable amount of time. Can be stacked with other buffs. Max stack count is 5. +100 Intelligence. Duration: 30 minutes] [High-grade Strength Buff Scroll (consumable) x1] [A scroll that can be used to increase the user''s strength by arge amount for a considerable amount of time. Can be stacked with other buffs. Max stack count is 5. +100 Strength. Duration: 30 minutes] [High-grade Agility Buff Scroll (consumable) x1] [A scroll that can be used to increase the user''s agility by arge amount for a considerable amount of time. Can be stacked with other buffs. Max stack count is 5. +100 Agility. Duration: 30 minutes] Oh. My. Gosh. Heck yeah. It didn''t matter that there were only three of them avable in the crate, the stat buffs they gave were crazy! And considering that they were stackable, this should be plenty enough for me to work things out. "How is it? Are you done checking?" Erenduill checked up on me, still with his eerily calm tone, "don''t worry, as a King, I''m a representative of my subjects. I won''t risk deceiving you and losing the lives of my subjects." He said with a smile. "Yep. I''m surely done," I grinned and slipped the three scrolls into my inventory discreetly, and carried the rest of the unknown scrolls using the crate to avoid suspicion, "now would you kindly get us down from here? I''ll undo the ice once I''m back with my friends." "Of course," he nodded happily, "but know that if you were to not keep your end of the bargain, I as a King would not hesitate to seek justice for my kind... With you and your kind''s death." His eyes glimmered sinisterly. "Looking forward to it." I grinned. He smiled as if his malice from before was suddenly long gone, "great! Now let me--" "No need. We can get down by ourselves, right, little cub?" General Zhang cut him off as he was extending his arm for me. "Huh? ... But I can''t? How do you expect me to jump down from, I don''t know, 50 floors? 100 floors? I''m not a cat." I questioned in shock. "I can. And I''m taking you with me. Come on," he said as he grabbed me and put me over his shoulder, "hey king, you shoulde down with us, too. We still have unfinished business, don''t we?" "Ack--! Wait! Safety first! There''s no safety belt, help!" I cried out in panic. Dude, although I understood that this world had magic and stuff, but who the heck in their right mind would be excited to fall down a skyscraper!? "Byeeee!" General Zhang tightened his grip on me and dashed outside, heading straight towards the hole from earlier. "Wait wait wait wait no--!" ''FWOOSH!'' "AAAAHHH!" I screamed in terror as I felt the wind rushed against my face, sending my hair flying into the air and undoing my messy bun. "Ahhahhaha! Isn''t this fun?" General Zhang asked while he freaking ran alongside the ice wall that I created. "No! This is scary! You actually ran!? I thought you were joking before!?" I eximed as I hugged his neck tight with my free arm so I wouldn''t identally get yeeted into oblivion. "Of course. I can''t really fly, so I ran up the wall, and now I''m running back down with you~" He exined, "hold on tight, we''re almost there." "Oh gosh you''re going to break your legs!" I freaked out and closed my eyes. ''THUMP!'' "Nope, I''m fine since I''m strong~" Upon sensing that the eleration hade to a stop, I slowly opened my eyes and saw his grinning face while he let me down on the ground. Huh, I kinda felt a split-second surge of mana there, I wonder what that was about? Perhaps it had something to do with how hended without any injury? "Chae! You''re back!" Jeanne''s voice snapped me out of my shocked state, and I turned my head to see her and the othersing towards us while running. "Hehe~ I''m back," I greeted them happily and showed them the crate, "and I''ve sessfully secured the scrolls!" "That''s a relief," Jeanne sighed, "but what are those scrolls for--" ''Thump!'' A certain elf king''snding gained our attention while he gave us a calm smile, "now, would you please undo your magic? For the wells, too." I gulped, and opened my inventory to get ready to use my new scrolls. "Yes." I nodded and closed my eyes, as the thick, sparkling ice that was enclosing the castle slowly withdrew, getting smaller and smaller by each second. "Oof--!" I quickly grabbed general Zhang''s robe when I suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, while my ice just suddenly broke and fell apart, ungracefully. ... I guess the previous buff scrolls'' time was up. My original int stat wasn''t high enough to maintain an ice castle of that scale, and that caused my whole body to like, light up all rms and gave up on the ice altogether. Almost perfect timing, though. "Whoa there, what''s wrong, little cub?" General Zhang looked at me concerningly, which was quite a rare sight. Not that I mind, though. "Nothing, sorry," I straightened myself back up as I felt my consciousness started to revert back to normal now that the ice was gone, and took a deep breath, "there you go, I''ve removed all of my ice. My part of the deal is done." I said to Erenduill, who smiled in response. "Great. Although it was quite peculiar how everything just broke off near the end there," he chuckled, "it was as if you suddenly couldn''t control it." "You can specte all you want," I sighed, "anyway, I have one more question for you before we leave." "Oh? What a coincidence, I also have a question for you." He raised his eyebrows, not expecting this development. "Great, I''ll go first," I said, "can you willingly step down as a king, or do we have to kill you for it?" Chapter 117: Our time to strike (2) Chapter 117: Our time to strike (2) He smirked, "fantastic. My question for you is roughly the same." "Let''s hear it." I smirked back. "Will you cooperate and admit your crimes willingly, or do you prefer to do it in a more... Primitive way?" He brought his hand to his chin and chuckled. "Well, I think both of us have the same answer, no?" I tilted my head and gazed down at my inventory window while sneakily trying to use the scrolls. "Do enlighten me." He smiled. [Ding!] [Intelligence: 130 (+5) --> 130 (+100)] [Strength: 39 --> 39 (+100)] [Agility: 30 --> 30 (+100)] "Alright. d we agreed to kill each other." I raised my hand towards him. ''BOOM!'' A tremendous amount of me burst out from my hand, igniting everything in front of me, and dyeing the night sky bright orange. Dude, this buff sure was amazing. I never thought I could have this much firepower. At this rate, my rifle would probably shoot like a tank. "Whoa, little cub, you really woke up this morning and chose violence, huh?" General Zhang stared at me with an excited look, as if he was looking at some rare diamond. "Move if you don''t want to be a crispy eel." I shrugged his remark and cocked my rifle, because I knew that the elf king wouldn''t go down that easily. Although my int and strength stats were now higher than his, stats weren''t the only determining thing in a battle, and he got higher agility, too. "Chae! Look out!" Jeanne shouted from behind me. "Ukh--!" I grimaced when an arrow suddenly grazed my left cheek until it drew blood. "Amusing. Since when did you get this strong?" As the dust cleared up, I could see a tall figure wielding a bow and arrows walking slowly towards us, emerging from the dust. He appeared unscathed, not even a slight burn on his clothing or his wless skin. While he took an arrow from his back, his glistening blonde hair fluttered in the wind. The figure gave me a smile, and aimed his bow at me, "It''s only been one-- no, two days? I don''t remember." ''Pshoot!'' I quickly grabbed the arrow, and clenched my fist until it broke into two, "let''s just say I''m a quick learner," I grinned, "also, your silly poison won''t work against me. Hearing that, he eyed me from top to bottom, before stopping at my wounded cheek that was making a sizzling sound, "hmm, I see you''re quite tough." Well, of course I was tough. I raised my hand, throwing him into the air with my skill and mmed his body on the sharp edges of the fence. "Wha--!" I gasped when his body suddenly stopped in the middle of dropping, right when he was just a few centimeters away from the fences. He smirked at me and opened his mouth, "aren''t you forgetting something?" He said as he slowly floated down, although with a bit of difficulty despite me trying to lift him up again using my psychokinesis, "I''m a wind user. I think I''ve got a better grasp at controlling my mana than you do." "Geez." I clicked my tongue in annoyance and stopped casting my psychokinesis on him. However-- ''THWAP!'' I scoffed as I threw one of the unconscious elves onto him so forcefully that both of them ended up rolling on the ground a few meters away, "I may be unable to lift you up, but I sure can lift your subjects up." "Cruel, little cub~" General Zhang giggled beside me. ''Fwoosh!'' I was just about to scold him when I saw something flew past me towards Erenduill. When I turned around to check, it was general Emilio''s needles. "If you''ve got time tough, you got the time to attack." General Emilio frowned as he charged past us and straight to the elf kingying on the ground. "Couldn''t have said it better." I let out a tinyugh, teasing the white-haired general because he got told off by general Emilio, before pointing my rifle at them and charging it up. ''BANG! BANG!'' I fired a few rounds, while general Emilio took the opportunity to stab him with his spear. Dude, did he die already...? Just like that? "Kuku..." A small chuckle was heard, followed by a sudden surge of mana. The elf king had used the unconscious elf as a meat shield, tanking the whole damage until his body was beaten up and blood soaked his entire armor and hair. Meanwhile, the smiling man stood up,pletely fine and without any visible injuries. "A pity that he had to die for me, but it should be an honor for him to die while protecting his king." He chuckled. "Dang, that''s fucked up." I said as I pulled the trigger again, propelling a bunch of mana bullets at him. "Think however you want." He replied while moving his arm from his left to his right, creating a wind wall that deflected all of my bullets. "Tch!" I raised my arm high into the air, and the ground beneath him shook and shot upwards at a stupendous speed until the elf king wasunched high up without any foothold beneath him, "try dodging this." ''BANG!'' ''Fwoosh!'' Erenduill quickly made another wind wall in front of him, but my bullet missed it by quite a considerable amount. I shot way higher than I should have. "All that big talk and you miss." He chuckled as he stabilized himself by floating up in the air. "Did I?" I smirked. ''Crackle!'' "Huh?" The sound of my ice bullet that missed by a lot made him turn his head, and narrowly missing my ice spear. "Ugh, you''re so annoying!" I cursed as I fired a few more rounds, pissed that my strategy failed. I deliberately missed him so my bullet would go past his wind wall, and extended the ice from my bullet, making a Stabby McStab that went straight for his head. But s, he realized in less than a second, rendering my n useless. "You can''t beat me with your simple tricks," he dodged all of my bullets and general Emilio''s needles with ease, which wasn''t surprising, considering his high agility, "rather, you should spend more time thinking about how to save yourselves from me." ''BOOM!" "ACK--!" I screamed when heunched his green ball of magic towards me with such speed that I almost didn''t even see what hit me. The same ball that crashed my ice castle open, hit me straight in my stomach,unching me a few meters back until I crashed against a few trees. "Uwah, he''s strong... I gotta be careful since my physique isn''t that high yet..." I grimaced as I struggled to get up again despite my whole body screaming in pain. Fortunately, my ass got saved by my brooch armor, and the fact that I tried to use psychokinesis on myself to soften my crash. When I rushed back to them even with sharp pain inside my stomach, I saw the three of them, Jeanne, general Emilio, and Firiell already ganging up on the king, while general Zhang just kinda hung around, observing everything with extreme focus. ''Whoosh!'' I saw Erenduill releasing his arrow, and immediately picked up a random unconscious elf on the ground, throwing him between the arrow and Jeanne, effectively shielding thetter at the cost of this elf''s life. Ugh, now we had one less soldier. "Thanks, Chae!" She shouted, and immediately continued shing her numerous swords against the elf king''s wind shield. "Hey, call thatpanion of yours!" General Emilio called out to me, while he dodged Erenduill''s dagger throws that he just pulled out from under his robe. So he still had more weapons. Ugh. "No! He''s expensive!" I pulled out the motor oil from my inventory, twisted the cap open, ran and leapt onto the tall wall with ease, before jumping into the air towards where the elf king was. "Huh!?" General Emilio asked in confusion. "Ack, in any case, he''s just expensive, okay!?" I replied in frustration, since I didn''t want to explicitly say that I was conserving my mana in front of this elf king, which made me unable to summon Luke, "take this!" ''Ssh!'' I threw the content of the bottle onto his wind shield, until the disgusting smell of motor oil filled my nose. "What are you doing--?" Erenduill frowned, his tone of voice was a mix of shock and confusion. "Freeze!" I shouted loudly and extended my hand, while ice dust blew out from my palm, freezing each drop of motor oil. ''Crackle, crackle!'' I grinned as the motor oil I just threw started to form ice, and freezing the wind wall along the way, since they were basically mixed together. As a finishing touch, I extended the ice so I would have a foothold, and jumped up until I was on top of him. "Now, die." I saw his wide eyes through my scope, and instantly pulled the trigger. ''BANG!'' I made sure to fire a charged mana shot, the powerful one, so if he somehow managed to dodge that, it would at least inflict a little bit of damage on him. To my surprise, though, I myself was thrown a few meters backwards upon the impact. It was as if a tank had really opened fire. "Ukh--!" As I iled on the air, struggling to orient myself, I felt a gentle wind slowly bringing me down. Ah, must''ve been Jeanne. It turned out that although I had psychokinesis, it was pretty hard to control my movement if I wasn''t sure myself which way was up and which way was down. "Chae! Are you okay!?" I heard her shout from near me as I continue to descend until my feet were on the ground again. "Yeah, fortunately. Thank you." I smiled and quickly charged my rifle again. There was no way he died just like that. "Big sis Chae! Be careful! Uncle Erenduill hasn''t used his crest yet, we still can''t lower our guard!" Firiell frantically warned us with horror on her face. "Huh? Then what was he doing all this time?" I questioned. "That was just his element, all of us can do that! Just like how uncle Ioriell was able to use wind, remember?" She exined with haste. "Ah, true... He only used windy-wind and arrows so far, and a little bit of dagger action," I clicked my tongue, "then what''s his crest''s power?" ''Rumble, rumble..." "Eh? The ground is shaking..." Jeanne looked down, and when I followed his gaze, I gasped when I saw that cracks were forming underneath our feet. "Uncle Erenduill''s crest power is--" Oh, crap. I finally realized it. Just when I was starting to understand the situation, I faintly hear his voiceing from the cloud of smoke from my shot earlier. "Arise, my monsters." "--as his title suggests, the power to im his authority over monsters." Chapter 118: Our time to strike (3) Chapter 118: Our time to strike (3) ''RUMBLE!'' "Ack! Scatter!" I shouted and grabbed the shocked little girl by the hood of her jacket and leapt into the air, as did Jeanne. Now that the ground was totally ruined, the safest ce should be the sky... Right? ''Fwoosh!'' ''Crackle!'' "Oh gosh! I didn''t sign up for this!" I yelled in frustration when an arrow suddenly went for my eye, which luckily failed because I froze my arm and used it as a shield. "Ah! It''s ckie!" Firiell called out while pointing down on the ground. ckie? I felt like I''ve heard it somewhere before...? I raised an eyebrow and just in case, made an ice cage around the both of us for extra protection. ''BANG!'' "Dude! Chill, what the heck!?" I flinched backwards when something mmed against our cage. Upon closer inspection, it was... A branch? Oh! It must''ve been that tree monster thingy! Wait, if that was true, then... "Firiell! We''re ditching this cage! Come!" I hugged her with one arm, while holding my rifle in the other. "Eh!?" She eximed in surprise. "Crap, shield, Firiell! Up!" I shouted in panic, and luckily, she obeyed with a usible reaction time. ''Thump!'' "Great job!" I praised her when the branch that was mming against our cage suddenly grew another branch that was fortunately shielded by her. This monster was pretty troublesome, considering its ability to just grow branches anywhere on its body. If I remember correctly, though, it could only move its four main trunks. So at least it had some restrictions. I quickly ditched the cage and looked around me. Where were the rest of my team? "Ah!" I spotted Jeanne and general Emilio struggling to fight against the tree monster on the ground, while general Zhang was keeping the elf king busy. "Ahahahha! Let''s have a little bit of fun while they''re dealing with your pet, shall we?" General Zhang''s maniacalugh made me concerned. Sometimes I wonder if he needed a therapist? "ckie is not my pet. It''s my contractedpanion," the elf king replied, "aren''t you concerned about them?" "Sometimes you gotta let the kids learn through experience, you know~?" General Zhang answered with augh while they exchanged physical blows. A high kick, parried with an arm, and then two straights, one jab. Everything was perfectly deflected by Erenduill, although I could see his skin started to tear, judging by the red colour that was smeared across his arm. General Zhang could hit that hard!? Wasn''t the elf king''s physique super high or something!? And why weren''t they using their magic? "Firiell, what did he mean by contractedpanions?" I quickly asked as I headed down towards Jeanne using my psychokinesis. "Uncle Erenduill''s authority power only works with monsters that he has defeated," she exined, "and to my knowledge, it''s limited in number, but I''m not sure how many..." Hmm, so his crest wasn''t as overpowered as I thought it was. Good to know. Anyway, while the madmen were busy with each other, we gotta finish this tree, and fast. ''Tap!'' "Jeanne, take the kid, please!" As Inded beside her, I quickly handed the little girl to Jeanne, and erected an ice wall just before a branch was about to pierce us, "and please provide support for me and general Emilio, thanks!" "Huh!?" She was visibly bewildered, but took the kid regardless, and backed away a little further to safety. "Hey, you. You know what to do." General Emilio called out to me with an unusually calm voice, which was pretty creepy in this situation. "Yeah. Arson?" I nodded and ran alongside him as we hopped and jumped and parried the iing branches. Me with my fragile ice sword that kept breaking every few seconds, and him with his trusty spear. "Arson." He nodded. Great. Without much exnation needed, we parted ways. He ran straight towards one of the main trunks that were acting as a leg, while I made myself some ice ws on both hands, and climbed my way up through his summoned branches. "Argh! It hurts, stop moving!" I winced as I kept digging my ws into its big, thick branches. ''ROOAARR!'' Suddenly, it belched in anger and started iling even more. Could it be feeling pain from my ws? Well, me too, tree monster, me too. Even though my ice ws had turned red from my bleeding nails, I still climbed, slowly but surely. ''Thunk! Thunk!'' I was getting nervous by the second, because every so often, new branches would pop out, trying to puncture my body. Luckily, my armor was durable enough that I only felt like something was repeatedly punching my stomach, instead of poking holes into it. Not a pleasant feeling, but at least I wasn''t instantly a skewer. Once in a while, when I got thrown off of it, I had to use my psychokinesis to propel myself back. I''d rather just float instead of climbing my way up, but it was too hard for me to maneuver with so many branches going at me. "General Emilio! Ready whenever you are!" I shouted when I finally reached the back of its neck. "Ignite!" Hemanded, and suddenly, fire burst out from below, where he was standing at. Following right after him, I sliced open its neck and plunged my arm inside, and closed my eyes to focus on my mana. "Get crispy." I opened my eyes and a colossal amount of me burst out, burning the whole tree from the inside. It was so fierce that even I was starting to have a hard time breathing normally, and I had to squint my eyes right away. ''ROOOAR!'' It yelled out even louder, and started stomping its feet in an attempt to kill general Emilio. "Gener--" ''SLAM!'' My words were cut short when it smashed its hand-like trunk to its neck, exactly where I wastched onto. "Kkuh--!" In ast-second attempt, I hit the branch back using my fist, which shattered the branch that was right above my head. The other branches, though, the ones that I didn''t hit with my fist, connected and left a huge bruise on my left shoulder, all the way to my lower arm. I guess this was what happened when I invested points in my strength while neglecting my physique... I quickly repositioned myself and held onto its other upper trunk, while igniting everything I touched. "Just burn down already!" I shouted, and a loud boom ensued as the tree monster''s trunk started to explode, specifically the one I wastching on to. Suddenly, I found myself hovering in the air, either falling to my death or getting stabbed by multiple branches. I hastily tried to propel myself to the right, but only ended up bumping into a branch. Gah, it was so hard to control myself. Using multiple magic while not really knowing which way was up and which way was down, was starting to fry my brain. ''Fwoosh!'' "Oh shi--" A dark, burning branch was headed straight for my neck, which I noticed a bit toote. The only thing I could do was brace myself for the impact while praying that my brooch armor was sturdy enough to keep me alive. "Chae! I got you!" Jeanne''s voice shot up from below me, and suddenly I felt my body move by itself, avoiding each and every branch with extreme precision. "Whoa!" I gasped with amazement as she moved me using her wind magic so wlessly, that I got out scratch-free andnded on the ground. Wait, if Jeanne was helping me, then what about general Emilio? "Emi!? Where are you? Hey, you stone-face, are you dead yet!?" I shouted and ran towards the ming trunk where he wasst seen at, the moment my feet touched the ground. There was no response, which made me held my breath for a second imagining the possibilities. I quickly improvised and summoned a big chunk of ice on top of me, and burned it down until it melted and poured water onto me. Oh, couldn''t believe that actually worked. Cool. Now that I was thoroughly soaked, I removed my ck robe that would''ve just been a nuisance, and plunged myself straight into the fire, searching for a certain general that hopefully survived the stomping. I wanted to shout his name, but I probably shouldn''t inhale too much smoke now, so I just tried my best to deflect all of the stompings that were still going on. Dang it, was he already dead now? For real? "What are you doing, you fool?" "Eh?" I yelped when something suddenly pulled me back... By my hair. "Are you out of your mind!?" The person responsible for pulling my hair turned out to be none other than general Emilio himself, who managed to get survive the stomping, although half of his chest was charred, and his upper clothing was nowhere to be seen anymore. "Ah! So you survived!" I gasped happily. "Yes. Now let''s get out of here." He replied concisely and proceeded to grab my hand instead of my hair, and when I stumbled with my steps, he clicked his tongue and lifted me up while he ran away from the burning tree monster that was starting to copse. ''ROOOAR!'' The aforementioned monster, still not losing its vigor, thrashed around and kept flinging its dead, burned branches everywhere, burning everything that came into contact. "Tch. It''s still going." General Emilio cursed while he kept running away with me in his arms. "Wait--!" I yelled out and pointed at the tree monster. "What now!?" "It''s doing something!" I eximed as I watched the burning, smoking tree started to curl up like a fetus. What the heck...? I squinted my eyes to get a clearer view, because all the smokes made it harder for me to see. On the spur of the moment, something hit me, and I understood what it was about to do. Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps it was experience, I wasn''t sure. But somehow, I saw something that I was all too familiar with. Ast resort spirit. "GET DOWN!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping that my voice would reach everyone. ''STAB!'' Chapter 119: Our time to strike (4) Chapter 119: Our time to strike (4) "Damn it!" I cursed loudly when I saw that the crouching tree monster had suddenly sprouted numerous branches from its back, right before fading away, dying from fire. There were probably at least a thousand newly grown branches that were barely burned. We were able to subdue it just because its rate of growing branches was slower than the rate of our fire burning it down. But with itsst-ditch attempt, it managed to summon so many branches that even our fire struggled to keep up. The most important thing, though-- "Jeanne!? Firiell? Are you guys alright!?" I flew my gaze to an ice dome that I had created in a rush. When I realized that the tree monster was about to do some dangerous stuff, I reflexively sted my ice to make a cocoon for my teammates, Jeanne with Firiell, and general Zhang that I didn''t even know the precise location of. I just kinda made a huge dome around where he should be. Wait, huh...? Ack! I forgot to shield general Emilio! It didn''t cross my mind to make a dome around myself, so naturally, general Emilio who was stuck with me also didn''t get protection! But then, howe I was safe from the branches? ''Drip.'' "General Emilio...?" I slowly turned my gaze up from the ice dome over there, to the man who was holding me over here. "What?" My eyes went wide as I frowned and bit my lip, when I realized that the blood that was dripping on my cheek was general Emilio''s. He got hit--no, stabbed by two branches, one on his shoulder and one on his arm. "General, you--!" His back was turned against the tree monster, perfectly shielding my smaller body from the attack, while he took two himself, despite him already being wounded from prior fighting. I was about to clutch onto his shirt, but then realized that his shirt had been burned away, so I just clenched my fist, drawing more blood from my already bleeding nails. "You shouldn''t do this!" My voice cracked as I reached out behind him and cut off the branches using a makeshift ice dagger, making sure that the branches stayed inside his wound. "Do what?" He inquired, still with a straight face, unlike mine that was starting to distort in worry. "This! Protecting me!" I jumped down from his arms and quickly ripped some of my already short skirt to put pressure on both of his wounds. Ahh, think, Chae! Think of a way to keep this man from dying! He was basically flirting with death at this point. "I''m your general." He gave me his reason and winced slightly as I applied more pressure on his wound. Seeing that, I tried to press his other shoulder down to get him to sit down, but he just wouldn''t budge. "Exactly, yes! You''re my general!" I frantically agreed, "that''s why you should be able to read the situation! Your injuries are worse than mine, so it''s just logical to let me take the attack! You know, basic math? Distributing the loss?" I asked with wide eyes and heavy breathing. He just raised an eyebrow as I continued to wrap his wounds while tying another fabric above the wounds, in a messy attempt to lessen the bleeding. At the same time, I ced two fingers on his neck where his carotid artery should be located, and also grabbed his hand to check for cold fingers. "No, this is exactly what a general should be doing," he replied while looking at me weirdly, "generals are there to guide and protect their soldiers, not to get protected by their soldiers." "Wha-- But if you die, you won''t be able to protect and guide more soldiers!" I argued. I was neverfortable with the idea of getting saved by someone. I hated it. I hated being so weak that someone had to willingly protect me. "If I kept avoiding to protect my soldier, then when will I actually start? And who am I to judge which life is worth more than the other?" He answered with a little sigh, as if my statement was a dumb one. Uh, what? Wait, I actually agreed with his second statement. I also thought it was unfair for me to judge which life was more important. And I''ve said that too, to Jeanne, specifically. But... Now that I was on the receiving end, I felt so miserable to hear that. I didn''t like that someone had to cover for my ipetence. "Rather, what are you doing?" He asked, snapping me out of my thought. "Oh? Ah-- I''m checking if you''re going to go into shock soon," I chuckled nervously, "you know, like, fainting and stuff? Too little blood? Well, those kinds of dangerous stuff." "You don''t have to--" "Shush. Go sit this one out and drink some water or something," I covered his mouth with my hand before he could finish speaking, "we''ll get it done fast, don''t worry. Trust your fellow generals a bit more," I smiled, "I won''t ask you to trust me, but at least trust that Jeanne and that eel got this under control." "Don''tmand m--" "No. Bad. You sit back and that''s final. You can y dart with your quills while you''re sitting there or something if you wanna fight that bad." I quickly stepped backwards, and caged him inside a thick ice cage. "The hell!?" For once, shock was truly apparent on his face. Huh, I guess nobody had ever dared to cage a general like him before, eh? Generals were really held in high regard back in Alistair, after all. "Be good, aight? And don''t even try to break out, my ice is stronger than your fire... For now." I awkwardly scratched my cheek. Thank you, buffing scrolls! "Chaerin, stop it right now." He growled and pounded on the cage. "Huh? What? Sorry, bad signal, can''t hear you! Talk to youter, I got a fight to take care of, byeeee!" I lifted him up along with his cage using my psychokinesis, and yeeted him away, far from where the elf king was battling general Zhang, but close enough for me to still confirm that he wasn''t dead. "Alright, now as for Jeanne and Firiell--" "Chae! Look behind you!" Jeanne, the person I was looking for, turned out to be not far. In fact, she was already running towards me while extending her arm. "Huh?" "I see you''ve killed my pet." ''FWOOSH!'' The moment I heard that deep, velvety voice, my body moved on its own and leapt away from my spot. "You--" ''Drip.'' I was about to curse that elf king, when I realized that he had cut my neck deep enough to draw blood, but not deep enough to make it spray. I was saved by my buffed agility stat this time. Spooky. "Dude, just how many weapons do you have?" I groaned. Alright, now was really the time to face the boss. "I can use any weapons that I can get my hands on," he replied while holding up a beautiful, dark green dagger that had golden engravings on it, "I can even use them in an unorthodox way." ''Fwoosh!'' "Ack!" I yelped as I stumbled on my feet, trying to dodge the dagger that he suddenly threw at me. "That was close-- oop!" Just as I was about to rx, I noticed the dagger that flew past me suddenly turned around, changing its course back at me. Fortunately, I had enough time to deflect it using my hand that I had coated with hard ice. "Hoo~" He grinned at me amusedly, "let''s see how you handle multiple attacks at once, shall we?" "Try me, you dumb bitch. That tree guy is better than you in terms of multiple attacks." I scoffed, a bit annoyed. "Alright, time out!" General Zhang suddenlynded between the two of us, pping his hands. "Uh?" I flinched and took a step back in surprise. What was he doing, getting in the middle of a fight? "No can do." Erenduill clicked his tongue loudly, which surprised me since it was the first time I saw him aggravated to that extent. ''BAM!'' In a split second, the elf kingunched himself towards general Zhang, who blocked him easily without taking even one step backwards. Dude, how? Even I, who was standing a few meters away from them, had to step back to stabilize myself from the shockwave. What exactly was general Zhang made of...? "You... You''ve been a bother for a while!" Erenduill raised his hand and formed three green balls of mana at once, just like the one he threw at me earlier. "Hey eel, mov--!" "Oops, naughty. Let me keep that for you," general Zhang justughed and snapped his finger, when suddenly all of the balls disappeared into nothing. Huh? That move again...? "Again?" The elf king parroted my thought, "you''ve been using annoying tricks since then... What exactly is your magic?" He frowned. "Me? My magic is thisssssss~" General Zhang giggled as his body split into two smaller, watery general Zhangs, and then into fish-shaped water, and even into straight-up dumpling-shaped water, "I can turn into water and morph into any shape I fancy--" ''ZZAP!'' "--all the while doing zappy zaps." "... Tch." The elf king growled as he took general Zhang''s zap with his arm. Now that I thought about it, what exactly happened during their fight while we were busy burning some wood? How could general Zhang keep up... No, wait. Erenduill was the one taking damage, judging by the few bruises visible on his once pristine skin and tattered clothes, while general Zhang just looked like the usual lunatic he always was. But..? Wh-- How? "Hey, your kingly kingship or something, stay there for a minute, okay?" General Zhang, who was back in his human form, scratched his head, "don''t move, for just a minute, if you don''t want me to lose patience." My eyes went wide when I saw that the elf king actually stopped moving and bit his lip, although his stance was clearly aggressive. This clowny eel managed to intimidate that Erenduill? "Little cub." His deep, sultry voice made me look up nervously and looked at him, who was now standing before me. "Y-yeah?" I answered, staring into his eyes that had suddenly lost their usual yfulness. Not even a smirk was on his face. "You..." I gulped as he bent down and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Um...?" Chapter 120: Our time to strike (5) Chapter 120: Our time to strike (5) My heart raced as I held my breath, not sure if it was because of the adrenaline or because of something else. "Hey, shouldn''t we attack?" I pointed at the stupefied elf king who gave me a pissed-off re. "Not yet. I''m still talking to you." He grabbed my hand and brought it down while his eyes never left mine, which made me feel a bit embarrassed, so I looked away. "N-Now''s not the time--" "Here." He cut me off and took off his shirt. "WHOA!?" I gasped and covered my mouth. What was he doing!? Public shing? Huh!? My face went red when I saw his bare chest and abs glistening with sweat, right in front of my eyes. I quickly shifted my focus to Erenduill, who was equally shocked, seeing as he had his mouth wide open while staring at us. "Your panties are showing. White." General Zhang said with a straight face as he tied his shirt around my waist. "What the--! Get away! ACK!" I raised my arm, shoved him hard on his firm, toned chest out of embarrassment until he stumbled on his feet. "You can take it off if you want, I won''t force you to wear what you don''t like," he shrugged it off and started stretching his body, "alright, let''s get ready to proceed with the killings~" "Uh!?" I eximed in bewilderment when I saw his trademark grin back up again. I mean... Thanks? I did rip most of my skirt off to use as a makeshift gauze for Emi, but... In the middle of a fight!? Seriously? Who even called time out just to change clothing!? I''ve fought in worse clothing than this, so I didn''t mind much, honestly... "... I thought I understood humans and their simple way of thinking, but I guess some of them are rather... Mystifying." Erenduill frowned. "Ah, you may move now." General Zhang giggled and snapped his fingers. "Wha--?" The elf king''s eyes widened, and he blinked a few times while staring at his two arms that he started to move around, up and down, and then in circles. "Ow ow ow, I have a tummyache! I think it''s my period or something. I''ll sit this one out and watch from the sideline, okay?" General Zhang pretended to have stomach pain by clutching his abs and sitting on the ground, before winking and mouthing to me, ''show me what you''re capable of, little cub''. "... A period? You?" Although I was very confused, I knew that should be the least of my concern right now. It turned out that the elf king didn''t stop because he was intimidated, but because somehow, he wasn''t able to. I still didn''t understand this eel, but-- ''BANG!'' --at least I understood that I must kill this elf king first. "Come at me." I smirked and taunted the elf king that blocked my bullet with a wind shield, as usual. Not unexpected. Instead of actually challenging me, he only gave me a quick nce before dashing straight for the white-haired general. ''THUD!'' "You shouldn''t take your eyes off of your enemy, isn''t that basic knowledge, king?" I scoffed as I grabbed his hand, stopping him. Now that my agility was also high, it wasn''t a hard feat to catch up with him. [Ding!] ... Oh? I didn''t expect my fighting dirty skill to activate. I even forgot that this skill existed, since it didn''t trigger for such a long time... Could it be that ''stronger'' opponent wasn''t simply decided by stats alone? Well, but the trigger was still the same as I remembered. It was physical contact. Anyway, the plus three stats weren''t of much use anyway, I needed to find a way to level up this skill somehow once I got back. ''Crackle!'' "Tch!" Erenduill clicked his tongue when ice encapsted his whole arm rapidly, and he quickly pulled his arm back, releasing it from my grip. "You''re not getting away!" I crouched a bit, and focused my strength on my feet to make one big leap at him, barely grabbing his finger. ''CRUNCH!'' "UGHH--!" Erenduill groaned in pain the moment I crushed his frozen finger into pieces, as blood spurted out of where his finger once was. Great, now it would be harder for him to use his weapons. I''d be happier if I could crush his entire arm, though... Even though my palm got hurt in the process, I didn''t mind and continued pushing him. He shouldn''t be able to use his wind shield against physical attacks, right? ''BAM! BAM!'' I repeatedly punched him, targeting specific ces like his temple, his ears, his epigastrium, and of course, his dongdong. "Fighting, little cub~ You''re on your own, we''re all busy here!" General Zhang giggled as he cheered me from where he was seated. Huh? Even Jeanne and Firiell? "Ah, ah~ The vigers are starting to gather here. I''ll go help Jean-jean to knock them out," general Zhang sighed, "don''t worry, I won''t kill them~" ''BAM!'' As Inded another punch that was blocked by the king, I cursed the fact that I was nowpletely alone against this lunatic. "You''ve got some experience in hand-to-handbat, don''t you?" The elf king smirked as he kept parrying my strikes, "I don''t know who taught you, but it pales inparison with my training!" ''SLAM!'' "Kkh--!" Frowns appeared on my forehead as I used my bruised arm to shield myself against his powerful attack. I swore I could hear something cracking, this crazy bastard! "Peasant-- no, a dirty human like you won''t ever match up with me." His eyes glinted with malice as he raised his hand while a mana sword formed inside his palm. As the sword''s reflection glimmered inside my eye, I focused all my attention on it. I could see its course, as if it was moving in slow-motion. Ah, having high agility sure was great. Definitely going to invest more points on this statter. ''Whoosh! Whoosh!" I ducked, side-stepped, jumped, and backflipped, doing all sorts of things just to avoid getting sliced by his mana sword. As a few of my hair strands flew in the air, getting cut, I could see him smiling, as if he was enjoying this back-and-forth. "Come on, human. You won''t get anywhere just by dodging me!" Heughed like a maniac, "as I thought, most humans are just subpar at best. I don''t understand why they think they''re so special." ''Fwoosh!'' I ducked again, and rolled away on the ground, dodging his angry swings. This time, his expression had changed, from a crazy,ughing one, to a more hateful one, which reminded me of Ioriell. They really were blood brothers, huh? They could look so much alike, but at the same time, so different. "Looking at you," he dashed and tried to stab me on the ground, which he failed to do, "really makes my blood boil," he shed up, barely hitting my thigh, which made me flinch at the pain, "how do you guys have so much ego when you''re so helpless?" ''SLAM!'' "Urk--!" Suddenly, he switched from using his de to kicking me in the stomach, which cleanly connected, sending me flying to the ground a few meters away. As my body mmed against the ground, dirtying myself from top to bottom, I could hear his stepsing towards me. "Pathetic. You can''t even get your dirty hands on me." He red down at me. I stretched out my hand towards a nearby rock, and he instantly stomped on it, making me groan in pain. "Disgusting," he scoffed, "if only you''re an elf, though. I''m sure someone as... Interesting as you could at least be my royal knight... Or even my right-hand man. My queen, perhaps, with enough training?" "No thanks. I don''t want to associate myself with someone who judges by race." I snickered, mocking him. ''Crack!'' He stomped on my hand harder, until the sound of bones cracking could be heard by the both of us. Dang it, it was painful, but I bit my lips so I wouldn''t scream, thus not giving him the satisfaction he wanted. "As I thought, a dirty human like you could never understand our values." He sighed and looked down upon me. "... Yeah," I smirked and red back at him with confidence, "I''m a dirty, unfair human, you cold, soggy fries." ''CRACKLE!'' "Huh--!?" He gasped when the foot that was stomping my hand suddenly froze alongside my own hand, connecting us together. "Don''t think you''re hot stuff when you''re a week-old burger at best." I raised my other hand, formed my trusty ice w, and grinned. ''SLASH!'' Ah, the color of his blood shining under the moonlight sure was beautiful. It was different from when I was back in the army, mindlessly following orders to kill people I didn''t even know, and whose past and wrongdoings I didn''t even know. Fighting for a cause I believed in felt way better than just fighting under someone''smand. "You rascal!" He cursed as he fell down on the ground, his tendon and calf already messed up from my attack. I didn''t miss this chance and quickly threw some dirt into his eyes, which made him grunt and furiously rubbing his eyes. "You called me dirty, so expect a dirty fight." I coldly stated as I stood up and pressed the tip of my rifle to his forehead. "Don''t get cocky yet!" He grasped the tip of my rifle and pushed it back little by little. "Goodbye." I said with a t tone. ''Crumble!'' Suddenly, my rifle''s tip broke into little tiny pieces, crushed by the sheer power of his grip. "Hahhaahaha! That''s why you humans can''t ever do anything, even with your self-proimed superior technology!" Heughed maniacally while staring straight into my unbothered eyes. ''Stab!'' "...Uh?" I smirked, looking at his confused face. "I meant it when I said goodbye," I chuckled as I saw horror struck his face upon the realization that I had stomped on his chest using a long, sharp ice heel, "have an unpleasant death." Chapter 121: Our time to strike (6) Chapter 121: Our time to strike (6) "AAAGH!" Erenduill screamed in agony while he desperately clutched his chest and scratched my foot in desperation. Weird. I didn''t feel pity for him. If I was in his position, surely I wouldn''t be pitying myself, too. After all, we were both fighting for our own cause, right? It should be logical to face the consequences, both good and bad. I stared down at him with a cold gaze, very contrasting with his face that adorned this mix of pain, panic, and... Fear. Huh, although I didn''t feel sorry for him, not even one bit, I wasn''t exactly happy watching him suffer, too. It was just... It felt natural that in a fight, there would be a winner and a loser. Or maybe just losers on both ends. Well, Eli disagreed with me on that aspect, though. He believed that a fight could be settled without any winning or losing side... Maybe one day I would understand. But for someone like me who grew up just for the sake of my country''s victory, it was hard for me to imagine a battle where there was no winning or losing side. Either one lost, or both lost. I let out a short sigh as I reminisced about Eli for just one second. I wonder when I would meet him again? Was he even here-- "Get off me!" The elf king suddenly shouted as he gasped for air and pulled out his dagger. "Okay." I swiftly pulled my heel out of his chest, dodging his sh as fresh blood spurted out of his chest like a fountain. "Kkh--!" He reflexively pressed the gaping wound on his chest, as if trying to cover the wound and stop the massive bleeding, but with minimal sess. ''STAB!'' "What happened? Are you that nervous that you forgot you shouldn''t pull out in case of a stab wound?" I smirked, mocking him while I stomped my sharp ice heel on both his hand and chest this time, "here, let me plug your arteries up again. Aren''t I so nice and obedient, pulling out when you told me to and plugging your wound back up when you''re gushing out blood?" "You''re... Mistaken if you... Think you''ve seeded!" He yelled in-between his heavy breathing, while he charged up his green ball using his other hand. "Am I?" I waved my hand and picked up an unconscious elf using my psychokinesis, before mming his body on Erenduill''s green ball, ripping the poor elf apart. Whoa, I forgot that the ball was too powerful for a mere elf knight. Sorry, dead elf guy. I forgot that you were weak. Press F to pay respect. "Arise, my monsters!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, which caught me off-guard. Did he still have monsters in store? Where? What monsters? ''ROAAR!'' Ah, geez. Annoying. I clicked my tongue when I saw a multitude of mini ckies--mini tree monsters started to sprout and emerge from the ground. Did he ughter an entire race of tree buddies and kept them as his summons? Or contractedpanions, or whatever? Ugh, no choice then. I had to-- "Chae! We''ll take care of the monsters!" Jeanne''s voice startled me, who was just starting to make an ice sword out of my magic to start ughtering the mini trees. "Yes, big sister Chae! Please leave this to us!" Firiell also chimed in, which surprised me. I didn''t expect she could keep up with us. I smiled, d that they were my subordinates. "Looks like it''s just you and me, then." I stared back at Erenduill, who was starting to look paler, way paler than his already pearly-whiteplexion. "... I alone am enough to defeat you." He scoffed and started to charge his green ball again. ''STAB!'' "Ah ah, it would be a waste to just throw this ice sword, you know? So let me use it once, okay?" I said as I stabbed his wrist until his ball of green mana-thingy started to dim. Although my ice sword immediately broke, understandably so, too, since it wasn''t made by Koji, at least it weakened him a bit. ''BAM!'' Heunched the ball unto me regardless, which hit me straight in my chest. "Hmm, since when did you get this weak?" I smirked and taunted him, "see? I didn''t even take one step backwards." I pointed towards myself with confidence. "Kkh--!" I smiled as I saw his eyes widen, his forehead full of sweat and his teeth gritting in anger... If only he knew that that shit hurrrrttttt mannnn. Honestly, the impact was still huge even though he was already weakened. I managed to hold my position by hitting myself in the back using my psychokinesis, thus helping me to not get blown away. But maaaaan, now both my chest and back hurt! Ugh, I wanted to weep but I had to hold back and appear unbothered to apply mental pressure. I swear, they better let me go to a spa after all this trouble...! "Alright, time to really end this." I red down at him, while deepening my heel stab. "Ugh-- Wh--" "Freeze." ''CRACKLE!'' My eyes stared straight at him without blinking, not even once. I was in extreme focus, concentrating to muster my most powerful, most controlled magic so far. I directed my mana towards the ice on my heel, flowing it naturally and smoothly. As the ice on my heel started to expand, freezing his hand, and then his chest, his skin, muscle, and finally, heart. ''Crackle, crackle!'' "Hoo..." I inhaled deeply while I concentrated on my ice magic. I could sense where each ice shard appeared and extended, and I could even feel his muffled heartbeat, courtesy of his undying, unrelenting heart that was still trying its best to sustain its owner''s life. "Gah--!" He took one long gasp, and stared at me with horror, until a few teardrops appeared on the corner of his eyes. I frowned upon the sight. Were those tears of pain? Of fear, perhaps, since he was dying? ... Or were those tears of regret? But regret of what? ... Although I understood that it was none of my business, I still felt a little desire to understand him, to understand what exactly brought him to this point. Perhaps it had been a bad habit of me for a long time, but I was always curious about my enemies'' ''why'' and ''how''. Oh well, it was probably already toote. After all, what could one do with a frozen heart? Even if he managed to kill me right this second somehow, he would still die of blood loss or infection or something. It was a desire to understand that could not be fulfilled, anyway. ... Wait, no. A frozen heart, exactly. The crest should be okay even though it was frozen, right? Great, guess it was time to snatch another crest... But should I risk my life for another crest? "Stop struggling. It''s going to be more painful for you if you do so." I crouched down, lessening the distance between us. Me with my heel on top of his chest, and him, half-dying, lying sprawled underneath me. "E... Eli... Cough--!" "What..?" My ears twitched and my eyes went wide upon hearing the word that had just left his mouth. Did I mishear? Did he really just say-- "Elias... That man will surely... Find you... And he will kill you." He continued with heavy breathings. For a moment, I felt like I had frozen even time itself. My heart raced at the mention of him. What sort of rtionship did they have? Since when did they know each other? Where was Eli right now? ... And would he really kill me? ''Crackle!'' "Aghh--!" "What do you know about that man!?" I yelled at him and grabbed his cor in frustration as my chest huffed and puffed. "You two... Know each other?" He asked while raising his eyebrow, looking genuinely confused, before suddenly smirking, "hmph. You''re both humans... And yet... An elf like me knows more... Than you do. Humans sure are strange." ''SMACK!'' "Don''t talk like you know everything." My face scrunched up in annoyance, while he just stared back at me with cold, dying eyes after I pped his cheek. Now, I was the unstable one instead of him. "Do you have the right... To say that despite not... Understanding his goal?" Erenduill asked with his fading voice. ... His goal? Of course I knew his goal. I knew what he wanted, what he was fighting for, and even down to his struggle to achieve them. But, Erenduill was right. That was Eli from a few years back. Not this one, the one who didn''t even recognize me. I bit my lip in frustration for not being able to ept that fact, and unleashed my frustration by bursting out my ice magic until his entire trunk and stomach froze. "... I don''t listen tost words." I bitterly said to Erenduill, as my eyebrows knotted into a frown, and my vision blurred because of the tears that were starting to well in my eyes. "Send my regards to... Elias. That human... I would like to see his dreame to fruition." Erenduill closed his eyes, and smiled. At that moment, he resembled a baby to me. Sleeping so peacefully, as if he didn''t even know what the word ''problem'' meant. As if the darkness andfort of sleeping were the safest, the best ces to be... As if he wasn''t obligated to sustain himself anymore. "Kkh--!" I frowned as my nose started to turn red, and extended my ice all the way up to his head, with my ice preserving his peaceful expression perfectly and immactely. I bent down, until it was low enough for me to reach his ear, and whispered, "...I envy you." As expected, there was no response from the frozen king. His peaceful expression was still unchanging. Good. I didn''t want him to hear this, and yet... I felt like I needed to get this off of my chest. I leaned back, my face only a few centimeters away from his. "... I really, really envy you." Drops of tears started falling on top of the ice adorning his beautiful face, both glimmering under the gentle moonlight from above. How unfitting. My tears looked so out of ce on top of his tranquil expression. While holding back my sobbing, I clenched my fists. "... Damn it." Chapter 122: Elf kingdoms future (1) Chapter 122: Elf kingdom''s future (1) After allowing myself onest sniffle, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath topose myself. C''mon, Chae. This wasn''t a great ce to have a breakdown. "Hoo..." I wiped my eyes with my wrist, despite it being all bloody. I bet I had a blood-smeared face now. Ugh, I would need to bother Elena for some skincare after this. My shoulders slumped as I sat on top of the freezing elf king, not moving from my spot. Despite my crumpled state of mind I was in, I tried my best to focus on something else. Skincare, bibimbap, that autobiography book from the library that I hadn''t finished reading, what else, uh... My gaze slowly wandered around, before stopping to focus on his peaceful face again. "How nice..." I muttered, "how nice it is to die without losing anything." I clenched my fists. For him, dying for his people was exactly something a good king would do. Something he should do. So, he died while proudly treading the path he chose himself. He died as someone he truly believed he was, which was a good king. By dying, he had aplished his duty, and thus, dying for this cause wasn''t a loss for him, and rather, a gain. But if he somehow managed to survive and kill us all, then he would also be ying the role of a good king who fought bravely to protect his people, and who led his people to victory. And then, he would proceed to lead his people to rebuild their civilization, earning another point for the ''good king'' role. Either way, no matter which side won and which side lost in this war, he would end up with happiness and satisfaction for carrying out his chosen life, his chosen identity. Sure, we may have control over his people now, but it was none of his concern since it was now another king''s reign. This new problem wasn''t his responsibility anymore. He had fulfilled his duty perfectly, and in his perspective, he had lived a fulfilling life. ... How nice. I bit my lip in frustration, and frowned. How could my wish, one that was so simplepared to his grandiose wish of ruling over an entire race, be much more painful andplex? It didn''t matter if I was alive, or if I died, both would suck for me. If I stayed alive, that meant I had to continue living alone, especially since Eli had forgotten about me now. But if I was to die, I haven''t achieved what I wanted yet, not even a simple vacation with friends. How could even a vacation with friends feel so distant to me? In the end, no matter the oue, I would always be on the losing side. "... I''m tired," I sighed and covered my face with my palm, "but I can''t die yet... But I''m tired." "Chaerin! What happened!?" A familiar, bright voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I instantly lifted my face to see a tattered blonde general running towards me with worry painted on her face. "Jeanne?" I muttered weakly. "Did... Did you seed in killing the elf king?" She gasped when her eyes finally caught onto the thing underneath me, "Chae! Are you okay? Where does it hurt? We need medic--" "No need, Jean-jean," I smiled sadly and scratched my cheek nervously, "I''m fine. I''m all good." "Uncle Erenduill... Is dead?" I held my breath when I saw Firiell standing beside Jeanne, with her hands covering her mouth. She had this mix of shock and disbelief in her eyes. Uh-oh, was this too hard on her? "Yeah, um... You can close your--" "He''s really dead?" Her voice cracked as she walked closer to examine the body underneath me, "this is... Real, right?" I scratched my head, trying to figure out a phrase that was mild enough, but s, a death is a death. There was no way to sugarcoat it. "You''re right. He''s truly dead. I can even take out his heart right now to prove it," I sighed in defeat, "if this is too hard for you--" "So that means... I''m free now?" She blinked a few times, her doe eyes looking into my dead ones. "Huh? Free?" I blinked back, utterly confused. What did that have to do with her king dying? Was she bound to him or something? A ve? But I didn''t see any ve marks or attire. Mental abuse? usible. "I can go to the vige whenever I want to now?" She asked, "does that mean I can also go outside? And explore? I can wear whatever I want?" "Eh? Wait, wait, what? Did Erenduill forbid you to or something? Were you threatened?" I questioned, still a bit bewildered. "I... I''m not sure myself," she hesitated, "he did tell me not to do certain things likeing into the vige or going away or eating and dressing in a certain way, but he wasn''t threatening to kill me or anything. And he had his reason, too..." "He told you to? When he has no right to do so?" Jeanne joined in. "Ah, no, no. He was my king and my uncle, after all. It''s only natural for a king to givemands, no?" Firiell waved her hands in front of her, making a ''no'' motion, "besides, he wasn''t explicitly forbidding me. He just... Told me that''s how a good elf should behave." "... So like, basically, he was implying that if you didn''t follow his ''suggestions'', you''re not a good elf?" I stared at her in a deadpan manner. "Um... Y-yes... I understand where he wasing from, though. He just wanted what''s best for his people," she fidgeted with her fingers, "ah! That doesn''t mean I''m d that he died... Or something." "Ah, yes. Our daily dose of gaslighting. Mmm, delicious," I sighed sarcastically, "but seriously, get those excuses out of your mind." "I agree with Chaerin. That''s just maniption. Either way, you''re being controlled by him," Jeanne patted her head, "I''m so d you''re free now." "Not yet." I interrupted. "Huh?" Firiell looked up at me in confusion. "You''re not free as long as you keep searching for excuses to justify his actions. He may be dead now, but he still has influence over you," I pointed at her, "so snap out of it. You still have a long life ahead of you, don''t think of this as a finish line. It''s your starting point." "But, I--" "I don''t wanna hear another word justifying his actions. Listen, Firiell. You''re going to be a queen soon. You''re going to take his spot," I exined, "if you think what he did was okay, then are you going to do the same thing to your people now? You know, since you said it was okay?" "No! I don''t want to confine my people... They don''t deserve to be oppress-- ah!" She gasped, and looked at me with amazement, "now I see your point!" "Thank god you''re easier to convincepared to some people who have lost their mind." I sighed in relief, but also in annoyance when I remembered some of my friends who got caught up in a clearly toxic rtionship. "It... It will still take time for me to adjust, I think... But I really want to try to be a good queen for them." She sheepishly said and smiled. "Good, you can be whatever kind of queen you want to be, no need to be so fixated on being good," I ruffled her hair, "but if you want to be a good queen, then prepare to work hard for it. We know you can do it." I grinned at the little girl in front of me. "T-thank you! Yes, I will work hard!" She excitedly eximed. "Well, for now," I grabbed her hand and handed her the dagger that Erenduill used to sh me, "let''s start off by having you fish out your uncle''s heart, shall we?" "Huh?" "Go on. I''ll be here watching you. Don''t be shy." I patted her back and moved away from the frozen body. "EHHH!?" "Chae? What are you doing?" Jeanne asked me with a surprised gasp, but she didn''t seem to disagree, either. "She''s going to be a queen of the entire elf race. What do you think will happen if their queen can''t even kill? Rather, this isn''t even killing. He''s already dead and she just needs to retrieve the heart." I ced a hand on top of the frozen king''s chest. ... Cold. And yet, he lookedfortable. ''Pang!'' "There, I''ve thawed the ice for you." I crouched beside the dead king''s chest, and looked at Firiell, who still stood there like a stone. "I-- I have to... Cut uncle''s chest open?" She hesitated and trembled a bit, but I could still see the determination on her face. "Yes. And do every step by yourself. Open his shirt, slice his chest, grab his heart, and take it out, all by yourself," I said as I stared right into her eyes, "and remember what a dead person''s body feels like." She clutched the dagger, and stepped forward with newfound confidence. She knelt in front of me, on the other side of the dead elf king, as her grip became tighter the more she trembled. Truly, it was a bit pitiful and at the same time, encouraging to see her trying so hard. ''STAB!'' Ah, as I saw Erenduill''s blood slowly drained out of his body, a little thought crossed my mind. The same red blood that I found so beautifulst time, didn''t look as beautiful now... I guess intent did y a big part in clouding our judgment. Surely I wouldn''t see a person killing another person as a beautiful thing, but then, I just did, towards myself. ... Yeah, I wasn''t very different from them, after all. From other humans. We often judge people by their actions, and yet, we judge ourselves by our intention. What irony. Chapter 123: Elf kingdoms future (2) Chapter 123: Elf kingdom''s future (2) ''Stab! Stab!'' The bloody night appeared to have quieted down for quite a while. Although in reality it only took around 1 minute at best for Firiell to swiftly took the heart out of her uncle''s chest, for me, it felt like a fleeting peaceful moment that flowed slowly. ... Tonight''s a bit cold, huh. ''Schlop!'' "Big sis Chae. I''ve taken out his heart." Firiell said with a resolute face. "Good. Now off you go." I smiled at her. I knew that she was talented magic-wise, but finding out that she was also good in emotional intelligence and in adapting was a pleasant find. "Go? Go where?" She questioned so innocently while holding a bleeding heart. "I''m sure you''ll know. Anyway, one more thing before you go," I pinched both of her cheeks, pulling them until her mouth was stretched, "smile. You''re allowed to be happy that your king has died." "H-huh?" Her face flushed red, and I chuckled upon the sight of a flustered her. It may not be an easy feat to get her self-esteem back up after the emotional abuse Erenduill made her went through. It may take a long time. And we didn''t even know the full story yet and to what extent did that bastard really went. But at least, this time she wouldn''t need to face that alone. "It should be about time." I grinned and let her cheeks go. She stared at me for a while, before suddenly gasping in realization and nodded. She closed her eyes, seemingly focused on something. I counted back from 3 2 1 ''Thump!'' "Oop, careful there." I leaned forwards and caught her falling body into my arms, carefully supporting her head. "Did... Did she just activate the crest''s first phase?" Jeanne gulped and helped me carry her body away and gently ced her on t ground. "Should be it," I nodded in approval, "she should be able to handle this. This may sound a little bit cruel, but... She will never be a queen as long as she''s under the shackles of her past king." "You have a point... Now we just have to wait for her to wake up." Jeanne sighed and slumped her shoulders, while gazing at the unconscious girl''s face. "Don''t worry. The first phase is basically just like watching a movie. She won''t die, at least," I patted Jeanne on her back to reassure her, "but it can be pretty taxing for her mental health, probably. Since she had to relive her family''s past." "In the meantime, we should keep her body somewhere safe That''s right, where should we go now?" Jeanne gasped and looked up towards me. "Huh? Isn''t that obvious?" I tilted my head. "Eh? Where?" "Our new castle, of course." I smiled. -------- "Where the heck are those two idiots?" I sighed as I helped strap Firiell''s body on Jeanne''s back using what was left of the unconscious elves'' armor. Before we got cozy in the castle, we needed to find the rest of our friends first. Just how far did they go? "I and Firiell got separated from general Zhang earlier since there were too many enemies. I think he went south." Jeanne answered while pointing over my shoulder. "Can''t be helped. Let''s look for them," I shook my head in annoyance and started walking towards the direction she pointed at, "but it''s weird. What are they doing anyway? There''s no way they''re down Right?" "It''s hard to sense their mana here, since there are too many people here. It''s all muddled." Jeanne frowned and followed my lead. "Well, at least one of them should be safe. I can guarantee that general Emilio is all fine and dandy," I hopped over a pile of sliced-up tree monsters, "watch your steps." "How can you be so sure?" She asked while she effortlessly floated past the pile. "I, uh You see, I Caged him up. But for safety, I swear!" I iled my arms in front of my chest. Uh, uh, how should I exin this? "Haha." "Huh?" I blinked a few times when I saw Jeanne chuckled upon hearing my reason. Was her mind okay? "It''s okay, Chae. You don''t have to exin yourself." Sheughed as she walked beside me. "Um, uh aren''t you curious why I caged up a general?" I scratched my cheek nervously and avoided eye contact while we kept strolling around, looking for two individuals. "I''m not curious, because I already know why," she smiled at me, "I may not know the specifics, but I know you did it with a good intent." "Heuk" I was taken aback by her answer, and started to feel my cheeks getting warmer. Ack, I bet my face was as red as a cooked lobster now! "There''s no need to prove yourself," she giggled, "you''re adorable when flustered, Chae. It''s rare to see you like this. You''ve always been veryposed, very calm no matter what situation we put you in." "Ah Th-thank you," I sheepishly said as I felt butterflies in my stomach, "but, one thing, though. I''m not alwaysposed, ahaha. Do I appear like that?" Iughed solemnly. "Yes Even at our first meeting, I think I was more agitated than you were, even though it must''ve been way more confusing for you," she smiled, but her eyes looked somewhat mncholic, "I must''vee across as a bad leader, didn''t I?" I stared at her for a bit, observing her face that almost seemed too lonely for her usual cheery, disciplined self. "Not really. The way I see it, you were much moreposed than I was. However anxious you were, you sure did a great job at hiding it," I smiled, "do you understand what I mean?" "Um, sorry, I don''t think I follow?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You." I raised my bloody finger towards her head with a little smile. ''Flick!'' "Ack." I chuckled while she flinched after I flicked her forehead lightly. She watched me with wide eyes, seemingly bewildered by my behaviour. "You''re setting up too high of a bar for yourself, and yet you set your bar low for everyone else," I exined, "stop that, silly, you''re going to go crazy at this point." I grinned. "Huh? I Am I Doing that?" She asked, still staring at me with visible confusion. "It''s okay to seek self-improvement, and that''s actually a good thing," I sighed, ignoring her obvious question, "but allow yourself to fail, too. Mistakes are improvements. As long as you keep going along the path you chose, be it a sess or a mistake, you''re still going forward." She suddenly stopped walking, and gaped. "Well, my point is Making mistakes isn''t always a bad thing, you know. There are things that you can only learn from mistakes. That being said, don''t be too hard on yourself." I scratched my head while fumbling with my words. I was never great with words, let aloneforting people. But I hoped she understood what I was trying to say "Hahaha." "Huh?" I frowned in confusion. Did she just chuckle again? "What''s funny?" I inquired. "Nothing, Chae," she keptughing lightly, but this time with a smile that reached her eyes, "I''m just happy to hear you say that." I blinked my eyes a few times, a bit shocked. Uh, that was a good thing, right? "d to hear that, then." I smiled back in response, although still confused. "Actually, I" "Ahahahaha! Come on, porcupine~ Don''t be so stiff~" Just when she was about to say something, we both turned our heads to the familiar, yful voice that entered our ears. General Zhang? And he was with porcuno, general Emilio? Dang it, his habit of calling people using their nickname was rubbing on to me. "Don''t y around." General Emilio growled, clearly pissed by the sound of it. "But hey~ This ice cage little cub made for you sure is pretty sturdy~ You should live here forever, porcupine! Tee-hee!" "What the heck." I deadpanned when I saw the two generals bickering against each other. One of them was messing around, poking the other who was sitting patiently inside my ice castle. One of them asionallyughed and ''kyaah''-ed, while the other asionally let out a low growl and plentiful loud sighs. Yep, it was already absolutely clear which one was which. "Hey, eel. The heck are you doing, bothering a sick person?" I walked up and smacked the fluffy white-haired man right in his head from behind. "Ah, little cub, Jean-jean~ I was just apanying porcupine, you know? So he wouldn''t get sad and lonely. What''s up?" He giggled while rubbing the back of his head. "You do know that lying to and about a general for personal gain can be considered a felony, right?" General Emilio said with a t expression, but an angry voice. "Wait, really? So I''m a felon?" I chimed in. "Of course. You''re just a special case, so normal rules don''t apply to you." General Emilio exined swiftly. "What is this sphemy? Is this some kind of monarchy? Let me have free speech." I frowned. "Caging a general isn''t in the rule book, but can also be considered as an assault and" "Gotcha, gotcha. You''re out, no need to threaten me like that." I pouted and released my ice magic, freeing the stoic general. "Good," he stood up just like that, no thanks, no formalities, nothing, "now, report, please." " You can be annoying too, sometimes, you know that?" I huffed and exined quickly about the fact that Erenduill was now dead, and about how I told Firiell to take out the crest because of this and that. Of course, I left out the part where I was feeling blue for a little bit. "I see. So we''ve seeded in killing him," general Emilio nodded, "then, our next step should be to im the throne, and lead the army towards the minotaur kingdom." "True. And for that, we need Firiell to wake up first, and make her hand the throne to us willingly. She just needs to dere it''s ours, and then we''ll let her be the actual queen." I happily agreed. Finally, we''re one step closer to going home. "But first, what do you n to do with the crest?" General Emilio questioned. "Hm?" I raised my eyebrows as all eyes went towards me. Chapter 124: Elf kingdoms future (3) Chapter 124: Elf kingdom''s future (3) "Well, don''t you also have a n regarding the crest?" I tilted my head and frowned. Why must he ask me if he was going to hand it over to that creepy headmaster geezer, anyway? " I do. I n to give the crest to the headmaster. He might know more and maybe it''ll be more useful in his hands," general Emilio said, "but I doubt you''ll let me." "Damn straight. I''m not letting that geezer touch this." I scoffed and put a hand on my hip. "Then do you have a better idea? Or do I have to fight you for it?" His face remained unchanged, but his re felt sharper now, "I''m not letting you use it for personal gain, unless you have a good reason for it." "Oh? You want to fight me? Someone who killed the elf king?" I widened my legs, and lowered my stance, "with those injuries?" He stayed in his position, not moving even one bit. As we exchanged piercing gazes, my mind was racing, trying to find a way to convince him to not fight me. I mean, oh gosh, my provocation was like a sixth-grader''s provocation. Actually, my buffs were already gone. Reduced to atoms. I heard the ding-ding while we were walking here looking for them, which meant just a few minutesseconds ago, even. With my buffs gone, I barely even managed to keep that ice cage erect, and he wanted to fight me? Dang, if all three of them went for me at once, I''d be down in less than a minute. Heck, maybe even general Zhang alone would end me. My body was alreadyparable to a cold WackDonald''s takeout. Miserable. And falling apart. "General Emilio, let''s not get hasty." Jeanne quickly came between us, and spoke with her usual serious voice. "Yeah, porcupine~ Either way, I don''t think the crest will go to either of you~" General Zhang patted, or more like smacked, actually, the stoic general''s back while grinning. "Why?" General Emilio asked with only one word. "Do you have other ns, general Zhang?" This time, Jeanne was the one who asked. "No, not me," he grinned and pointed at me, "but my little cub has one." General Emilio and Jeanne simultaneously looked at me with expectant eyes, waiting for me to say something, anything. "Well? Don''t you, little cub?" His smirking face was directed towards me, "you look like you have something stuck in your throat, and it''s not a fishbone." "Uh Fine. I''ll speak." I sighed. Jeanne''s expression immediately got brighter. Well, quite expected, since she was never really fond of conflicts in general. "I''m going to be honest here, I don''t think you guys will agree," I scratched my head and looked away, before looking back at them, "umm, I say we give the crest to the girl." "What!?" Jeanne gasped in shock. " Let''s hear your reasoning for that." General Emilio, on the other hand, remainedposed and stared at me. "Let''s hear your reason for not giving it to her, then," I retaliated, "none of us know the previous owner, the elf king, really well. We didn''t even activate the first phase. Do you seriously expect any of us will make it through if we try to absorb the crest?" Actually, I still have some left in the blood bag, so any of us could activate the first phase instead of Firiell if we waited. But let''s not tell them. I needed Firiell to be a strong elf Queen for a reason. "Still, we can use it for research." General Emilio reasoned. "Uh, I don''t think the elves'' years of research really produced anything major. If they, the owner of the crests, couldn''t really do much with research, then how can we?" I continued, "I think it''ll be a waste of time, energy, and precious crest. We only have one, anyway. Researches usually need a lot of samples." General Emilio went quiet, just staring at me. Meanwhile, Jeanne looked back and forth between us two, seemingly unsure what to do. And of course, general Zhang, was just being the goofy eel he always was. "True, nothing''s guaranteed. There''s no guarantee that we''ll seed, but there''s no guarantee that we''ll fail." General Emilio replied. "Well, the chances of it failing is much higher. You sure you wanna take the risk? When we can just use the crest to strengthen our army that''s going to extract your brother?" I continued pushing. My words were a bit mean, but it was necessary. "I never said I was going to take the risk. Even without you threatening me, I know it''s irresponsible to depend on a small chance. I see your point now," general Emilio nodded, "then, what should we bring back for the headmaster?" "Huh? Why should we bring anything back to him?" I raised an eyebrow confusedly. I didn''t expect that reply. What did the headmaster have to do with this? Why were we obligated to ''bring something back''? "We always bring something back from big raids like this. It helps to patch up ourck of knowledge, and sometimes, they''re able to make breakthroughs in their research from the materials we brought back," Jeanne exined, instead of general Emilio, "so it''s always great to bring anything that might be useful." "Then we can bring some weed for them or whatever," I shrugged, "but, who are they?" I tilted my head. Breakthroughs? Ah, probably like the scientists and engineers? "They are Elena''s work mates~ You''ve been getting all cozy with Elena, haven''t you, little cub?" General Zhang suddenly circled his arm around my shoulder, "well, did she say anything about her job?" "Ack! You" I was about to push him away again, but then I saw his eyes gleam with something that I couldn''t really point out what that was. I instantly held my breath and swallowed my words. I kinda felt like I shouldn''t say something wrong here. "She did tell me a little," I answered while trying to sound as unsuspecting as possible, "she said she''s a prison warden as well as some kind of researcher, if I remember correctly." "Mmhmm, brilliant~" He giggled, seemingly pleased, "and then what else?" "Huk" I flinched a bit when he suddenly eyed me sharply. "Come on, tell me." Uhh How should I say this I didn''t think it was a good idea to just go around spilling my friend''s backstory, you know? Kinda disrespectful if I did, in my opinion. If Elena had entrusted me with her backstory info, then I should not take advantage of that trust, right? "Umm, she also told me" I scratched my cheek and looked down. "Yes?" He looked at me expectantly. Ack, what did he want from meeee? " She told me that she liked to tease her juniors in her work, especially the cute ones." I concluded, still avoiding his gaze. Did I look convincing enough already? Like someone who was forced to spill? Hopefully. "Pfft--! Ahahhahah!" He burst out inughter, not sure if that was good or not, but I''d take it. "Ugh, what?" I frowned and released his arm from around my shoulders. Gah, he didn''t need tough that loud, now I was embarrassed for some reason. "Little cub, sometimes I wonder if you''re okay in the head~" He chuckled. " Are you picking a fight with me?" "Just don''t follow her lead, okay? I don''t allow flirting in the Vanguard. Don''t forget I''m still a general," he continued chuckling, "and there are no juniors cuter than me anyway. Tee-hee!" "Jeanne, sorry, don''t mind him. Please just treat him like a fly. Anyway, where were we? Oh, right. The research," I tantly ignored him, "if you''re worried about that, isn''t the solution simple?" "Uhh, we should Bring something else back home?" Jeanne suggested. "Yeah, we should bring Owen and general Enzo back home. They can''tin if we do that." I shrugged. "I don''t think the headmaster would be very pleased." General Emilio put his hand on his chin. He didn''t seem to oppose the idea. Rather, he seemed to be more concerned about how to appease the headmaster for some reason. Geez, loyalty could be scary sometimes. "Then, let him be displeased. If he truly goes batshit crazy when we bring them back home, then I don''t know, fam. I wouldn''t want to serve under someone who values ''research materials'' more than myrades'' lives," I pouted, "he should be extremely grateful already if we manage to bring the both of them back alive." I argued. "Not if, but when." General Emilio growled, surprising me a bit. Oh, true, the most agitated person here should be him, after all. I couldn''t imagine how stressed and worried he must be right now It had been like, what, almost two weeks since the kidnapping? Dude, I really hoped they were both okay "Yes yes. In any case, I think giving the crest to the girl is the best choice for now, unless we want to end up with a wasted crest and a dead or crazy person," I concluded and nodded profusely, "she will be working alongside us, anyway. Think of it as upgrading your team, instead of yourself." "First, she will only be temporarily in our team. Second, didn''t you upgrade yourself using the first crest?" General Emilio asked with a straight face, " But yes, I ept your suggestion for now. It''s the least risky solution we currently have." "Hehe, thank you," I scratched the back of my head happily, "well, we managed to defeat the elf king because I took the crest, right? At least I produced a result, don''tin about that. And by the way, I''m nning to keep working alongside Firiell." "Oho~?" General Zhang hummed amusedly. "I want us to be allies. It''s not a bad thing for Vanguards anyway, right? It''s just like a diplomatic business with the elves, if you will." I reasoned with them. Well, actually, I had another motive. But it was personal, so there wasn''t any need to tell them. It was my business with Eli, anyway. "Allying with monsters I''ve never seen it happen before," Jeanne spoke, "ah, I remember reading records about taming monsters, though. The conclusion was unclear, but I remember reading about some illegal monster auction going on, which quickly got wiped out under the headmaster''smand." "Monster taming? Now that''s new. I don''t think ''taming'' is a very nice way to put it, though. Anyway, no need to be so surprised, all of you have met Firiell and Luke, and they''re both not exactly humans. And definitely not something to be tamed. There''s a first for everything, right?" I chuckled, "but, records? Did that happen a long time ago already?" "Ah yes, quite. I don''t remember the exact year, though." Jeanne nodded in approval. "But the headmaster you mentioned, is it the same as the current one?" I continued asking. "As far as I know, that''s true. I remember seeing his portrait in the records, too. It was the exact same." She exined. "Wait, howe?" I suddenly frowned, "he looked the exact same for a long time? Hey, how long has he been reigning as a headmaster? What about the previous headmasters?" "That" Jeanne paused, as I wait for her to continue. "He Is the only headmaster we''ve ever had." Chapter 125: Elf kingdoms future (4) Chapter 125: Elf kingdom''s future (4) "Wow, that''s That''s freaky, man. I don''t know what to say." I nervously chuckled. At this point, it was already obvious that that geezer wasn''t normal. But why would they just tantly ignore this fact? Hmm, something must''ve been going on for a while. Perhaps one day I''d understand. "Eh, I''ve seen weirder things." General Zhang shrugged it off. "Yeah exactly, me too. Like you, for example." I snickered. "Hey~ You''re back to being your mean self again~" He pouted, and I walked away from him. "Anyway, back to business. We''re basically done here, right? Nothing else to do or discuss?" I asked, looking at each one of them. After getting no negative response from them, I assumed we were all clear. Good. "Alright. Let''s head inside the castle. We need to rest and patch ourselves up, and fast," I pped my hands together, "especially you, general Emilio. You''re like, half-dead already." "As are you. I have no idea how you''re able to walk around and use your fingers. They''re bent the wrong way." General Emilio replied. "It''s actually hecking painful, but can''t do anything about it, right? Might as well pretend to shrug it off." I chuckled and turned around towards where the castle stood erect. Having a few broken bones wasn''t something new to me. I never really got used to the pain, but I did get used to the shock. So although it was painful, I could still stay kiiinda calm. "Is it safe to go inside the castle, though? I''m sure it''s still filled with some elves" Jeanne inquired. "Valid point, but no worries. The previous king is dead. They''re now loyal to Firiell Hopefully. She''s half-human and half-elf, so I''m not sure if their loyalty will also get cut off by 50%," I looked up, thinking about the various possibilities, "well, getting 50% of them on our side is also not a bad deal." "Don''t worry, if they''re still willing to fight, I''m happy to take them on~" General Zhang hummed. "That''s even better. Come on, let''s go." I nodded in approval. "Sweet~ So we''re going to have a niiiice and peaceful sleep tonight. Finally. You kept me awakest night, little cub~" General Zhang giggled and walked beside me. "Hey, how is it my fault? You could''ve just slept, you know," I pouted, "and no, you''re going to have to work hard tonight." I grabbed his robe and grinned. "Tonight? In bed" "No. In any case, follow me and you''ll understand." I cut him off sternly and picked up my pace, leaving him behind. -------- ''BAM!'' General Zhang kicked the front door open, sending the huge door flying, crashing into the ground. "Excuse our intrusion~" He hummed in delight while we stepped foot into the battered castle casually. "Very shy," I sighed, "alright, now where are the rooms and the infirmary?" I looked around, trying to find some guides. Did they not have a map or something? Or a room namete? As I looked to the right and left, I noticed that there were still a lot of elves here. But then, most of them didn''t seem to be royal guards. Rather, I recognized some of the chefs and the wait staff that we had seen back when we first came here. All of them looked at us as if we were ghosts, or even worse. Some trembled, some started sobbing, and some even just straight up screamed and ran away. I guess it was better than that one elf who started throwing up in the corner. Hmm, so unweing. Made sense. "Hey, you. Come here." General Emilio suddenly called for one of them who was trembling behind arge, broken-down statue. "Eep!" The poor elf squeaked and hid even deeper behind the statue, although her long ponytail was still visible to us. Seeing her reaction, general Emilio only sighed and say, "fine. Let''s do this the hard way" "Hohoho! Wait, wait! Wee in peace! Hey, you. It''s okay, we''re just calling you over to help your Queen. See? She''s right here!" I quickly butted in to stop general Emilio from thinning down the elves'' number, and pointed at the unconscious Firiell on Jeanne''s back for her to see. "U-uh" She hesitated, but couldn''t help to not steal a peek towards Firiell. Ah, great. It seemed like they did recognize Firiell as their Queen, at least. "Come on, don''t be shy. Come and help your Queen get settled into her new home." I awkwardlyughed to ease the tension, which just backfired and made me embarrassed. "I" The elf maid reluctantly stepped forward, but then stopped after just taking two steps and looked towards general Emilio and general Zhang in fear. "Oh, don''t mind them. They''re just grumpy because they haven''t eaten yet," Iughed and pinched general Zhang in the arm before whispering, "hey, say something." "Something." He grinned and immediately got smacked by me. "We won''t hurt you as long as youply." General Emilio responded tly. "His wording is pretty wack, don''t worry, we''re not threatening you," I quickly covered for him, "just Help us take care of her, would you? I''m sure your Queen will appreciate your help, too." "Um M-May I?" She slowly came up to us while nervously taking a nce at Firiell every once in a while. "Of course!" I beamed with happiness. Great. One step closer to gaining their trust. Mm-hhm, "can you lead us to her new room? You don''t mind if we apany her, right?" "Yes I can show you to the main bedroom." She meekly nodded her head. Hmm, main bedroom? Did that mean Erenduill''s room? Eh, I wasn''t sure if that was a good idea. "Do you have any other room that might be suitable?" I scratched my head. "I can show you around, and maybe you can choose whichever room you like the most." She exined clearly. "Great. Jeanne, please follow her and pick a bedroom. I''ll go with general Emilio to the infirmary or something," I tapped Jeanne''s shoulder and grinned. "I understand." She nodded, and I could see the determination in her eyes. She understood that going into a room didn''t mean that she could rest easy. Instead, separating here meant that she was the only one left to guard Firiell. "Oh right, what''s your name?" I turned towards the elf maid, who flinched immediately. She was still tense, apparently. "You may call me Lia, honored guest." She bowed gracefully while crossing her arm in front of her chest. Ah, that salute again. It had been a long time since I saw that salute. "Alright Lia, don''t call us honored guest, it''s weird. Anyway, where''s your infirmary? Or like a doctor''s office?" I asked while walking towards general Emilio. "We do have a small clinic. It''s right over there, past the west hall to the right. There should be a sign saying ''clinic'' hanged in front of the door," she pointed to her left, and my gaze followed, "hold on, please. I''ll get my coworker to guide you" "No need, no need. Thank you very much for your assistance. Appreciate it," I tapped her shoulder and walked past her, e on, general Emilio. Let''s get your wounds treated or something. Hopefully, their court doctor is still alive." "Alright." He reluctantly agreed and walked with me, although he seemed a bit unsure. "It''s okay, general Emilio. We don''t always have to resort to violence towards monsters," I chuckled and pushed his back lightly, urging him to walk, "as they used to say, there are plenty of ways to, uh, assemble a sandwich or something. My point is, a fight does not alwayse in the form of violence." " I guess." He shrugged and picked up his pace, leading our walk. "Hey, what about me?" General Zhang piped up. I stopped and eyed him from top to bottom, "you seem fine. Go do your eel stuff. We''ll need you forter, not now." I said with a t tone. "No fun~ I''m going to follow you~" He giggled and skipped over beside me. "Sure, sure. Behave, okay?" I sighed, "Lia,e fetch us once you guys are done choosing a room, please." "Understood, honored guest." She bowed again, using that salute. Ugh, that sounded kinda cringy. Oh, well. I got something more urgent to think about. "General Emilio, if Firiell doesn''t wake up yet by tomorrow night, let''s still go for it and hit the minotaurs'' base. What do you say?" I inquired. "Tomorrow morning is also okay. We can mobilize them as long as we keep that girl hostage." General Emilio agreed. "Geez, porcupine, you''re so cold~ Scary~" General Zhang yfully giggled. "No, tomorrow morning we''re going to the vige''s center," I said while putting my hair back up in a bun, "ugh, a warm shower would be really nice right now." "Do you want me to" "No." I quickly cut general Zhang off with a pissed-off smile. "I was going to offer you a bathhouse, but alright then, whatever floats your boat~" He smirked mockingly. "A free entry to the bathhouse? Wait, I take that back. Give me!" I pouted. "A free entry? Of course not, little cub~ I can get you the bathhouse." Heughed, as if I was saying something ridiculous. "WhDon''t overspend!" I smacked him in right on his muscr back. How nice, I also want to have muscles like that. Gotta work out more, I guess. "What do you want to do at the market?" General Emilio shifted the topic back, thankfully. I grinned upon hearing the question, "oh, a lot. We''re going to enjoy ourselves." Chapter 126: The meeting (1) Chapter 126: The meeting (1) "How are we going to enjoy ourselves?" General Emilio raised an eyebrow, looking honestly confused, "I enjoypleting the mission." "Geez, general. Enjoymentes in different types." I shook my head and chuckled. "I''m not interested in hanging out." He shrugged and continued walking as the faint thumps of our steps decorated the dim hallway. "And so am I," I proudly eximed, "we''re going to get some upgrades before we go." He took a swift look at my face, before shifting his gaze back towards the empty, crumbling hallway, " Upgrades don''t sound bad." "Right? I know you''ll agree," I grinned, "you''ve been to the minotaurir before, haven''t you, general Emilio? I haven''t heard theplete story yet, so tell me while we get ourselves patched up in the infirmary. We need to construct a n. And quickly." "Sure." He answered concisely. Aw, alright. Not much of a talker, but that was what made him, him. Anyway, I also gotta start nning my finance. After all, we had just finished an all-out battle. And you know what came with a win? That''s right. Money. Gold, to be exact. And loots. I giggled a bit when I thought about the amount of loot and gold that was just sitting in my inventory, waiting for me to check. Ahh, I couldn''t wait to get a room for myself, and sort out my inventory. And then, a good bath would be nice. Getting some sleep would really help, too. My shoulders started to slump down as my body eased down. I knew that we were still in a foreign territory and that I had to keep my guards up, but somehow, having them around me made me feel a little safer than usual. Weird. I was always taught to always doubt people, but not to let it show But sometimes, it was just too mentally taxing for me. I just wanted some rest And peace. "Woop." ''Flop.'' "Huh?" I looked up, shocked that something slightly soft, but also slightly rough, fell on top of me. Or should I say, fell perfectly around my shoulders? "It''s cold tonight." I stared at the white-haired general beside me, who looked back at me with a wide grin. "Wh-what is" I stumbled on my words as I realized that he had wrapped me up with his robe. It was the ck robe we stole, made from a thick and rough material. But s It somehow felt kind of soft now? Instead of answering, he just grinned and patted my hair. My face immediately responded bymencing n tomato. Ack, if only I could control my red face! I looked down in embarrassment, and continued walking side-by-side with him, without ncing at him even once. It was too humiliating to face him with my cooked lobster cheeks right now. But, I didn''t exactly hate this. My hands went to grab the cor of the robe, and tightened it as I buried half of my face in it, both to enjoy the feeling and to hide my shame And it was warm. "Yes, it was cold," I replied with almost a whisper, "but not anymore." -------- "Ah, could that be it?" I pointed out at a sign that had some scribbling on it alongside a drawing of a pill. It was made of something like iron, seeing that it still had some shine left on it, although covered up by the rust along the edges. Behind it was a huge double door with handles made of the same material. The door itself looked sturdy, unlike the walls around it that had cracks and moss on them. " Should be the one." General Emilio sighed and stepped forward in front of the door. "Ahh, finally. Ipletely forgot the orcs use a differentnguage than us" General Zhang sighed. Well, I was also getting annoyed after almost getting lost in this huge, run-down castle just because we couldn''t read any sign on the doors. Thankfully, the clinic had a little pill drawing on the sign, so we should be on the right track this time, right? Ugh, please be the right door. ''Creak'' General Emilio pushed the door open, making a creaking sound that tore through the hallway''s silence. The inside was even darker than the hallway, since for some reason, I couldn''t see any moonlight leaking inside. "Ah, it''s so dark Hold on, let me summon some fire. Watch your steps." I said as the three of us stepped inside the clinic that smelled like disinfectant. Upon closer inspection, there were actually several windows here. They were all just patched up with some woods and nails so they couldn''t be opened, much less letting some light in Pretty sus, not gonna lie. ''Fwoom!'' I held up my hand and threw some fireballs around us. I took note to be careful not to hit anything, so I wouldn''t identally burn this ce down or something. "Hmm, it''s more normal than I thought." I remarked as I looked around and saw a few hospital beds with curtains, alongside some shelves filled with what I presumed to be doctor stuff, and a chair that looked like something that you would use for examination. "True. What now?" General Emilio asked concisely. "Well, we might be a bit unlucky since I don''t see anybody behind that desk." I sighed as I pointed towards the only desk in the room that had a lot of files on top of it and chairs on both sides. That should be the doctor''s desk, right? "Wrong. I sense someone." General Zhang suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me close to his chest while covering my head. ''ZZAP!'' "Whoa!" I yelped at the sudden act, and widened my eyes when I saw the room being lit up by general Zhang''s lightning. He had enclosed us three in a dome-shaped, preventing anyone froming in without risking getting zapped. "Where?" General Emilio immediately pulled out his spear and looked around, while I still struggled to get away from this eel''s embrace. "They''ll appear in a sec," general Zhang replied without his usual cheery smile and voice as I felt his grip tighten around me, "don''t move, little cub." "Huh? Why?" I asked, not quite understanding his reason. But at least, I understood that we were in a dangerous situation, so why not let me go so I could be useful? ''PANG!'' "Ack!" I flinched when something suddenly hit the lightning directly on top of me. Spooky. "Fufu~" My ears twitched when I heard an unfamiliar voiceing from above. A masculine voice? Ugh, a new enemy Why at a time like this "Stop eyeing my little cub, mop hair." General Zhang snickered as his grip tightened again, making me flinch. "My, my Are you her guard dog?" The voice chuckled, "so territorial." I gaped as I finally saw the figure to whom the voice belonged. A lustrous, long, and flowy purple hair that perfectlyplemented his pair of frosty sapphire eyes. The smirk that was stered on his smooth, angr face sent shivers down my spine. Huh? Those colors Not an elf? "It seems that you''ve misunderstood. I''m her master," general Zhang replied, which earned him an angry re from me, "and nobody is allowed to stare at her like that." "Hmm, like what? I''m just greeting her." The man said as hended on the ground in front of us just outside the, still with the same smirk. Now that I could see even clearly, I noticed that the way he dressed was Off? Like, it wasn''t the same style as the elves'' nature-ish fashion, but also not like our Vanguard''s armor or even our vigers'' shabby clothing. Could he be Part of ''those'' humans? "I could feel your gaze on her the moment we opened the door, you stupid fuck. You eyed her just like a hunter looking for prey," general Zhang scoffed, "be careful. I and her, we''re both hunters, not preys." "Oh, so you noticed my presence? Why didn''t you say so from the start!" The man chuckled happily, "I thought I hid my presence well. Your friends didn''t seem to realize." "Urk" I choked when I remembered myself stating that there wasn''t anyone here. I seriously needed to ask Elena about how to improve in that aspect "What do you want?" General Zhang quickly asked with a little growl. Huh, it was pretty rare to see him like this "Nothing. Now that the elf king is dead, my job here is done," he chuckled while putting his white-gloved hand on his chin, "I was going to leave quietly, but then" "Heung?" I flinched when general Zhang enclosed me with both arms suddenly. "I found something interesting, and I would like to have my hands on it." The man pointed at me while bearing this creepy grin that was a huge contrast to his gorgeous face with longshes. "No can do. Going with a stranger is a big no-no, right, little cub?" He patted my head as I felt his mana started to surge, emitting malicious intent. Even though I was on his side, I still held my breath in anxiousness. "Then, would it be fine if I introduce myself?" The man insisted. "No." General Zhang replied. "Allow me," the long, purple-haired man kept talking even after general Zhang rejected him, "I think you might''ve heard of me already. I''m the court doctor. I perform medical miracles. Does that ring a bell to you?" Uhh No? I confusedly looked at general Emilio, and he, too, just stared at the unfamiliar man without much expressions, as usual. General Zhang didn''t say anything, either. Huh? What exactly was he implying? "Have you" The man continued, " Heard about the witch?" Chapter 127: The meeting (2) Chapter 127: The meeting (2) "Uh?" I piped up from inside general Zhang''s embrace upon hearing what the sapphire-eyed man said. The witch? "Yes." General Emilio answered quickly, still maintaining his stance. "Hmm, I''m disappointed. Do I not look like a witch?" The man tilted his head casually, "ahh~ even though those elves immediately started calling me witch the moment I came here. I guess us humans have fewer imaginations the moment we got older, huh?" "You" I trailed off, my eyes blinking a few times observing him from top to bottom. "Hi. You''re cute when you''re confused. Lovely blinking." The man winked at me. At that moment, my mind immediately raced, trying to piece out the information that we had received so far. A witch? The one who put some kinda curse thingy on the orc leader? The one human other than us that wepletely forgot existed here? Dang it! I was too focused on Erenduill, that Ipletely missed him! Wait, wait. That, too. He Was a male, right? I thought witches are? Did the orcs ever say it was a ''she'', though? I looked up to him, and saw his grin that was directed at me. No, the orcs had never explicitly told us that the witch was a female, nor if he was a human. He did have long hair, and his way of dressing was definitely androgynous. It was all just our own spection. "The witchie!? I honestly forgot about you for a second!" I eximed while raising my arm, pointing my finger at him. General Zhang immediately grabbed my hand, though, and gently pulled it down again. "Yes~ That''s me. It''s okay, people''s memories are feeble. We''ll be meeting each other a lot, once I add you to my collection. So don''t worry, you definitely won''t forget me again." The man pped his hands together in delight. "No, you''re not going to meet each other a lot," general Zhang scoffed, "because I have no intention of handing her over." I blinked a few times again, and looked up to general Zhang who had an austere, but slightly solemn look on his face. "I" "I''m sorry, little cub. I want to respect your wishes, but this time, I can''t let you go with him. Or with anyone." He smiled at me, but it felt a little sadpared to his usual chirpy, goofy grin. Seeing this new side of him surprised me, so much that I decided to keep quiet and just nodded, while clutching onto his torn shirt. "Are you implying that I have to take you down to get her?" The man in the posh clothing tapped his feet on the ground, as if thinking hard about something. "The two of us." General Emilio added, which made me excited for some reason. Had he finally considered me as a member? Hehe~ "You talk as if you can take us on," general Zhang smirked, but his eyes glinted with such extreme bloodlust and malice alongside with his murderous mana, I couldn''t help but curl up a little, "I don''t think you can evenst 1 minute No, 30 seconds against me." "Heuk--!" I choked when I sensed an abrupt spike of his mana rising, engulfing me and then everything around me. Wh-what? My fingers curled up, crumpling his shirt as I could hear my own heartbeat getting faster and faster. What was this extreme pressure? I started gasping for air as I felt as if my vision was starting to glitch out, and an unknown fear seeped inside me. As sweat trickled down the sides of my forehead, I grabbed general Zhang''s shoulder to keep myself from falling down, since my legs were barely seeding in not giving out. I tried to look up to see his face, but it was too scary to move. Too frightening. I could only shut my eyes tightly as I waited for this to pass. C''mon, Chae. You gotta be strong. I didn''t know what exactly this was, but it should pass. As long as I was able to endure Just like how I had lived so far. Just barely enduring everything, outliving the pain and agony as best as I could, hoping to find something worthwhile at the end. "It''s okay." Huh? Was that general Zhang''s voice? ''Pat.'' As I felt his hand gently caressing my hair, I was reminded of him. Was this thing his doing? My mind went back from that dark ce to here. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly but surely, I could feel my breathing started to stabilize. Ah, that spooky feeling now felt so smallpared to how it was before. My shoulders slumped down as I felt my body''s tension started to lessen, and I finally opened my eyes again, looking up. "Were you spooked? Sorry. I''m scary sometimes, huh?" And there he was, looking at me with an expression that was new to me. If I was to describe it in one word, it would be Blue. I bit my lip and inhaled, " It''s okay." I replied with a grin. As I said that, my hand reached out to touch his face, but then, I hesitated at thest second and decided to pull my hand back down again. He stared at me, seemingly observing my every movement and expression with a mix of worry and Something blue. I sighed, "I was a bit shocked, but once I knew that it was you, my fear was gone. You''re alright, don''t worry," I fist-bumped his chest instead, trying to lift up the mood again. Instead of answering, he just raised his eyebrows as his gorgeous lips parted. Huh? I didn''t expect this reaction. "What? Are you shocked that I''m not intimidated by you~?" I teased him and snickered. The fact that he was behaving like this got me worried. Uh, what would cheer him up? Wait, what did he even like? Ah, I knew so little about him, and about Jeanne and Emi, too. Even Dmitri, Wolf, Owen, and the others Just when I thought I was getting closer, something like this reminded me that I was not that significant in their lives. " Yes." General Zhang nodded. "Huh?" "Yes." ''Tap.'' Uh!?? My entire body froze as he suddenly dropped his head down, and plopped it on my right shoulder. "U-um Hey, eel?" I tried calling for him, but there was no answer. Heck, I didn''t know what to do in this situation! My hands were still frozen in the air, and my body was as stiff as uncooked pasta. "Uh" I looked around me, and found that the strange man was no longer there, not leaving any kind of traces. Meanwhile, general Emilio had passed out on the cold, hard floor. I was about to jump to check on him, but then, this one white-haired general was getting me worried, too. This was the first time I had seen him this Dejected? ''Pat, pat.'' "There, there. I I''m not sure what the problem is, but If you need rest or if you need to vent, I can help" I meekly said while caressing his spiky hair. Was that the right thing to do? My gaze went down, trying to check on his expression again, but s, I couldn''t see anything as he had already burrowed his face deep into my shoulder. " Little cub." "Ah! Yes?" I quickly responded when I finally heard his voice again. Finally, talk to me, please. I was hecking clueless on cheering someone up. For a few seconds, there wasn''t any response. I could only feel his soft breathing against my neck. Suddenly, a soft sigh escaped his lips. "Tee-hee! Nothing! Did you see that? That witch ran away~ He must''ve been so scared~" General Zhang suddenly got up again, but this time his usual grin was adorned on his face, as if nothing happened Actually, no. This smile was still a bit off. "Huh? Did you hit your head or something? Do you have multiple personalities?" I raised one eyebrow in confusion. "Nope~ Anyway, that witch is gone now. I was cool, right? Now let us" "Stop it." I frowned in annoyance. "Huh~?" He tilted his head, still keeping that smile stered on his face. "Stop acting like that. Doing that won''t make me brush things off instantly," I pinched both of his cheeks and pulled them down, "just be upset if you want to be upset. If you continue to act like that, you''re even creepier than when you were doing whatever it was with your mana." His eyes went wide as he just stood there without moving or saying anything, and we just exchanged eye contact for a few seconds. "Ahem," finally, I cracked under the awkwardness, "in any case, I''d prefer it if you''re, uh, more transparent? Even if it means leaking your killing intent like before. It''s better than you trying so obviously to look unbothered." I looked away to the floor for a bit, before peeking back at him, who had yet to react, "but that''s just my opinion. You''re free to do whatever you please." I sighed and facepalmed myself. Haa, what the heck did I just do? I spoke as if I knew everything about him, when in fact, I probably only knew less than one percent. I must''vee across as obnoxious. Ugh "Little cub" He finally spoke, making my ears perk up and my face flushing red from the sudden wave of embarrassment and realization. Gah, I was acting so weird, too! " Thanks." Huh? I blinked a few times in confusion again, when I realized that He was hugging me? Chapter 128: Chae’s story (1) Chapter 128: Chae¡¯s story (1) "G General?" I asked, bewildered for the fiftieth time today, probably. W-what was he doing, hugging people so casually? Ack, was this a thing in this world? Perhaps I was the conservative one, but back in my hometown, you didn''t just hug people, especially someone of the opposite gender, in this context! Like, yful smacks or physical contact in case of emergencies like when you were under attack? Sure. This? No. As I felt the blood on my face steadily rising up until I was sure that my face was as red as a ripe tomato, I prayed so that he wouldn''t notice my rapidly growing tachycardia. " Alright, let''s get moving. Porcupine is barely alive." General Zhang said as he slowly let go of me, until his fingertips brushed in slow motion against my hair, letting a few strands of my hair fall gracefully from his hand. "Ah, true," I headed towards the unconscious general Emilio in a hassle and crouched down to check on him, "why did he faint?" I muttered as I positioned my ear near his nose and mouth to listen to his breathing while observing his up-and-down chest movement. Great, still breathing rtively okay-ish. Next, his pulse "It''s not a new thing to me. People just faint when I do that." General Zhang came up beside me and tapped my shoulder, as if telling me to back down as he easily picked up general Emilio''s body with one arm. "They do?" I asked as I stood up and straightened my outfit. "Yes." He answered concisely without a trace of his cheeriness left on his face. Somehow, even though he looked obviously sadder, but He didn''t seem cold at all. Instead, there was something in his expression that just made me wanna be there for him. " Then, it must''ve been lonely, no?" I casually remarked while walking beside him towards one of the hospital beds toy general Emilio down on. "Huh?" He turned his head at me as I saw his eyes widen with surprise, like he didn''t expect me to say that at all. "Huh? Oh, I didn''t mean it in a demeaning way Sorry, it just came outta nowhere" I scratched my head and looked away, "it''s just I understand how it feels to be a threat just simply by existing. And it''s not a great feeling." He stared straight into my eyes for a few seconds and stopped walking. "Haha Ahaha?" I awkwardlyughed and continued scratching my head. After a few more seconds, he finally moved to reach out his hand towards me " In this world, I won''t let you be like that," he said as he tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind my ear. "Huh?" I froze again, seeing his expression that contained so many untold stories I had yet to know. ''Thud!'' "Help me get some bandages from the shelves." General Zhang said as he put general Emilio''s body down on the bed. "Ah, yes!" That snapped me out of my trance, as I quickly trotted over to the medicine cab. Uh, let''s see Bandages, maybe some gauze with alcohol, and As I scrambled around the shelves, I decided to just wing it and took a few bottles that I didn''t even know the content of. Perhaps one of them would be useful, I dunno. "Here," I walked back towards the two men and ced the things I retrieved on a trolley, "do you know how to treat a patient?" I asked. "Not too much, but we can at least keep him alive." He replied as he started undressing general Emilio''s top, still without a smile on his face. "That''s good enough already. I n to get a healer for us tomorrow in the vige," I grinned, "I''m sure they''lle to us." I exined while handing general Zhang a towel that I got from the shelves "Oh? You''re so sure?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at me with a slight amusement on his face. Finally, another expression aside from that blue one. "Of courseeee, the trick is simple," I smirked and held my hand up in front of his face, rubbing my fingers together, "money." "Little cub, I know I''m rich, but I don''t just carry another species'' currency everywhere, you know." He snickered a bit. Ah, a smile! Kinda. "You''re saying it like you do have some, but you have it stored somewhere" I sighed, "but no, I mean, excuse you? We''re in a castle. And we have the elf Queen as ourrade." "Oh, so you want to" "Yes. Our money now." I chuckled. I felt a bit sorry for using them without permission, but hey, we were going to raid the minotaurs'' kingdom together, anyway. If we die, they die. So, might as well work together. "PfftAhahhaha!" General Zhangughed while he cleaned both of his hands using some alcohol after he had finished washing his hands over on the washbasin. "What are youughing at?" I frowned and grabbed the alcohol from him to do the same thing. Although I sound pissed, I was actually super relieved that he was finallyughing again Even if the object ofughing was me. Ugh. "You, of course." Heughed again and finished with a sigh, before turning around and facing me, extending his hand towards my face. "W-what do you want?" I flinched and backed up a bit, but the moment I saw him doing the same, I felt bad for avoiding him. So, I stopped backing up and stayed put as his hand was getting closer. "You" His lips parted open as our eyes met, his blood-red orbs melting into my darker ones. I closed my eyes, unable to bear the shyness that was building up inside me, "you never fail to amuse me, in many ways." Hearing that, I slowly peeked open one of my eyes, and saw his smiling face directed at me. His cold, rough hand was now caressing the sides of my cheeks, tracing my skin carefully. "Uh" ''Piiiinch!'' "OW OW OW! Oh gosh, you fweak!" I screamed in pain when he suddenly pulled my cheek so hard that it felt like an angry rat just bit it off. The heck was his problem!? "Puhahahah!" He burst intoughter, so much that he had to hold his stomach while he cracked up, "alllrighty, where were we? Ah right, new bandages, please Ahahahha!" "You dare ignore me" I shot my murderous re at him as I rubbed my stinging cheek with my palm. "I''m not ignoring you, or are you implying that porcupine bleeding to death isn''t more important than" "Okay, okay. I get your point. Here." I grumbled as I handed him some dressing and scooted closer to help clean the wounds using gauze. "Mm-hmm, now that''s more like it." He grinned, approving my response. "Ah, I almost forgot to use this first." I looked through the instrumentsid down on the cart, and when I finally found a syringe, I picked it up and opened a new one. "A syringe? You want to inject something?" General Zhang asked while he rested his head on my shoulder. "Uh-huh. I saw a bottle of lidocaine earlier so I brought it here. It''s supposed to make you feel numb." I exined while I cleaned the bottle''s cap with an alcohol gauze as I let his head tookfort on my shoulder. "You sure know a lot, little cub," he said quietly while looking down and snuggling his head closer until I felt his spiky hair poking my neck, "makes me wonder what kind of life you''ve lived." "Hmm, I don''t know if this is a lot. See, it''s pretty simple, like this," I showed him as I got the air out of the syringe, aspirated some fluid until it reached the line, and flicked it a few times until there weren''t any visible air bubbles inside the syringe, "there. Now we''re ready to prick-prick. Not that bad, huh?" I grinned at him. "You sound like you''ve done this a lot." He continued chatting me up. "I have. Everyone in my brigade has done this a lot," I exined as I injected the syringe content around theceration wound that I was going to suture, "perhaps that''s because we were in a special brigade, so we received much harsher training than normal soldiers. Doesn''t mean we''re good at it, though. I''m shat at medic stuff. Watch, I''m going to suture this badly, but sutures are sutures." "Huh I think it would be a good idea to teach this kind of stuff more in our Vanguard," he replied while cozying up in the crook of my neck. Very ticklish, "but, that wasn''t what I wanted to know." "Then what kinda thing do you want to know?" I asked while I rummaged through the numerous bottles that were strangelybeled with humannguage. Looking at these, I presumed these supplies came from ''those'' humans. Made sense, since I doubt orcs understood modern medicine Wait, so ''those'' humans, just how far had they advanced? Their attire was posher than ours, in general. "You," he spoke, still looking down, his eyes blocked from my view by his white locks, "tell me about you." "Heuk--?" I flinched when I heard his request, "uh, well, since you asked so suddenly, I''m not sure what I should exin, you know?" I scratched my cheek and waited for his response, but he just waited and waited, pressuring me with silence to borate about myself. Finally, I sighed, "fine Uh Where do I start?" "Anywhere." He replied, his tone cheerier than before. "Mmm, I guess I can start from when I joined the army?" Chapter 129: Chae’s story (2) Chapter 129: Chae¡¯s story (2) "I don''t really understand why you''re so curious about me when you''re the peculiar one here," I chuckled upon hearing his response, "well, you already know that I joined as early as when I was only 6 years old." "Uh-huh. What brought you there?" He inquired, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Hmm, it wasn''t my decision. My country was in a very tense situation at that moment, and we were just basically waiting for something major to happen so one side could start a war," I smiled sadly as I remembered the young, innocent me, "so the army was especially active, and there were forced conscription and stuff." "They conscripted kids? How foolish," general Zhang snickered, "don''t they know that children are surprisingly Pliable, but not in one way." My eyes trailed down as I stared at a smirk that formed on the corner of his lips. I couldn''t see his eyes from above, but even I could tell that it wasn''t a happy smile, at all. "No, they don''t Legally, at least," I sighed, "you know how dirty warno, humans could be. War only brought out the worst in them." General Zhang nodded, tickling my neck with his strands of hair. "At that time, I knew nothing. I didn''t have the slightest idea that my country''s higher-ups were nning to strike the other country using backhanded methods," I continued while scoffing, "I haven''t even learned the multiplication table yet, but I was already sold off by my parents to join their Group, I suppose. Ah, do you know what a multiplication table is?" "Of course I know, little cub. Sometimes I think something''s wrong with your already wrong brain." He replied while pinching my cheek using his hand as he chuckled. Ugh, annoying. But if teasing me was what it took for him to cope, then I shall endure But it better not be for long. "I was more concerned about your parents who sold you off. Why?" He questioned, and this time he slowly lifted his head and looked at me straight in the eye with his piercing, lonely gaze. Lonely? Huh, why did I get that feeling when he stared at me? "Because, why not? They had no reason at all to keep me," I chuckled ironically, "people throw away stuff that is no longer important to them, right? You should understand since you just throw away dirty clothing, you money-waster." I flicked his forehead. "That part I understand. Parents, at the end of the day, are still humans. There''s no guarantee that they won''t see you as an object, just like some people do. How shitty," he chuckled while rubbing his forehead as the light in his eyes dimmed, "but I don''t understand how they could go to such extent, selling you off to war." "Hmm, you''re curious about the weirdest stuff, I swear. Don''t you wanna know what I did that made my parents hate me, instead?" I tilted my head in confusion. Weird. When I told my story to my fellow soldiers, every single one of them asked what happened, how could things turn out that way, and yada-yada. Well, it would be better for me not to exin the reason yet, though. "Not really. Will it make a difference if I knew? You were still 6 years old. They probably hated you way before that for them to be able to make such a decision," he looked into my eyes with a chilling stare, "how can it be the child''s fault when the child wasn''t even able to remember what they ate for dinnerst night?" I gulped when I heard his answer. He said it with such certainty, as if it was already engraved into his soul. His piercing stare somehow felt like it wasn''t targeted at me, but at himself. He was definitely looking at me, but it was as if he was seeing a reflection of himself in me. "I know they''re guilty, but sometimes The situation also contributes a lot, you know? They might crack under pressure. After all, just like you said, they''re also humans." I smiled bitterly at him. "If they can''t handle a child, then why bother bringing them into this world? I know that life fucks you up in every way possible, but I can''t imagine a situation where a good parent would willingly do something to harm their children for their own benefit. Keyword, willingly. Not because they''re pressured to do so." He scoffed while he brought his hands up to cover his eyes. As I watched him hide his eyes, my hand instinctively reached out to grab his hand away from his face, gently. "Me too," I smiled sadly as I clutched his big, rough hand tightly, "me too. No matter how hard I try to justify their actions, I never could. Until I reached the point where I just epted that they made a mistake, simply because they were shitty people, and there was nothing I could''ve done to fix it." He stared back at me with wide eyes, before grinning, "I envy your mental strength." He shook his head while sighing. "No, it wasn''t all because of my effort. I had, um Someone Who was always there for me," I hesitated and looked away, "that''s why, uh I managed to keep my sanity, I guess?" "Still, a help won''t mean much to someone who isn''t willing to be helped, so in a way, that''s also your credit," he said and tilted his head slightly, "rather, who was that someone?" "Umm, I don''t know how to say this, but I''m also not really sure about that," I scratched my head in confusion, "like, I know his name and face and stuff, but I don''t know where he came from." General Zhang waited for me to continue while nodding. "In fact, I thought he wasn''t real. Ahaha! There was a time when I thought he was my schizophrenic monster, or my imaginary friend, or some kind of demon. But there''s no way my sleep paralysis monster can be that Bright." I smiled solemnly, thinking about the time Eli kept my sanity in check. He truly was my sun. I couldn''t have made it through all of that alone. "You thought he wasn''t real? So you''ve never met him?" General Zhang raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused by my statement. "Ah, well We meet regrly, almost every day, even. It''s justWe don''t really meet like, meet-meet? You know?" I chuckled as I struggled to exin my view. "No, I don''t understand. You always use weird phrasing." He pinched my cheek as he pouted. "Ow, ow. I mean, like Um We didn''t physically meet, you know? Like Ah, I''m so gonna get called a freak for this, but we always meet in a dream." I sighed, epting my inescapable fate of beingughed at for saying that. I mean, you wouldn''t see a lot of adults clinging onto someone who appeared in their dreams when they were younger "I see. You said you thought he wasn''t real, so have you confirmed that he''s real now?" General Zhang asked, "hmm, did both of you separate?" Eh? I blinked a few times, looking into his face. Huh, he didn''t find me weird? Uh That was very much appreciated,ing from him. Probably he had seen weirder things in this magical world, I dunno. "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to," he said, taking my bruised hand into his as he started caring for my injuries, "but if you want to answer, don''t worry. Nothing you can ever say will make me think badly of you." "That''s a big thing to say. You never know, I might betray you. Ow." I flinched when he applied some ointment on my stinging wound. "Then, betray me." He casually replied as he continued applying the ointment with care, before looking for a bandage among the scattered instruments on the cart. I gulped and watched him as he wrapped the bandages around my hand. Surprisingly, he did it well. It was much tidier than if I was to do it myself. Then, my gaze went to his face. I watched his beautiful, longshes dropping shadows over his bloody red eyes that appeared so forlorn. I wonder what happened that made him look so distant and so alone? "You never know if I might one day," I spoke, answering him, "anyway, the person I mentioned is someone that you also know Maybe. Or perhaps they just coincidentally have the exact same name and face and their backstory just happened to coincidentally line up so perfectly, I don''t know anymore." As I said that, my tone of voice got angrier by the second. Well, I wasn''t exactly angry, but I sure was frustrated as fuck. I needed to know whether he was really the Eli I knew, the one I grew up with, just with amnesia and aplete 180 degrees flip of personality, or if I was actually schizophrenic. "I know him?" General Zhang suddenly looked up, frowning," who is it? But you''re not from here." "Exactly. I didn''t even know this world existed before. Now imagine me, someone who was living in apletely different world, hearing a random boy that often appeared in my dreams talking about monsters and magic. Isn''t it normal for me to think I might''ve gone crazy? That I thought everything wasn''t real?" I chuckled, "and yet, here I am. Using magic so carelessly that the strongest general had to patch my hands up." I giggled and ruffled his hair using my other hand, "thanks for the bandage." "When you put it that way I see your point," he shook his head, "so, who''s the person?" "Em What will you do once you know the person?" I questioned. "Depends." He shrugged. "How vague. Depends on what?" I pouted. "Depends on whether you like him or not." ''Bonk!'' "Ugh, seriously!" I smacked his head as my face got red again. Geez, why would he ask that? There was no way I like Eli like that Right? Right, I just missed him and wanted to know what the h happened to him. And how was his life now. And Wait, why did I need to know, anyway? Ack! "Sorry, sorry. But really, it depends." The white-haired man chuckled upon seeing my reaction. "Ugh. I''ll pluck your hair out and make you bald if you do that again," I red at him, "well" I inhaled deeply, before saying, "it''s Elias." Chapter 130: Chae’s story (3) Chapter 130: Chae¡¯s story (3) " Elias?" General Zhang''s hand stopped in the middle of wrapping the white bandage on my hand. "Yeah" I nervously looked away, avoiding his shocked gaze. I mean It must''ve sounded so absurd to him. A new, suspicious person like me who appeared out of nowhere, turned out to be all buddy-buddy with the notorious edgy prince who had been on their radar for long, "I understand your surprise. I''d be suspicious of me, too, if I was you." "No, I''m not suspicious of you," he denied while frowning, "rather, I''m more concerned about your rtionship with him. We''re talking about the same Elias here, right?" "I suppose so. Do you know any other Elias besides the one we met in the serpent''sir?" I questioned while tilting my head. What was so weird about our rtionship Ah. Eli lost his memories of me, right. That made my story one-sided. "No, he''s the only Elias I know," his frown deepened, " But I thought he was the same kind of person as myself." "Huh? What do you mean by that?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I mean, the type of person that doesn''t have" He suddenly paused as his eyes widened ever so slightly and his breathing stopped, as if snapping out of something, "never mind," he continued, "do you Care about him?" What was he going to say? Ack, now I was curious, how unfair! "II suppose so. But, I don''t think he remembers me" I looked down in sadness, "I don''t know what happened, but Now I''m a stranger to him. And the current him somehow felt like a stranger to me, too." General Zhang kept his mouth shut and observed me as I clenched my fists until the bandage was crumpled, and he gently grabbed my hand to calm me down. "He certainly doesn''t seem to be the type to care for others," general Zhang continued bandaging my wound, "but I believe your story. Something must''ve happened, then." " You do?" I gasped, "wow, you believe my absurd, full of plot holes, proofless story?" "It''s precisely because it''s so absurd, full of plot holes, and proofless that I think your story is too dumb to be made-up. Tee-hee~" ''SMACK!'' "Ow, ow, little cub, stop hitting me with your injured hand," he pouted, "I was kidding~ I mean, half-kidding, at least. The other half, well" I red at him while getting my fist ready for another smack as I waited for him to continue. I swear, if he was going to say something stupid again " I just wanted to trust you." He continued. Upon hearing that, I instantly held my breath as my face was starting to flush. Itit wasn''t an everyday urrence to hear that someone wanted to believe someone like me Someone who only knew how to kill others in the battlefield. Just as I was about to open my mouth, he opened his lips faster than mine. "Besides, I''m stronger than you. What are you gonna do if you lied to me anyway, kill me? Get stronger first, little cub~" He giggled and poked my cheek a few times. "Yeah, you''re gonna regret saying that once I grow strong enough to defeat you, eel," I scoffed and pinched his cheek back, "oh, right. How do you know what kind of person Eli is, anyway?" "Hmm, we also have our own history," he exined vaguely and pped my newly-bandaged hand, "there. One hand done. Now give me your other hand." "Yeowch! You''re hitting an injured person! Bad!" I grumbled, but still extended my hand towards him regardless, and he gently took it in his, "what history did you mean?" "A shady one." He replied concisely as he started cleaning my wound and applying this and that on my hand, which made me yelp from time to time. "Gee, I told you my story and all I get is a one-two word about yours." I rolled my eyes, teasing him. "Fine, fine. I''ll entertain you," he chuckled while tending to my wound, "what do you want to know?" "Hmm, I only want to know what you want me to know. I don''t like pushing someone''s privacy. Except if it''s someone I don''t care about." I shrugged. Well, if I had to always respect others, then how would I survive in those wars? Like, if I saw a suspicious figure setting up andmine, should I just go, ''ah, yes. Privacy. Have a good day my dude''? It would be nice if we could all respect each other, but this is real life we were talking about. People''s rights, privacy, and needs were bound to sh against one another. The decision you made to save someone, probably costed someone else something. There was just no way to save everyone. "Well, you already know that he''s a notorious guy around here," general Zhang started exining, "and there''s a reason for that." "Oh right, I''m curious as to how that rumor spread." I leaned forward, ready to listen to the story. "It started not too long ago, just a few years prior to your arrival," he continued as he started wrapping the bandages around my hand, "did you know that We once had 6 generals?" "Huh? That''s news to me" My eyes widened upon hearing that as I gulped. Was this a sensitive topic? Should I ask where the other general went to? I mean In stories like these, the dude should''ve gone to the afterlife, right? "Yeah, and we used to be separated into squads. Each general got one, except me because a squad would just be a bother to me. I''m he strong already even without a squad~" He hummed happily. " Then why did you guys ditch that system?" I carefully chose my words to not hit a sore spot. "We did aplete revamp of the system ever since our number went down to five." General Zhang exined. "Alright, that general''s toast, aren''t they?" I finally gave up trying to be polite and went straight to the point. "Sure is. He''s positively dead now," general Zhang nodded in confirmation, "and as you might''ve guessed, that Elias has something to do with it." "Then, what" "But I don''t think it''s my story to tell. You can try asking Jean-jean, she might tell you," general Zhang cut me off with this unreadable expression on his face, "I can tell that Jean-jean likes you. Perhaps you can help her in" "In?" I tilted my head in confusion. " Nothing. Anyway, my part of the story isn''t that. It started shortly after." He shook his head and continued on with his story. Although I really wanted to know the details, I bit my lip and shut my mouth. Perhaps one day when Jean-jean trusted me enough, she would willingly tell me about that. "So, what happened in your end after that, uh, thing?" I nervously asked. "Well, after the massacre that day, something urred to me." He exined. "Massacre? There was a massacre!?" A surprised gasp escaped my lips as I eximed loudly. Whoa, so not only that poor dude died. "Ah, I slipped. Oh well, that part is public knowledge, anyway. Tee-hee!" He grinned casually, as if that word were something you used normally in your day-to-day life. "I''m not a part of the public. I''m the clueless stranger that just appeared one day!" I huffed and pouted. Well, now things were getting a little bitplicated. Eli was involved in the massacre? But He was really against senseless killing. No no, Chae. Why did I assume Eli was on the giving end. He might be on the receiving end for all I knew. "Anyway, after that day I realized that he and I had something inmon. A mutual goal, if you may," general Zhang shifted the topic so fluidly, "and that''s why I approached him first." "You guys are buddy-buddy? How did you even find each other, anyway? He seemed to just appear out of nowhere Wait, was he originally a resident at Alistair!?" I gasped again. Could it be that he was ostracized? "Of course not. That old geezer has never expelled anyone, ever," he replied with his downcast eyes, "if anything, he was keeping anyone from entering." He spoke, almost muttering. "Huh? What was that? People can''t enter?" I tilted my head. "Something like that, I guess. That Elias was never a part of our town. Nobody really knew where he came from. I, myself, am not really sure about his origins, but why should I care?" He shrugged, "our rtionship is just a contractual, mutually beneficial one, anyway." "What exactly are you two nning?" I raised an eyebrow as my mind was trying to digest the fact that both of them somehow knew each other, and both of them were nning something. But man, they were both so hush-hush about everything! I only knew bits and pieces about general Zhang''s n from Elena, meanwhile I got to know that Eli had some sort of vision through that bastard Erenduill. Why did it feel like I was an NPC in their story? " Something personal. You''ll know one day, little cub." He exined simply. "You always say that, but why would I know, man? I have nothing to do with you guys." I sighed and stretched my back when he was finally done caring for my hand, "hnggg" Ahh, stretching felt so good. "Stop moaning, little cub. What if someone walks in~?" He giggled like a maniac. "Oh my god you dirty boy!" ''Smack!'' "Ow ow So violent, little cub." He rubbed his head right on the spot where I bonked him for being a dirty boy. "Behave." "Geez, okay, okay By the way, you don''t need to worry." "Why?" I asked, still frowning. "Because you''ve been a part of my n from the start." Chapter 131: A good night’s rest (1) Chapter 131: A good night¡¯s rest (1) "That''s hecking sus, man." "Huh?" He blinked a few times, seemingly confused by what I had just said. "From the start? When I was only a random stranger that appeared out of nowhere? Suspicious," I pouted, "does that mean you wanted to use me?" "Frankly speaking, yes I did," he answered without hesitation, and then looked down, "at least, that was the n. Now I''m not so sure myself." "eptable. It''s not like I''ve never used someone for my benefit. I think taking advantage of people is something that everyone has done," I shrugged, "I''ll be mad if you''re still thinking of using me now, though. I''m no longer a stranger to you, right?" I red at him, emitting an ''I''ll-cut-your-dingadong-if-you-dare-use-me-now'' aura. He let out a deep sigh, unexpectedly, and then said, "that''s why I''m in a bit of trouble right now. I''m not here to use you anymore, little cub. And that means I need to change my n a bit." He chuckled. "You don''t need to if you let me help," I said as I took some alcohol pads and ointments to treat his minor wounds that were scattered here and there, "but I can''t help you if you don''t want me to." As I bent down to treat the wounds on the side of his abs, I peeked through my shoulders to see him staring at me, watching me silently move my hands here and there without saying a word. " You have your own problems to deal with," he chuckled, his tone a bit off as if there was sadness mixed in there, "so what do you n to do regarding Elias?" "Hmm, I''m not sure yet, to be honest. Deep breath, it''s gonna hurt," I warned him as I started applying this and that on his wound. He didn''t even flinch, which made me jealous of his endurance, "I just Want to meet him and listen to his story, just like how it has been for years. After that, I''m not sure. It''ll be great if he could remember who I am, though" ''Pat.'' "It''s okay, you don''t need to have everything figured out." He said as he patted my head. Upon feeling the soft tap of his rough hand on my head, I looked up to see him smirking confidently at me. "We''ll meet him soon." He winked yfully at me. "Ohhhh, so you two have secretly agreed to meet up or something?" I eximed in surprise. "Hmm, I can''t answer that in a yes or no fashion, but we should be able to meet him soon," he shrugged, "so in the meantime, let''s focus on rescuing the chihuahua and Owen, okay?" "Chihuahua?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Ah, it''s general Enzo. You know how he has this stomach acid magic thingy that he had to vomit to use it as bullets? Well, someone I knew once had a chihuahua, and that little monster puked like, twice a day. So I corrte puking with chihuahuas." " Ah." -------- After we had finished patching up each other''s wounds and also general Emilio''s, we figured it was finally time to head back and check on Jeanne. We ended up spending like, an hour or two in the clinic, including the time we spent getting lost just looking for the clinic door. Not long after the chihuahua talk, Lia knocked on the door, reminding us that she was there to pick us up already. We didn''t talk much after that, and mostly just focused on tending the wounds. I made sure to bring some supplies so we could treat Jeanne''s wound as well when we got there. Strangely, though, I was kinda enjoying the silence. It wasn''t the awkward silence type, but rather, afortable silence type. Something that I didn''t expect I would be able to feel around that eel. Well, I could count the people whom I feltfortable with using one hand, so it was quite a shock for me, honestly. "Lia, are you guys done? So, which room did she choose?" I asked, striking up a conversation with the shy elf maid while general Zhang walked beside me, carrying the unconscious general Emilio. "Umm, she ended up choosing the one near the back, the one with huge windows. It''s supposed to be a study room, but" Lia answered while fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "Ohh, thank you for letting her stay there." I nodded. I wonder why she chose that spot, probably for an easy escape route just in case things go wrong? usible. "Hey, I also want a room~" General Zhang pouted, "and this porcupine needs one, too." "Are you nuts? General Emilio is unconscious. He''s gotta stay with you!" I retaliated as we walked along the silent, crumbling hallway. The strange thing was, although I''ve always hated the sight of something breaking down, there was always something strangely enticing about them. Like this castle, for example. Although it was barely holding itself up, the moonlight that shone among the cracks and holes illuminated the dim interior, creating a nice atmosphere. Not only that, but the soft midnight wind that danced through the cracks brought along with them the pleasant smell of grasses and trees With a little hint of blood. And burnt smell, actually, considering that we basically just annihted a humongous tree monster with fire. s, it was a smell that I enjoyed filling up my lungs with. "We''re here." Lia announced as we stepped in front of a small door with some writing in oguage on it. After walking for quite a long time, we had finally arrived in front of Jeanne and Firiell''s room. "Thanks, Lia. Do you have another room near here that they can use?" I asked as I pointed towards general Zhang who was picking his nose without care. "The room beside this one is avable, but it''s" "Great! Hey eel, go to your room." I eximed in joy as I pped my hands together. Ah, finally, I got to sleep on an actual bed soon. " It''s a storage room." Lia finished timidly. " Oh," I looked at general Zhang, who gave me a ''pls-no'' look. To which I returned with a big, big grin, "hey, at least you can loot while you rest." "Little cub So mean" He pouted, butplied regardless, by walking towards the room with a simr door right next to Jeanne''s. "Aww, don''t be too sad. It''s only for one night. Remember, we''re heading out tomorrow regardless of the crest''s oue." I giggled. "Fine, little cub. In exchange, next time I''ll decide the room arrangement." He smirked as he twisted the doorknob and pushed it open, producing a creaking sound that reverberated throughout the hallway. "Sure, sure~" I epted without thinking much, that sounded fair, "hnggh" Ahh, that was a goooood stretch before bed. "Next time we''ll sleep together." He said with a wink. "Wha--!" "See yaaa~!" ''BAM!'' "B-but Wha" I froze as I watched them disappear behind the storage door, leaving me with my flushed face, confused in the hallway. Wait, did Lia see that? I quickly turned around to see her, looking at me with awestruck eyes, like a little girl who had just seen something magical happening in front of her. " What are you looking at?" I asked hesitantly. "N-nothing, esteemed guest. It''s just It''s like seeing a fairytale unfold in front of me" She exined with a happy blush on her face. "Huh? You sure you weren''t reading horror stories, instead?" I frowned upon hearing her reasoning, "anyway, I''lle inside. See you tomorrow morning." I said with a sigh. "R-right, sorry. Have a pleasant night, esteemed guest." She quickly saluted and turned around to leave me. "Wait, you do have a room, right?" I asked, before turning the iron doorknob in my hand. "Yes, we have a servant room." She smiled and nodded. "Great. Meet us at the castle''s front door tomorrow morning at, uh I don''t know. Just be ready, I guess." I returned her smile and opened the door. ''Creaaak.'' "Chae! You''re back!" Jeanne beamed with happiness once she saw me opening the door. She was surprisingly already dressed in a pajama, but she still kept her shoulder tes with her. So cautious, even in this situation. "I''m here! Jean-jeannnn, we can finally sleep! Soon!" I threw my hands up in happiness, and hopped towards her. Firiell wasid down on the makeshift bed that wasid in the middle of the room. Lia was right, this room had a huge window looking out towards the beautiful forest behind the castle, surrounded by plenty of bookshelves. There was also an immacte desk,plete with a bunch of papers, files, and pen scattered on top of it. For a room that was supposed to be a study room, it was quitefortable. Heck, if I had the time, I would surely check out the books here. Wait, wait, wait. I could just store some of them in my inventory and read themter, right? Or like, hand them to Elena so she could read them for me because I got the brain of a malnourished rat. The only problem would be how to get those books without them noticing Eh, I would figure out a way. There was plenty of time, anyway. For now, though "Here, Chae, you should change to something morefortable, too," Jeanne smiled as she handed me a set of pajamas, a bucket of water, and a towel, "I got you some warm water, you can use this to wash your face. Sadly, we can''t have the luxury of bathing here. Their bathrooms are all destroyed. I got this from their kitchen." "Thanks a lot, Jean-jean! You''re such an angel~" I grabbed both of her hands and teared up, happy that someone would look out for myfort. "No problem, let''s get some rest for today, we''ve done a lot. Let''s discuss things tomorrow morning. What do you think?" Jeanne tilted her head, still beaming with happiness. I guess she was also looking forward to this rest. "Perfect! But before that, let''s get some nkets, clothing, and stuff for general Zhang and general Emilio. They''re staying in the room just next to us." I pped my hands together. "Oh, you''re right. Let me get some from the" "Hnng Where is this?" "Huh?" "Hmm Big sis Chae? Big sis Jeanne? What happened?" My mouth gaped when I saw the little girl who was justying down motionless a few seconds ago, suddenly sat up, awake. "You''re Awake already!?" Chapter 132: A good night’s rest (2) Chapter 132: A good night¡¯s rest (2) "Firiell! Are you okay?" Jeanne gasped and immediately rushed to her side. "Woah, woah, easy there. Lay back down, bud." I also trotted over and gently pushed her shoulders back down, so she was nowying down again. "Mm-hmm," she rubbed her eyes and smiled, "I''m very good. It was faster than I expected. At least I didn''t spend years in there" "Are you sure? Do you feel anything wrong anywhere?" Jeanne worriedly said while pressing her palm against the little girl''s forehead, checking her temperature. She also took the time to carefully examine everything that she could possibly check. While Jeanne was busy asking this and that, just like her usual caring self, I silently observed Firiell''s expression and bodynguage. Strange. She actually looked calm. Didn''t expect her to be this Composed, if I may, after seeing her abuser''s past. I presumed that if she was being shown Erenduill''s past, then shouldn''t she see her mom and dad? I mean In this situation I would probably be boiling with rage, hatred, and also sadness. "Firiell, do you feel, um Comfortable?" I asked, for ack of a better word, "you know you can tell us if you, uh Need some time alone. Or if you want somepany." I bashfully scratched my cheek as I saw her big, doe eyes staring back at me. "Aww, thank you for your concern, big sis Chae. But I''m really fine!" She beamed at me. Ack, so bright! This little girl was just too positive and precious. "You sure you''re good? After seeing your deceased families?" I asked straight to the point. "Actually, I also thought it would be very hard for me," she started exining, with a slight smile, "but it turns out that It only gave me closure." Upon hearing that, my lips curled upwards, d that she really was a-okay, "thank goodness." I actually really wanted to ask, but I figured it wasn''t too appropriate Right? Eh, might as well, "what exactly did you see, though? I''ll be frank with you, I''m very curious. It''s okay if you don''t want to tell me, since I''m just purely curious." There, I said it. No pressure, though. "Ahahahah!" Laughter came out of Firiell''s mouth, as she held her stomach whileughing loudly. "Did Did I say something wrong?" I scratched my cheek sheepishly. "No, you''re perfectly fine~" She giggled, "it''s just It''s such a contrast from what I just saw. It''s very refreshing." She exined while grinning wide. "Ehh? What exactly did you see? A contrast from me?" I asked while pointing at myself. "Yes In the memories I saw, everyone was just so Uptight," she exined while slowly stopping herughter, "it''s almost suffocating how the royals acted. How my family acted." Hmm, well, that sounded exactly like what I saw in Erenduill''s memories, as well. I still remembered the awkward family dinner and the fight that ensued. And of course, that godly chocte pudding that Firiell''s mom made. Wait, what if Firiell knew the recipe, though? I should ask her when the time was right. "I understand what you mean. I''ve experienced that too, but through your other uncle''s memories." I nodded and sat beside her. "Now I know why mom never really liked living with them. If only she was alive right now, thenno, never mind. I can''t say that. I can only be here because things happened the way they did." She sighed, but she was still smiling even while saying those hurtful words. "True. There are a lot of things that I wish I did differently, and even more what-ifs concerning dead people Well, my life is basically filled with dead people, so of course there are times I wished that they were alive. But, the dead stays dead. The living continues on living. Mourning for them ispletely fine, but there''s no point in wondering how good it would be if they were alive." I agreed as I stroked her hair. Whoa, that was a long exnation from me. "Mm-hmm, although I miss my mom, at least I know that she''s in a better ce now! And I gotta work hard to have a better life over here, as well! Until one day, we meet again in the afterlife." She spoke with such confidence while nodding, with her smile reaching her eyes. How could she think like that, despite being this young? When I was her age, I was fuming with anger and hatred, man. Or was it probably the period where I lost my sense and was an indifferent, killing machine? Didn''t really remember. I only remembered that Eli got me out of that ditch, though. "Don''t worry, Firiell. We''ll try our best to give you a better life here," Jeanne spoke as she tucked Firiell in, "you''re already on the right mindset, so it shouldn''t be too hard for you to adjust. If only I was half as bright as you are" I held my breath the moment I heard what Jeanne had just said. I immediately remembered the things general Zhang told me, about the missing piece regarding the ''massacre'' on that day, and the missing sixth general. He said it was not his story to tell, but Jeanne''s. How could I not think that Jeanne was the one who had to endure the biggest loss after hearing that? My guess was that the sixth general was someone close to her, or perhaps they killed someone close to her. Maybe a family member? Now that I thought about it, I didn''t really know about anyone''s family except for Dmitri''s and Wolf''s "Jeanne, you might not realize it, but you''re he bright for me," I grinned at her, "you''ve been brightening up my days since I got here, you know? Now you just need to channel that energy on yourself, and less to others." I said while pointing at her. "I I did?" She blinked a few times, as if confused by my words. "Yes. But you have to remember to always be your own light first. Because you can''t expect people to be yours," I continued, "save yourself first, before you start saving others." Well, my words just now were actually copy-pasted from what Eli once said to me. But if it worked, it worked. "Chae That''s Really kind of you," she looked at me with a mix of shock and happiness on her face, "I I don''t know how to respond, since I''ve never been told that before." She fidgeted nervously with the nket on the bed. "Huh? For real? As far as I know, a lot of soldiers think the same," I scratched my head in confusion, "probably they''re too shy to say it." "Shy? Do Ie across as unapproachable?" Jeanne put her hand on her chin, seemingly thinking about something. "Hmm? Big sis Jeanne seems very approachable to me." Firiell answered, also looking confused. "Eh, I don''t think the problem is with you. People just naturally separate themselves when they know someone''s different," I shrugged, "no matter if you''re perceived as better or worse than them, difference separates people. At least, in most cases." " That is true." Firiell nodded, but now her smile was gone. Of course she would understand this the most. She was basically being outcasted by both elves and humans alike, even though she was a part of both. "Well, in any case, it''s not your fault if they''re too insecure to be friends with you instead of just maintaining a senior-junior rtionship," I grinned at Jeanne, trying to lift her mood up, "for me, though, I''m just shameless. I can be equally obnoxious to both generals and soldiers alike. Even to that salty, alcoholic geezer." "PfftAhahaa!" I let out a relieved sigh and a slight smile as I watched herugh. Finally. She was already tense the whole day, and her mood had just gone even worse just now. It was time for her to catch a break. "But I like your shamelessness, big sis Chae~ It''s way better than what uncle Erenduill had to endure." Firiell chuckled. "I know, I like my shamelessness, too," I stated proudly, "was it so bad, the things you were shown?" "Pretty bad. If I was in his position, I don''t think I can endure it," she sighed, "thank goodness I grew up fine." You weren''t fully grown up yet, though? "You know, it turned out that the previous King expected a lot from him. And by a lot, I mean A LOT," she described using hand gestures, "imagine being told every day, every second, how you should use fork and spoon, how you should walk, how you should talk." " Sounds like hell." "True! Can you imagine, I activated the crest thinking I would be shown this epic drama or tear-jerking passionate story, but then I had to sit through HOURS and even DAYS of nd studying, taking notes, practicing the same sword moves every day for hundreds of times!" She exined passionately. "There were times when fights ensued, and there were a lot of things that surprised me, like when I found out how nasty the previous King was. Oh, I''m going to have to tell you about this." She continued without a pause. "Yaz, spill the tea, sis." I nodded, fully invested in her story. "Tea? You want tea?" Jeanne tilted her head in confusion. "Don''t mind me. Continue the story~" I giggled. This kinda felt like a group bonding session. Was it bad that I kinda enjoyed it? "Well, before we get to that, I just wanna say that after I had to spend days living as uncle Erenduill, it made me realize something" "And that is?" I inquired, waiting for her to continue. " That there wasn''t a specific trigger that made him insane. It was the repeated, torturous chores that he had to go through day by day, without any end in sight that made him lose his mind." Chapter 133: A good night’s rest (3) Chapter 133: A good night¡¯s rest (3) " I see, so he didn''t have a life as a child." I looked down. Yet another case of failed parenting, huh? "Yeah. Now that I''ve seen what it''s like to be him, the things he forbade me to do pale inparison," she sighed, "ah! That doesn''t mean I''m justifying his actions, though! It''s just that Seeing the extreme version makes me realize that what he did to me was bad, and could have a negative impact on me." I smiled upon hearing her thought process and patted her head, "good job. Being able to realize that is already progress. At least now you know why it was wrong." "I wonder how different it would be if uncle Erenduill had a normal childhood Not that I know of one, though. Ehe!" Firiell chuckled. "Sometimes I can''t decide if you''re super bright or secretly dark." I sighed. "Oh, one important thing, though. Can you wake me up tomorrow at dawn?" She piped up unexpectedly. "I can. I always wake up at dawn. What do you want to do, though?" I tilted my head. Didn''t she want to rest more? Even for me, today was exhausting as heck. Both physically and mentally. I would loooove to have a whole day for myself, just sleeping. But, there were problems waiting to be solved, hostages waiting to be extracted, and stats waiting to be raised. "I need to sort out some castle affairs, like managing the treasury Also, I think I should reorganize the staff now that there has been, uh, a shift in power. Oh, I should take care of the damage, too, especially the ones affecting our forest and vige. The castle can wait, also, paperwork" "Wait, wait, wait. You just woke up and you''re already thinking about paperwork? Do you know how to handle them? Need some help?" I asked, surprised that the first thing she wanted to do after she was free was just Paperwork and stuff. "I''m the Queen now, and I can''t afford to rest and let my people handle things by themselves Fortunately, after spending a lot of time watching uncle Erenduill''s memories, I got to learn a lot about managing royal affairs. Ehe. I''m still very new at this, though," she nervously scratched her cheek, "but I do have a vision. I want everyone to take part, not just memanding and deciding everything by myself, since I believe that people have different talents, and I want us to help each other to flourish." She exined with a smile. Upon hearing that, I opened my mouth a bit in shock. When I looked at Jeanne, she was also doing the same thing. I guess none of us expected this girl to adapt this fast. With a sigh and a smile, I pinched her cheek and said, "geez, you''re bing a little workaholic, aren''t you?" Iughed, "sure, but don''t push yourself too hard. Delegate tasks, take proper rest and food. That way you can be more efficient." "Yup! I n to do that! I don''t want to be like my grandpa, after all. Who valued himself higher than the others. So much that he livedvishly at the expense of his own people" She clenched her fists tight until her nket crumpled, "how could he, as a King, be so blind to his people''s suffering?" "Ahh, you mean the thing where he thinks it''s okay to spend money here and there while being in an economic crisis? Tsk, tsk He probably slept through his lessons," I sighed, "how could he turn out that Lame? Such a contrast to Erenduill, who''s very calcting and strict. Didn''t they receive the same training or something, though?" "Actually, no. The one who taught uncle Erenduill was his mother, thete Queen." Firiell exined. Ahh, right. Both princes'' mothers were dead, weren''t they? I remembered Ioriell hating his mother, at least. "Thete Queen was very ambitious, contrary to thete King. And thete King just agreed with whatever kind of pressure she put on uncle Erenduill. It''s pretty messed up, honestly Meanwhile, uncle Ioriell''s mother also pushed her own ambition on uncle Erenduill,pletely abandoning her own kid." Firiell sighed. "Sounds like they were forcing their own ambition on a child because they couldn''t do it themselves, but what do I know." I shrugged. They did have a really weird family dynamic. Who would''ve guessed that onezy king could kickstart all this mess? If only that old bastard properly did his duty, probably he would be able to actually use his brain to manage the economy properly so their whole race wouldn''t starve. And then, the pressure on Erenduill would be less, and he would be able to properly grow as a prince, as a child. Maybe Erenduill and Ioriell could even be inseparable brothers. Probably they would be able to convince the king so they wouldn''t be tricked by that bitch Edmond, heck, maybe even the king could''ve figured it out himself if he''d just try. And then, this whole mess wouldn''t need to happen I quickly shook my head. No, Chae. There was no use dwelling in the what-ifs. Reality wasn''t that peachy, and I had gotten used to it. The most important thing right now was to make do with what we have. "Alright. Enough with the chit-chat. There are only a few hours left before it''s dawn. You should sleep, Firiell," I patted her head a few times, "and Jeanne, let me check your wounds first. I brought some supplies." "Hoaaam That''s a good idea I''m very sleepy already. Good night, big sis Chae, big sis Jeanne" Firiell yawned as she curled up again to sleep. In no less than a few seconds, her breathings had stabilized and her eyes were tightly shut. I guess she really was tired, despite her enthusiasm. " She really has progressed so far, hasn''t she?" Jeanne said as she stroked Firiell''s cheek. I gazed at the peacefully sleeping kid, and remembered our first encounter with her. "True. She was so timid and hesitant. It was almost like she was suffocating, like she was being tied by something invisible," I agreed as my lips curved upwards, "but now she''s able to converse freely with us, heck, she''s even eager to immediately start governing." I chuckled. "And she''s starting to useplex words, too. Perhaps that''s also due to the crest?" Jeanne giggled like a proud mother. "Mm-hmm. I think my vocabry is worse than her now," I sighed, "I spent like a whole day watching the crest''s memories, and I only cked out for a few seconds, meanwhile she cked out for a solid few hours I bet she had spent months looking at memories." "That sounds gruesome. II don''t think I''ll be able to take it if I had to see someone I care abouting back to life in a dream, and then" She looked down, " Disappearing again from my sight, when the dream is over." I stared at her for a while, observing the way her bangs cast a shadow on her fair face as the moonlight framed her beautiful figure. Although the scene in front of me looked stunning, her gaze was just screaming anguish. Seeing that, I felt a little ashamed for being so nosy. "Jean-jean, let me see your wound," I quickly shifted the topic and organized the supplies I took from the clinic on the table, "here,e and sit down." I pulled a chair and motioned her to sit down. "Ah, alright," she stood up from the bed and obediently sat on the chair,pletely upright, "thanks for your help." "Hey, Jean-jean. Take a deep breath," I gripped her hand and massaged it gently while smiling at her, "do it ten times. Go on." "Huh? O-okay" Although she seemed unsure, she followed my words and did just what she was instructed to do. As she was taking deep breaths, I continued to massage her hands and her shoulders, until her back eased into the chair''s backrest. "There you go. Rx, Jean-jean. You''re allowed to chill," I spoke softly at her as I saw her body slowly losing its tension, "rest your mind for a bit. You''ve worked hard today. Let''s continue working hard tomorrow, okay?" She stared at me with a shocked expression, before finally beaming me a sweet, sweet smile, " Yes." ------- ''Knock, knock.'' "Open up, eel! And fast!" I yawned as I waited in front of their door with a pile of nkets and new clothing for them. After I was finished patching up Jeanne''s wounds, I told her to go to sleep first, while I washed up, changed my clothes and bring some for the boys. I yawned and rubbed my eyes while I heard the door slowly creaked open. I seriously needed some sleep "Little cub? What do you need?" General Zhang answered the door, shirtless. As I eyed him from top to bottom, admiring his stunning sleepy face and enviable abs, I finally opened my mouth to say, " You sleep like a pervert." I deadpanned. "Huh? You came here just to say that?" Honestly, I couldn''t deny that I could feel my heart race, but my mind was already too hazy and too sleepy to care. So, I just threw the goods at him and turned around, "here. Use them. I''m too tired to argue with you." Just as I was walking away from the door with my eyes closed, further emphasizing my fatigue, I felt something looming over me. "Thanks, little cub." I heard his voice near my ear as I felt a hand hugging me from behind. Ah, his body sure was warm Wait, what was I thinking!? "Hey, eel" "Hmm?" He snuggled into my neck. "Set up a lightning around our rooms and go to sleep." I tly said, ignoring his unfortunately godly charm. "Eh?" "Hurry up, or I''ll sell you off at our auction tomorrow." I yawned and stretched my body. Ahh, at this rate, I might as well drop down and sleep on the floor. "Huh? Auction? You''re going to host an auction here?" Chapter 134: Auction, start! (1) Chapter 134: Auction, start! (1) ''Chirp, chirp!'' "Hngg" I rolled around in my sleep as I heard the sound of annoying birds in the morning. Wait, was it morning yet? Oh no, did I oversleep!? ''Fwoop!'' I instantly sat up with haste, crumpling the pristine white nket that was covering the three of us. Last night, after I finished helping Jeanne with her wounds, my mind went fuzzy. I could hardly remember anything after that, since my body was basically on autopilot mode, and I did everything half-asleep. Let''s see I went to the room next door carrying nkets and stuff, and then Uh I couldn''t really remember. But, oh well. "Firiell, wake up, we''rete" I paused mid-sentence as I was reaching for the little girl, and froze when I saw that it was still dark outside. The sun hasn''t even peeked in the slightest, and the air was still cold, almost as cold as the silence looming over us. Then, my attention immediately turned to the birds that were chilling on the window, just happily bopping and chirping as they stared at me. " Damn it, birds." I sighed. They must''ve been here because of my passive skill, again. But this time, they came here earlier and woke me up Ugh, fine. I rubbed my eyes and carefully scooted over to get off the bed, while making sure to not disturb the girls'' sleep. They looked so tired, and their skin looked so dry. Sometimes I felt bad for them, having to go through all of this so that normal civilians could have a happy, fulfilling life. After I stretched my body, I quickly skimmed through the bookshelves, trying to find something that might be useful. But after looking for a while, most of them were just Elf history and stuff. I mean, there would be no need for them after this raid, right? Might as well bring something more useful back home. "Uhh, this book about herbal medicine sounds useful. This one, too, about Agriculture? Sure, this world is he barren, anyway. They could use some re-nting." I muttered to myself as I picked them both and stored them inside my inventory. Feeling unsatisfied, I tried snooping around the desk. If this was the study room, there should be something of importance here, right? ''Rustle, rustle.'' While shuffling through the files, I was starting to regret this idea since most of them were actually documents, like documents, you know? The ones those corporate dudes actually work on? The ones with so many letters and numbers and tables that just looking at them made you d you were on the battlefield? Sighing deeply, I was just about to close thest drawer, when something caught my eyes. It was a small bundle of letters with a dainty wax seal with an ''L'' lettering on top of each letter. It stood out because not only do they use a different type of paper, but they were neatly tied up with a red string. "Hmm?" I picked them up and twirled them in front of me, checking every angle. " Lysandra?" A whisper slipped through my lips as my eyes widened upon seeing the sender''s name. Or rather, address. If my memory didn''t fail me, wasn''t that the ce where Firiell said her dad was from? Then, it should be the same ce where the humans who piged them came from, right? Wait, so they were being buddy-buddy with their pigers? I thought they were being buddy-buddy with EliOh So Eli was one of the residents of Lysandra. Then, was he the one who staged theno, no. It was already so long ago. I thought he was more of a wanderer, but now that I thought about it, it made more sense if he had an alliance here, just like how I had one with the people of Alistair. Alliance? Wasn''t one of my first quests about choosing an alliance? I still remembered that one because it sounded weird to me how it told me to choose instead of just join. Did that mean I could''ve joined Eli''s alliance? " Ugh." I shook my head and frowned. No, no. I already made my choice, and I had to live with it. I probably couldn''t do much even if I met him here, anyway. Heck, he wanted to kill me the moment he saw me I would probably be dead in a few seconds if I was to spawn near him. "Inventory." I pouted while opening my inventory window and shoving them inside. I should take a look at them carefullyter after this mission. Right now, I should probably focus on one thing at a time, and not distract myself. Because as my colonel told me multiple times, ''distraction kills''. "Firiell, wake up. It''s dawn. You wanna start your day sooner, right?" I gently shook her little body while whispering into her ear. Would she be able to wake up? I think we barely got 4 hours of sleep. After that tiring day, I wouldn''t want to wake up, honestly. "Hngg Thank you, big sis Chae" She reluctantly sat up while rubbing her eyes, before standing up and walking wobbly towards the door. "Hey, where are you going?" I questioned. "Umm The servant''s bathroom, probably. The main bathrooms are all broken. I need to wash up before I start organizing the paperwork" She answered with a tired voice. "Good idea. Tell me where it is, I''m going to go there after I finish my morning workout," I pped my hands together happily, "by the way, I need you to do something for me." "Hmm? What is it?" "After you''re done with your paperwork, go get Jeanne and the others, and head to the treasury. Get whatever stuff that has a huge market value. Don''t take anything historical or something, though. If you''re unsure, you can ask Jeanne," I exined, "and then bring everything, every single bit you can, and meet me in front of the castle. Don''t need to bring any money. Save them for your people''s needs." "Huh? Alright, bis sis Chae. I can do that But why?" Firiell tilted her head and rubbed her sleepy eyes once again. "We''re going to do a little bit of capitalism." I grinned. "Eh?" -------- ''Ding!'' [Elf''s Tears (material) x15] [Elf''s Boots (equip: feet) x20] [Elf''s Hairpin (equip: essory) x40] Ughhhhhh. The elves didn''t drop anything good. They were the exact same stuff I gotst time Thankfully, we didn''t just defeat a random bunch of elves, but also an elf king. [Elf King''s Dagger (equip: weapon) x1] [The elf king''s favourite dagger. A bit chipped here and there, but the grip is just perfect for the elf king. +25 Strength, +50 strength if the wearer is the elf king] Amazing. Although I wasn''t the elf king, this was a gooood find, bruh. An instant 25 strength boost? Heck yeah. "Hehehehe~" I chuckled while I kept doing my sit-ups on a tree branch behind the castle. I was pretty satisfied with the loots this time. What about the tree dudes, did they drop something, hmm? [Ent''s dead branch (material) x28] [A branch from an ent. Nutritious for other nts] [Elder Ent''s Life Essence (material) x1] [Life essence extracted from an elder ent. The older it is, the better the essence. Might or might not give an extra benefit if incorporated into an equip or armor] Hmm, the branches were basically just fodder for my gold, but the life essence, though I should keep it. Might be useful when I found a way to tweak my equipster. For now, let''s sell everything useless! "Shop! Open sesame!" I eximed gleefully, imagining the huge pile of gold that was going toe to me. ''Ding!'' "Alrighty, gold! Here Ie!" I excitedly press the ''confirm'' button after selecting all of the useless materials I got, and after getting a confirmation message, I quickly closed the shop window to open the inventory window again. "Whoa! This is amazing" I stared wide-eyed at the screen in front of me. I wasn''t hallucinating, right? [Gold: 15.800] Uwah! I felt like a millionaire! Aah~ Was this what being rich felt like? Hehe I had never got a full payment like this before. In the past, my colonel would always get a cut, or Daeun, or anyone, basically. Now, I should "Uh-oh." I froze when I saw a faint orange tinge on the horizon. Was it time already? Gah, I had no time. I got to go somewhere before the sun rises! ''Stomp!'' I quickly jumped down,nded on the ground and ran as fast as I could towards a certain ce. If I remember correctly, it should be around here, right? Ioriell went this way, and then that way I remember passing this tree in the memories. ''Rustle!'' "Ah. There it is." I smiled when I saw the familiar beautiful clearing that was decorated with plenty of small, colourful flowers. Just right beneath it was an ocean that faintly reflected the retreating moon. It was a beautiful sight, but itcked something. Unlike the memories I saw, there was nobody waiting for me here. "Ioriell" I muttered as I stepped forward and stood right where he stood. Ah, the scenery was still the exact same, although it was a bit brighter this time, due to the sunrise. "Ioriell, the sunrise here is just as beautiful as the moonlight you saw, did you know that?" I muttered to myself as I smiled and sat down right where he sat with histe brother. "Both of you must''vee here plenty of times. I can see that you knew this ce by heart." I continued talking to myself, even though I was clearly alone. " Last time, you weren''t able to finish your conversation here," I stood up, opened my inventory window, and took out a small tree sapling that Ioriell gave up his life for, "now, you can continue your talk while gazing at the beautiful scenery." A weak smile formed on my face as I started digging and carefully nting the weak and fragile sapling. I still found it hard to believe that the powerful elf prince gave his life to something as feeble as this "Here, I don''t know what else to put for Erenduill." I spoke as Iid down a few strands of his hair that I had snuck inside my pocket after I killed him. A bit creepy, but I guess that would do. ''p!'' I brought my hands together and closed my eyes, "you''re both dead, and I can''t do anything for the dead. However, I promise I will take good care of your people, as long as they remain under my wing. Not my problem if they want to leave me, okay?" With a sigh, I lifted my gaze up from the tree sapling that was nowfortably sitting inside the ground, to see the bewitching, but ephemeral sunrise. Smiling sadly, I held up my hand to touch the dainty leaf of the sapling. " It''s beautiful, isn''t it? The start of something new." Chapter 135: Auction, start! (2) Chapter 135: Auction, start! (2) "Shop." While sitting beside the tree sapling, I took my time to browse through the shop. Right now, I needed to think of a viable strategy against those minotaurs. In my opinion, the minotaur''s kingdom was a far worse ce than the elves'' kingdom. Although it was clear that the elves were much stronger than the minotaurs, but good traps and idiot armies could lead to our doom. I mean, realistically, would the orcs be able to grasp the concept of trap detection? Not to mention that those minotaurs'' traps were well-hidden, ording to what Jeanne told us. In that case [Would you like to purchase the item ''Low-grade Summoning Scroll: Fox Spirit'' for 300 gold?] "Yeah, let''s take, um 20 of them." I said as I pressed the confirm button. Not a bad trade, considering that these might save a lot of lives. Looking at the item description, honestly, I was going to skip through this. But then, I realized that this was practically the perfect tool against the minotaurs. [Low-grade Summoning Scroll: Fox Spirit (consumable) x20] [A summoning scroll used to summon a fox spirit. Lasts for 30 minutes] [Fox Spirit (summon): an entity that loves to y and travel. Nobody knows where they came from, or what purpose do they serve. Due to their yful nature, they''re not aggressive and won''t attack anyone or defend themselves. Can''t be used to inflict harm, but it won''t take any harm. Perfect for apanion or a decoration.] Well, it made sense that this thing was one of the cheapest summons out there, alongside with like, low-grade slimes and stuff. After all, the description basically stated that it wasn''t useful for anything. Anything at all. If it was useful for defense, or like for saving lives, I was sure it would be costly, since this system was kinda wack. But this fox spirit was just Hanging around. And that was exactly why they would be perfect for this mission. They couldn''t be harmed, nor would they harm others. Ahh, I couldn''t wait to test my n~ The destruction would be quite a sight to behold. Ehehe~ "What are you doing here, little cub? You took so long." "Huh?" I turned around when I heard a familiar seductive voice, "why are you here?" I shifted my seating position to face the white-haired general that randomly appeared from the bushes. How did he find me, anyway? "To fetch you. Everyone''s waiting in front of the castle already," he exined as he sat beside me on the ground, "what are you doing here?" "Eh? How did you find me, though?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Like usual, by sensing your mana. You never mask yours, so it''s very easy to track." He chuckled, teasing me. Ack, I should learn how to conceal my mana one day. That was embarrassing "Fine, fine. Let''s head over to the others." I looked away as my cheeks started to redden due to shame. "Oh, that sapling, isn''t that the one from our encounter with that prince?" He remarked while pointing at the sapling beside me. "Ah, so you noticed. Well, yes. I just I don''t know, I just want to nt it here." I answered nervously. To be honest, I wasn''t sure myself why I would bother doing that. It wouldn''t make any difference whatsoever, anyway "Hmm," he said nothing as his finger gently yed with its leaves, "so you can even care about small things like this. I see." " What''s that supposed to mean?" I sighed. Sometimes the things he said didn''t make sense at all. "Nothing. Let''s head back, little cub." He giggled like usual again, and pulled me up. "Uh," I stared at him with a nk expression while staring at our hands, "so, when are you going to release my hand?" "Hmm~?" He hummed happily. --------- "Chae! There you are." Jeanne greeted me brightly in front of the castle gate. Alongside her were Firiell and general Emilio, who was now awake and looking stony-faced as usual. As instructed, a bunch of elf maids was also gathered there,plete with a pile of various trinkets that I presumed were taken from the treasury. Perfect. "Heya. I''m here," I waved at them, "shall we go now, then?" "Umm, where are we going, exactly?" Firiell asked. I turned towards her, and was surprised by what I saw. She was now dressed just like the royal guards, except with a red cape hung over her shoulder. Not only that, but she also carried around a huge hammer on her back. "To the town square. But uh Why are you carrying a huge hammer?" I questioned while pointing at the intricate hammer. It had a beautiful engraving, just like the dagger I stole from Erenduill. The handle seemed immacte, too. All in all, a damn good weapon. But a bit too huge for her size, no? "Oh, this? This is one of the royal family''s weapons. Cool, right?" She answered with a huge grin on her face, "when I was inside uncle''s memories, we practiced all kinds of weapons for hours each day, but my favourite is the hammer! It''s easy, simple, but strong. Uncle Erenduill didn''t seem to like it, though." "Ah Well, as long as it works for you, I guess." I nodded. Huh, didn''t think that she would choose such a heavy weapon of all things. Honestly, I expected her to choose something like a bow or a dagger. I guess it was very shallow of me to generalize elves. "Why the town square?" General Emilio spoke up after such a long time. "General Emilio, hope you had a good rest," I grinned, "we''re going to do an open preparation for tonight. Tonight, we march to the minotaur''s kingdom. Anyints? Should be okay, right?" I pped my hands together and looked around me. "Uh" Firiell stuttered. "Um Tonight?" Jeanne also hesitated as she put her hand on her chin, seemingly thinking about something. "I don''t mind either way~" General Zhang, as expected, just agreed with whatever. "Well, general Emilio? How about you? You''re our leader here, and you''re also the tiebreaker. What do you say?" I tilted my head. Without saying anything, he flew his gaze towards the elf maids, which I followed. Ack, they all looked horrified. Why would they gape like that, did they think I was a ghost or something? Rude. "Even they are discouraged. And the royal guards have just recovered this morning. Do you think we can win with this morale?" General Emilio asked me back, his stern gaze focusing straight on me. "We can just lift their morale if that''s what you''re worried about." I shrugged. Huh, general Emilio sure was a great leader. Although I knew that he must''ve been the one who was most eager to charge out of all of us, he was able to think rationally despite his brother being in danger. I wouldn''t be so cool-minded if I was in his situation. "How do you n to do that?" He asked. "Ah, geez. All of you sure ask a lot of questions. Let''s just go to the town square and you''ll see." I grumbled as I put my hands on my hips, obviously annoyed. General Emilio raised one eyebrow before eyeing me intensely, until he finally gave in, "okay. Your ns are weird, but sometimes they work." Oh? I gaped when I heard him saying that. Did he just acknowledge me? "Little cub, what are you looking all happy for?" "Huh?" I frowned when my tion was interrupted by a grumpy eel. Ugh, way to ruin the mood. It felt like I was getting a promotion or something. Felt nice to have someone notice my effort. Ehehe~ -------- " What do we do now, big sis Chae?" Firiell asked me with her huge eyes as we stood right in the middle of the bustling town square. Huh, the elves were surprisingly very calm, considering that there was basically a coupst night. Was it because they realized that the new Queen had risen? Did they just simultaneously switch loyalty just like that? Hecking creepy man, just like programmed AIs in horror movies. Ugh. "Firiell, they listen to you now, right?" I inquired, "though, I still don''t understand how they''re able to adapt to the power shift so easily." "Yeah, they should listen to me now. It''s a bit hard to exin, but It''s almost like we have this string connecting us. And when uncle Erenduill died, I instantly felt a need to lead them," she answered while scratching her head, "it was scary, honestly. And almostparable to how a pack of animal behaves, but that''s that." "I see. I won''t judge how you guys operate, but can you please make an announcement to everyone here?" I questioned. "Sure, what do you want me to say?" "Tell them that I''m your assistant, and I''m going to host an official, important event." I grinned. "Okay! I can do that!" She beamed happily. Ack, so bright. With that, she confidently walked towards the middle of the square as everyone stopped andid eyes on her. However, she did not falter even one bit. She had truly changed, and for the better. "Attention!" She called out with a loud voice that even surprised me, "today, I, your Queen, have an important announcement. My assistant will host an official event right here, right now. And everyone must pay attention!" Suddenly, every elf in my vision saluted simultaneously. The sight shocked me so much that for a second, I forgot that I was supposed to go up there and announce my ''event''. "Ahem." I cleared my throat, as everyone''s eyes were now shifting towards me. "I''ll make this quick, and without sugar-coating. I know that not all of you arepletely loyal to Queen Firiell, and to be frank, we don''t really need you to," I bluntly stated and pointed towards the huge pile of goods that we took from the treasury, "and that''s why, we''re going to do a little event here." A few of them gulped the instant they saw our goods. Guess these were really valuable, huh? Perfect. "We''re going to give these away. Now, before you get excited, it''s not for free," I chuckled, "but I know you guys are broke as fuck, too." "PfftAhahahah!" "Shut it, eel." I growled towards general Zhang who ruined the mood. Ugh. "Th-then how should we pay?" A voice from the crowd piped up, earning my attention. "Yeah Please,dy assistant, tell us how do we pay?" "I I don''t mind paying money!" As the crowd started to get restless and wild, an evil grin made its way onto my face. "Splendid. Don''t worry, each one of you has the same opportunity to get these." I chuckled. As they gulped and waited for me to continue my sentence while holding their breath, my lips parted to say, e. Sell out your life. Sell your loyalty to us. Only those who are willing to serve the Queen with their life may get the goods," I grinned, "and now, I dere that the auction is officially starting." Chapter 136: Auction, start! (3) Chapter 136: Auction, start! (3) Murmurs erupted across the crowd as they started exchanging nces. Some of them took one step forward, but then refrained from doing so. Hmm, why were they so hesitant Ah! "Oh, I forgot to mention something. All of you will still receive a generous sum of money from your Queen to help your miserable living condition," I added, "but those who are willing to throw their life away for the Queen They get an extra reward." I smirked. "I-I''m in!" A shout immediately came from among the crowd. "Me, too! Do we get the first pick for the items?" And another elf stepped forward. "Then, count me in!" I smiled in satisfaction and folded my arms as I watched a huge number of elves stepped forward, pushing each other out of the way. How could I forget the most crucial part? It was ''option''. When I didn''t mention the free-for-all money, it gave the impression that they were forced to submit to us, like they had no choice but to unwillingly obey. But when they heard that everyone still received the same amount of help, and they basically lost nothing by not participating, the situation turned around. Instead of an oppressive scenario, it was now a lottery scenario. If they were willing to go an extra step, then they would get an extra reward. If they weren''t willing to, then they were still in good hands. In my eyes, this was a good way to filter out those who wouldn''t be a deadweight on the battlefield, while at the same time, building their trust in us and painting us as generous leaders. "Geez, little cub~ How brutal~" General Zhang giggled while he walked up beside me, watching the crowd that was starting to get rowdy in front of us, "I like how you do things." "Well, I don''t want to deal with people ditching or pissing their pants while we''re on the minotaur''s ce," I sighed, "normally, having some meat shield can be beneficial, but in this case, the trapsplicate the situation. It''ll be annoying if we get caught in a trap because someone gets a panic attack or something. Or if they''re not taking it seriously and identally activates a trap." "Ipletely agree," he said as he put his elbow on my shoulder, mocking my height, "but if things go wrong, it''ll be okay since I''m there anyway~" " But you never really do anything unless it''s absolutely necessary." I pouted. "Doesn''t that mean I''m good at judging situations? I never let things get out of control, at least." He hummed as he ruffled my hair. "Why are you being so touchy?" I grumbled as I got him off of me to step forward. "Hmm, I just wanna." He answered with a giggle while I just gave him an annoyed stare. "Alright, everyone! Listen up!" I pped my hands to gain their attention as they simultaneously stopped arguing and pushing each other to focus their gaze on me. Geez, the power of elves hierarchy. I was now suddenly an important figure just because Firiell said so. Spooky, but exploitable as heck so I loved it. "Let''s make this quick, alright? We will now determine the order in which you guys can im the items," I took a nce at the pile of goods, and noticed that most of the stuff was just Fancy clothing, some mechanic tools, and household stuff. Huh, was their living condition that bad that this stuff was considered treasures? I thought they were pretty okay-ish? " Yes." One of them answered with a tense expression. I guess they really needed this basic stuff. "Now, this is where the next ''auction'' phase begins. Your loyalty is just an entry fee, if you may," I giggled, "alright, let me exin how you guys are going to bid without losing any penny." I held out my hand and made a diagram on the air with ice shards, so they could visualize it better. "Tonight, we will be going straight to the minotaur''sir. There will be three squads. The scouts, the fighter, and the rangers." I started exining while popping up three ice shards in three different locations. "What do each of them do,dy assistant?" "So we will be assigned to one of them?" "Patience, guys, patience," I sighed, "technically, no. We''re not going to assign you anywhere, since we also don''t know your forte. You shall decide by yourself." ''Crackle!'' I pointed at the furthermost ice shard, "these will be the scouts. They''re the safest group, and I''m pretty sure their job is also the easiest. As their name suggests, they need to keep watch of the surroundings and alert us if there''s anything dangerous. But, since they''re only watching the perimeter, there are only weak monsters and wild animals to be wary of, so we don''t need many people here. And even if they fail, they most likely won''t instantly die." "Hmm, that position sounds good for weaklings." General Zhang chuckled. "And the second one, this is the ranger. A bit unfair, since only those who can use ranged attacks can apply for this position, but eh," I shrugged, "anyway, these people will obviously attack from a range, but gotta remember that the minotaurs can also do ranged attacks, so, not that safe." As the crowd started murmuring again, I took the time to pause for a bit to let them process the information, and also so they could really think about which squad to choose. Their choice might be a life-or-death choice, after all. "Okay, thest one, is the fighter. Simply put, they rush in at ourmand, and engage the minotaurs in close range, making sure that they''re busy. Remember, the important thing is just to keep them at bay. Don''t let them through, and don''t let them retreat. Might die fast, not gonna lie." I exined quickly as it was getting boring, just exining tactics. The murmurs instantly got louder, as nervous looks were being thrown everywhere, including towards my direction. I guess that even cats would understand what it meant. Higher risk, higher reward. Simple, but quite effective. "So? How about it? Any fighters?" I smirked as I sat on the floor, cross-legged, "c''mon, fighters get first dibs. Quite straightforward, right?" "PfftLittle cub, sometimes I wonder how you''re so chaotic!" General Zhang eximed happily as he ruffled my hair. "Ugh,e on. I''m pretty sure they don''t mind, either. A good portion of them must be loyal as heck, since, you know, elf blood thingy? Even without rewards, they wouldn''t mind dying for their queen." I sighed and stretched my body, feeling a little lethargic fromck of rest. "Yes. And that''s why I shall volunteer." Both I and general Zhang looked up as we heard footsteps emerging from the crowd, and a determined voice came from the owner of the footsteps. It was a rough-looking elf with prominent muscles. And as expected, he carried a huge two-handed sword on his back. Perfect for a fighter. "Great. Ready to die?" I grinned and tilted my head to the side. "Yes," he answered without hesitation, "and I would''ve done the same, even if the reward isn''t there." "Hmm, amusing. Then, should I cancel your prize?" I teased him while I leaned back and shifted my seating position. "Go ahead,dy assistant." He answered with their ssic salute, with his arm crossed on his chest and a little bow toplete the gesture. "You may take two, then. Instead, I changed my mind about your position. You shall stay beside Queen Firiell, and guard her with your life. Don''t let me catch her dying first before you. Got it?" I giggled and gestured him over to go rummage through the pile of goods. "Thank you for your generosity,dy assistant. But I shall refuse," he bowed once again, "if I ept the gift, I''m afraid that Her Highness the Queen might think my loyalty is bought. I wouldn''t be able to live like that." My eyes widened when I heard his statement Was he bluffing? Huh, pretty daring. Alright, I could y along. "Sure. Then go ahead and skip the gift." I said with a t expression. "Will do. Thank you very much,dy assistant," he bowed and immediately walked over to Firiell, before kneeling in front of her, "greetings, Your Highness, my Queen." "Raise your head," she answered with such poise that made me secretly proud inside, "what''s your name?" "My name doesn''t matter, my Queen," he said, closing his eyes shut, "my purpose is only to serve you." Oh? So, he wasn''t bluffing? "Che. Must be nice to have someone that loyal by your side." I clicked my tongue as I saw the sight in front of me. "I''m pretty loyal." A certain white-haired eel replied without being asked. "Will you be my disposable knight then?" I snickered, mocking him. "You won''t be able to rece me, little cub~ I can be your irreceable knight, instead." He grinned while using his index finger to tilt my chin upwards, meeting his gaze. "Yeah, no thanks. I''ll be my own knight." I refused and looked away towards Firiell again. "Don''t be like that. Uncle Erenduill has worked hard to demolish this caste wall. Don''t suddenly revert back just because your leader has changed," Firiell answered, "this is not an order. Instead, I''m simply asking you to live your own life." I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. It was strange how their vision was pretty simr, with both wanting to abolish the discrimination that was rampant in their own race, but their way of executing it was so different. "I''ll respect your wish of wanting to serve me, but please, serve me as an individual. Not as an empty vessel that simply exists for me. I don''t like it. Be your own individual, and make the conscious choice to willingly serve me." She dered without missing a beat. The elf kneeling in front of her widened his eyes as his chest stopped taking in air. He looked at her with awe as his mouth gaped. Truly, it was like he saw something ethereal. "So now I''ll ask again. What''s your name, my knight?" She smiled brightly. As the mentioned elf began inhaling again, he opened his mouth and stuttered, "m-my name is Calen, Your Highness." Firiell''s lips curled upwards upon hearing his response, "nice to meet you, Calen." Chapter 137: Auction, start! (4) Chapter 137: Auction, start! (4) "Well, that was a great show and all, but won''t the next persone up?" I leaned back on my seat on the ground and looked over the busy crowd. "Me!" "Ah, me too!" "Count me in,dy assistant!" In a sh, elves of various ages and builds and weapons gathered around me. It was almost hard to believe how reluctant they were just a few seconds ago. Morale sure was an important thing to always be kept in mind. I sighed and groaned, "Jeanne, would you please help me organize this mess?" Alongside with a soft, happy chuckle, a blonde general in a neat ponytail came up to us, "sure. I can handle a few soldiers." "Great. Thank god you''re here." I grinned while giving her leg a hug. -------- As the sun was starting to make our shadows smaller, so was the pile of stuff that was once over 5 meters tall. The more it was starting to disperse, the more soldiers gathered around us, all with happy faces having received their gift. It didn''t really surprise me that a small part of them, who wasn''t willing to serve Firiell at the start, was now willingly throwing away their lives for a simple pan or a double bed. I mean, people fight for different reasons, right? I''ve seen kids murder a soldier just for half a piece of stale bread. And I had also killed people and risked my life for less. "Are we done yet?" General Zhang pouted while he sat beside me and leaned his head on my shoulder. "No." I replied tly, already giving up on shaking him off since a while ago. There were just a couple of elves left to admit, and then we should be good to go. "Are we done yet?" He repeated, ticking me off. "I said no." " Are we done" "Shut up." I replied while stuffing his face with a donut. "Mmm. I like this." He mumbled while he continued munching on the chocte donut. "Uh-huh, eat up. We gotta go soon if we wanna reach the minotaur''s kingdom by nighttime." I said as I ate another piece of chocte donut. While we organized the newly-built army of elves, we took turns to eat, so we could set off right after lunchtime. There was no time to dilly-dally, and training the elves would''ve taken too much time, so we figured that we might as well just wing it. The strategy wasn''t veryplex, at all. The orcs would be the tankers, and just swarm the minotaurs. Orcs loved to fight in groups, so if they all ganged up on a single minotaur, plus with the elves'' help, they should be fine. In fact, we had decided to separate the fighters into small groups of 30, with 20 orcs and 10 elves. The rangers would beprised of elves only, since the orcs weren''t so reliable with long-ranged weapons. And then for the scouts, whoever was left could join that side. After all, their purpose was only to distract the minotaurs while we, the main team, infiltrated the main vige. And by ''main team'', I basically meant myself and general Zhang. And big brother Luke, of course. Now that my mana was jacked up, I could summon him anytime I wanted. "Chae, we''re done here." Jeanne said as she approached me who was casually munching on my donut. "Great," I threw the rest of the donut into my mouth at once and spoke with a full mouth, "we go now?" "We go now," general Emilio responded, "prepare your weapons." "Wait a minute. Let''s not forget about one crucial thing." I grinned and stood up, leaving general Zhang alone on the floor. "What is it?" General Emilio raised an eyebrow in question. "The healers. Let''s fish them out. Hmm, the reward will be" I put a finger to my lips while looking up, thinking of something good, " A house, for the best healer that performs tonight." I stated with a smirk. ------- "Whoa, can''t believe that healing magic is so powerful in this world" I eximed while I moved my fingers repeatedly, admiring the handiwork of an elf healer. My broken fingers that were swollen and blue were now healthy again, as if the injury was never there to begin with. Maybe I should look for a skill book with healing magic in them? "It''s partly because they''re talented," Jeanne exined while she checked her own wounds that were nowpletely healed, "the only one who can heal this fast is probably only Hayun. Wow, if they all work together, we might have a chance against the minotaurs" "Not might, but of course we have," I chuckled, "we won''t be ying fair, Jeanne. Since when was ying fair rewarded?" "Ooh~ What do you have in mind this time, little cub?" General Zhang butted in our conversation. "Just a little tricky-trick to counter their trap," I smirked, "ah, I can''t wait for this to be done. How much longer do we have?" "Not long. Thankfully, with this wagon and their horses, it took us faster thanst time. The sun is just about to set." Jeanne answered as she uncovered our wagon''s curtain a little bit, taking a look at our surroundings. "Hmm, I could get used to this alliance." I spoke as I leaned back into the wooden wagon''s wall. Surprisingly, the elves had arge number of horses,plete with wagons. I guess although theycked modern inventions such as pans, stoves, and such, they had an abundance of natural, organic stuff, like livestock and wooden or y objects. Huh, probably Erenduill was too focused on connecting with nature, that he only managed to prosper one aspect. "Let''s stop in a bit. We''ll station the scouts somewhere around here." General Emilio stated with a stern face. "Good idea." I happily agreed with him. "Themand will be Kill every non-ally you see." General Emilio said as he stood up. ''Knock, knock!'' Jeanne knocked on the wall surrounding us, signaling for the wagon to stop. Upon halting, all of us hopped down and gathered everyone together. ''Boom!'' General Emiliounched a blue smoke signal into the air, and the elves and orcs immediately dispersed into groups. Earlier, we had all agreed that shoutingmands on the battlefield would be ineffective, especially since there were thousands of soldiers, and we were in an open space. So, we made use of signals. in and simple. The blue signal was for ''get into groups and get into positions'', while the yellow signal meant ''enemies spotted'', andstly, the red signal meant ''need help urgently''. We didn''t have a retreat signal, precisely because we weren''t going to retreat under any circumstances. Because, if we fail this mission, then there would be noing back. All three races, humans, elves, and orcs, would all be doomed Well, honestly, my party could still retreat if we wanted to. I had this mentalist skill, anyway. I could just shoot some messages at them. Although I doubted anyone would ditch the mission, especially general Emilio, Jeanne, and Firiell. "I think the scouts should be on their way to their position already. Shall we continue?" I tilted my head at general Emilio. "Yes. By foot. Get the horses back to the vige," hemanded, "advance in formation." "Yes sir~" I hummed as I stretched my legs that had been inactive while we rode the wagon. From this point on, we were in the minotaur''s territory. There might be some patrolling, or there might not be, we never knew. We only knew that it was not wise to risk giving up our horses and supplies. As we ventured deeper into the minotaur''s territory, we started to disperse more and more. I and general Zhang, though, separated from the group to go on our very own sneaky-sneaky mission. ''Boom!'' Another blue signal went up in the sky as I watched the smoke slowly wafted in the air. "That must be the signal for the rangers to take positions." I remarked while the both of us satfortably on a tree branch that was quite close to the maze wall. Not the front wall, though, we decided to sneak up from the side. Didn''t take us long to circle around since we got the trusty Timmy. "Yup~ Aww, I was really enjoying our time together. But oh well, it''s killing time now~" General Zhang hummed with joy. " You realize we''re still going inside together, right?" "A killing spree date? I''m down." He grinned. "Once we get home, I''m booking a psychiatrist for you." I flew my gaze over the horizon, and saw that the rangers were already moving into different positions in squads of 30. From this far, I realized that our troops were actually small in sizepared to the massive maze structure in front of us. "C''mon, eel. We need to get going." I hopped down from the tree branch and opened my inventory to take out the summoning scrolls. "Now? But we''re not moving until the fighters get into position, right?" General Zhang asked, but he followed me down the tree, regardless. "Nah, I''m gonna do my own thing," Iughed, "well, are youing?" "Of course~" With a smile, I looked over at the blue screen that was floating in front of my face. [Would you like to use the item ''Low-grade Summoning Scroll: Fox Spirit''?] ''Poof!'' Upon clicking, we were instantly surrounded by 20 white foxes who floated around yfully. Surprisingly, each one of them was at least half the size of a normal human. ''Yip, yip!'' "Hehe." I couldn''t help but let out a small giggle when they excitedly jumped around, iling their teal-tinted tails. Their crystal blue eyes followed our movements where ever we walked, blinking every few seconds in anticipation. "Wow, little cub. Since when were you able to summon spirits?" General Zhang questioned with an obviously shocked look on his face. "As you''ve said, a man has his own secrets, right?" I tilted my head upon hearing his question. "But you''renever mind. Who says it applies to men only?" He chuckled with amusement. "Exactly," I grinned in approval, "alright, foxes! Let''s y a little game. You guys love games, right?" ''Yip, yip!'' Immediately after hearing the word ''y'', they got all excited and jumped as high as the trees around us. Splendid. "Listen up, then. The rule is very simple," I started exining, "you see that maze over there?" I pointed at the minotaur''s maze. ''Yip!'' "Good. Now, let''s y hide-and-seek. You know that game, right? You got 30 minutes to get inside that maze, and find 2 people. They''re humans, 2 males. Understand?" I smirked, "on the count of three, go through the main entrance. Remember to explore eeeevery nook and cranny, and do it fast, because you only have 30 minutes." ''Yip, yip!'' "Alright. Three Two One" I raised my arm and shouted, "go!" Chapter 138: Into the maze (1) Chapter 138: Into the maze (1) ''Boom!'' ''Rumble!'' ''Roooarr!'' Explosions erupted from inside the maze, coloring the sky in a mix of orange, red, and smokey gray. Although it must''ve been scary for those that got caught up, it looked pretty entertaining for me, the one who caused all of this. "Doesn''t it feel like watching a movie?" Iughed while I sat on the grassy ground, just right beside the one and only white-haired general. "You know what, it kinda does~ I prefer this kind of ''movie'' than the ones we have on our cinemas." He chuckled and leaned back, joining me in watching the disastrous moment happening just a few kilometers away from us. "You guys have cinemas back home? Wow, didn''t expect that" I gaped upon hearing his statement. "Why are you so shocked? Haven''t you been to a cinema before?" He tilted his head, asking me back. "I I actually haven''t," I sheepishly answered, scratching my cheek, "but that''s not my point. I''m just still not sure how far your, um, civilization has progressed. So I assumed that you guys don''t have that kind of stuff yet." "You haven''t? Wow, you really need to try out a lot of things," he raised an eyebrow in shock, "after all, you never know when something might pop up and take everything away from you." I stared at him while I crossed my arms on my knees, resting my head on top of it. Had he experienced that before, I wonder? "I n to one day, if I can." I answered while flying my gaze over to the maze. From the hill where we sat, most of the maze was visible, and we could see the explosions that popped up from time to time. I guess letting those foxes run loose really did have its benefit. By using them to trigger all kinds of traps, we wouldn''t have so much trouble when we rush in. At least, that was the n. In all honesty, we still had no idea how many traps were left, but it should be way less than before, seeing that the explosions and rumbling hadn''t stopped until now. Ah, was that another boulder I saw rolling? "Should we start heading in now?" General Zhang suddenly asked, making me snap out of my daydream. "Ah, yes. The minotaurs should be in panic mode right now," I got up and straightened my outfit, "let me call big brother out, then." "Hmm, is calling him necessary?" He pouted. "What are you talking about? Of course it''s necessary. He has poisonous hair, or something like that, I don''t really remember. In any case, he''s the perfect fit for a stealth mission." I frowned, what had gotten into him? "I can also do zappy zaps and knock them out in one second." He shrugged. "Yeah, but will you?" I deadpanned, to which he responded by grinning and avoiding my gaze, "I thought so. Sometimes I think you have a tendency to seek trouble." I sighed. "Hmm, what can I say, trouble is necessary for growth," he chuckled, "and right now, you still have a lot of growing to do, little cub." He replied while ruffling my head. "Uh-huh, there you go with your weird ns again," I chuckled, "alright. Luke,e out, please." As a puff of smoke slowly emerged from my hand until it materialized into a pissed, but striking young man with dark blue hair, a smile appeared on my face. "Oi, sleepyhead. You''ve gotten enough cking time, right? Now get your ass moving, big brother." I snickered. "Ugh, you always call me at an inconvenient time, kid." He grumbled. "You act like you''re busy, when you''re probably just spending all day in bed." I retorted back. There wasn''t any entertainment avable there, anyway. Wait, wasn''t that torturous, though? Spending a lot of time alone, without any form of entertainment I should let him out more frequently from now on. "Tch. Who said I wasn''t doing anything? I was working out for the majority of my time there." He sulked. "Huh? You worked out? But why? I mean You''re, uh, do you even have a physical body?" I spouted out without thinking. Ack, was that inappropriate? "Of course. Have you ever heard a case where someone justzes around for years and suddenly they have this ripped body? Nah, not naturally." He sighed, as if he had just heard a stupid question. "To be honest, I just knew that." I stared at him and examined his body from top to bottom. Only then did I realize that he was indeed sweating, presumably from his workout session. I understood what he meant, though. I haven''t skipped a day of working out ever since I left the army. On days where I was extremely busy, I would still force a few sets of sit-ups and push-ups, or I would do some weight-lifting while doing chores. After all, regr maintenance was the key. Those who think that it was possible to have a ripped body while doing nothing but getting into dramas and mental breakdowns like in the movies, must be delusional. "Well, big bro, we''ll be going in there, and then out. Fast. You think it''s possible?" I asked while pointing at the maze that was still in an uproar. General Emilio and the others must be so shocked when they arrived. Too bad I wouldn''t be there to witness their funny reactions. "The minotaurs'' maze? Oh, we''re here already? Sure. But why is it, uh In shambles?" He raised an eyebrow looking at the state the maze was in. "Aww, don''t worry. It''s just a little preparation. We''re going to go on a stealth mission, so we needed a distraction. Simple as that." I gleefully exined while pushing him lightly to urge him to walk. "Huh? I don''t get it, but alright," heplied while we walked down the hill, "is he alsoing?" I looked over where he pointed, and saw general Zhang that was following us from behind. "Ah, yes. He''s currently the strongest one in our group, so he''s necessary." I exined to Luke. "Yo, what''s up, snakey boy?" General Zhang greeted Luke with a snicker. "I''m older than you, so you shouldn''t call me a boy," Luke frowned, and turned towards me again, "I should be enough for a stealth mission." "How can you get along so badly, and yet both of you said the same thing?" I sighed, "whatever, let''s go. Both of you can do whatever you want." I grumbled and immediately sped up down the hill. Ugh, I swear, one day I would get a headache from babysitting them. -------- ''Fwoop!'' ''Thud!'' "Whoa, that''s amazing, big brother Luke" I stared in awe when another unsuspecting minotaur fell on the floor even before it managed to scream. "Of course, I''m capable of so much more, too." He proudly stated while crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Same here." General Zhang responded. "Whatever." I grumbled yet again, while stepping over the fifth minotaur that they''ve taken down ever since we''ve infiltrated the maze. As expected, there weren''t many minotaurs around here. If my hearing was still okay, most of them should be gathered waaaay over at the main entrance. After the fox spirits disappeared, our troops arrived shortly after, which immediately rmed the minotaurs. Perhaps they thought that our troops were the main cause of all of the traps triggering, so they flocked over to the main gate. And when our troops did better than expected, they sent even more minotaurs over there to guard their vige. s, they didn''t leave other areaspletely unguarded, that''s why sometimes we spotted a few minotaurs here and there. If possible, we just snuck past them without them noticing. But in cases like these, where the only way was to go through them, either big brother Luke or general Zhang would take them down quietly. Kinda felt nice to not have to do the hard work. Hehe. "Little cub, how are we going to find the right way around this maze, though?" General Zhang piped up, hopping over the dead minotaur''s body. "Isn''t it a bit toote to ask that?" Big brother Luke snickered. "Shush. Don''t fight. You guys are being annoying," I shot them a deathly re, "the answer to that question is, I don''t know." "Huh??" General Zhang gasped in surprise. "Kid, are you dumb or something?" Luke stared at me with a mix of shock and amazement. Maybe he was amazed at my stupidity, I dunno. "No, no. That''s not the point. We all know that this maze was built to protect the vige, right?" I quickly held my hands up, making a ''calm down'' motion. "Uh, yes. So where have we been going until now? I thought you were leading us there." Luke questioned while he cracked his neck. "Exactly, so the vige is 100% in the middle, right? You guys catch me?" I looked at both of them in session. "Yeah, we all knew that." General Zhang scratched his head in confusion. "Great. So we just need to walk for a bit, and then climb up the wall every so often to check our position. I''m pretty sure we can figure it out from there." I exined while tapping the maze wall in front of us. Dang, it sure was tall. Pretty intimidating when seen up close like this. "That wouldn''t work, since they monitor the air even tighter than they do the ground. They also realized that air attacks are their weakness." General Zhang tilted his head. "Uh-huh. I know. But it won''t be a problem if we''re invisible, right?" I smirked. "Invisible?" "Hmm-hmm," I turned around, facing the wall, "shop." Chapter 139: Into the maze (2) Chapter 139: Into the maze (2) "Wow, little cub. This is pretty cool," general Zhang happily said while he twirled around in his newly-bought cloak, "where did you get this?" "Somewhere convenient." I replied with a smirk. No way I was going to reveal my secret Thankfully, with only 300 gold, I could get the almighty ''Water Chameleon''s Cloak'' to conceal his presence. Well, not really, because technically they could still sense his mana, but unable to see him. Good enough for me. As long as their anti-air strategy wasn''t deployed, we were all good. "Okay, now all we have to do is just climb up." I jumped in excitement. General Owen and general Enzo, we wereing in just a sec, hang on tight~ Right, any time now. Huh? "Well? Anyone going to do it?" General Zhang poked my cheek while he gazed up the wall. "Dude, excuse you?" I red at him. "What?" "You''re the one going up. Why else would I give the cloak to you?" I frowned, "you''ve climbed the castle before like it was nothing, I''m sure you can do this, too. Well, at least I know that I can''t." "But, there was your iceeeee. It wasn''t this steep, this wall is literally verticallllll." He pouted and shot me his puppy eyes, which absolutely didn''t work on me. ''Crackle, crackle!'' "There you go. Any moreints?" I puffed my cheeks in anger as I immediately created a steep slope out of ice leading up to the top of the wall. I would''ve made it less steep if I could, but, well, we didn''t have a lot of space here. He should be able to manage this, right? "But, but" "Forget about it, big broth" "I can do it." General Zhang immediately leapt upwards upon saying that, onlynding on my ice slope three times before arriving on the top of the wall in a heartbeat. " I really don''t get what''s going on between you two, but it''s seriously getting on my nerves." I frowned while my eyes searched for the white-haired general who had now disappeared upon using the cloak. Hmm, maybe I could try sensing his mana? How should I do that, though? I closed my eyes to try to focus on my surroundings, but all I could feel was a wild mix of mana all around me. Like, sure, I could sense that there was a lot of different mana circling around me, but I couldn''t really make out each of their positions. Best I could do was sense that general Zhang''s mana was around here, somewhere, probably near another minotaur''s mana. Not sure. Ugh, he was right, I still had a lot to learn. ''Tap!'' "Yo, little cub, you''re looking in the wrong direction~" "Huh?" I quickly turned my head to the side to find general Zhang standing right next to me, his face half-hidden by the cloak. "Ah, you''re down already?" I scratched my head. Didn''t notice that. "Yup, let''s go," he smacked my head yfully, "we''re not too far from the vige, it seems." "Sounds great. Where to go, then?" I asked while I smacked his head back, only harder. "Follow me~" He hummed while he walked towards the right path. "Sure. Walk in front of us again, just like how we''ve been doing things all this time." I chuckled while following his steps. "Geez, little cub, just because I can turn my body into water, you''re being this cruel to me." He pouted. "Forward, my anti-trap machine! Just turn into water and escape if you get caught in a trap. Hehehe~" I eximed with joy, ignoring his protest. -------- "Ah, this must be it, right? The vige gate?" I asked while I peeked my head from the side of the maze wall, ncing at the huge, ornate gate that stood tall in front of us. As expected, the vige gate was taller than the maze wall. Specifically, around one or two stories taller than the wall. Fortunately, there were only two minotaur guards left that were stationed in front of it. There were probably 10-ish of them at first, but they were all taken down already. Now, we only needed to deal with thest two. They looked a bit more prepared than the rest, though. The most striking difference was that they wore chainmail, something that the other minotaurs didn''t have. "Hey, big brother Luke. Have you seen that symbol somewhere else? Or better yet, do you know what they represent?" I asked while I pointed toward them. The other major difference, was that their weapons, specifically spears, had a little red cloth tied to them. I could see that it had some kind of yellow symbol on top of it, but because it had folds, it was kinda difficult to make out the shape. "Hmm, I''m not sure, either. But it''s probably just their kingdom''s symbol, no?" Luke answered, while stroking his chin, "they''re not the most organized monster out there, but they''re very cooperative when ites to killing." "Huh, so they''re united under, what, a killing banner?" I scoffed, making fun of their system. "Something like that. They don''t have, like, one single leader or a king, but they can somehow work together only when ites to killing. And rubbing it in their enemies'' faces." He exined with a sigh. "Ah, so that''s why they use that fancy cloth. It''s basically rubbing salt in their victim''s wound, huh? Like hohoho, look, we killed you. Us, the minotaurs, hohoho." General Zhang raised one finger, as if realizing something. "Weird flex, but alright," I paused briefly to think, "in any case, we just have to knock them out, right?" "Well, yea" ''STAB!'' "Hey, I''m getting better at this~" I jumped in excitement while pointing at those minotaur guards. "O-oi, kid That''s pretty brutal" Luke said as he gaped looking at both of them. "Whooo, I like it~" General Zhang giggled and ruffled my hair. "This is pretty awesome." I said as I, too, admired my handiwork. I was only nning to try this out, since I got an idea not too long ago. I had been able to move objects using my psychokinesis, right? And I was able to propel myself away to some degree, right? Heck, I could also lift dead bodies. And if I could knitwell, badly, but my point still stood, then I could move only a certain body part using my psychokinesis, no? Well, that was exactly what I did. Although admittedly, it was very difficult to control, with just a little focus and luck, I managed to make those guards stab each other right in the neck, denying them the ability to scream. It helped that they were literally standing still without moving an inch, and they were already side-by-side. Also, they were huge, man. Even if my aim missed, I would still manage to hit something. Truthfully, I didn''t think I''d be able to do the same thing while fighting head-on Yet. "Alright That''s One way to do it," Luke grimaced as he approached the shaking minotaur guards on the ground, "don''t worry, I''ll put you out of your misery." Right after saying that, he grabbed their spears, pulled them out, and with one swift strike, chopped off the guards'' heads. "Ah, I forgot to end them," I tapped Luke''s shoulder, "thanks, big bro." "Eh, no big deal. Let''s go. We still need to find a way to open this door," he shrugged, "by the way, this spear is not bad?" Luke said as he admired the spear, examining it from end to end. "Oh, keep that spear, then. You don''t really have a weapon yet, do you?" I grinned at him. Perfect. He got a weapon without the need to buy one. Yay for saving money~ I nced at the huge door in front of us, and walked closer to examine it. Hmm, as expected, there was no lock anywhere. Not even a door handle, too. As I continued to look up and down, my frown deepened when I realized that my mind was stuck. Ugh, what to do? ''Knock, knock.'' I leaned in closer to listen to the sound, and clicked my tongue when I realized that this gate was thick af. "Oh? Is our little cub confused?" General Zhang giggled while he approached me. ''Knock, knock.'' "Whoa, it really is thick~" He chuckled after doing the exact same thing that I did. What did he expect? Urghhh. "I know, eel, I know. Sssh, I''m trying to think here." I sighed. C''mon, we couldn''t afford to waste any more time here. I didn''t want to mention it especially in front of general Emilio, but once the minotaurs knew that we wereing, anding in hard, there was a chance that they would abandon the hostages. I mean Hostages are called hostages for a reason. Part of why we decided to have this sneak mission thingy was to save time. There was no denying that we might be able to breeze through the maze head-on, but would we have enough time before they decided to dispose of the hostages? Not sure about that. "Ah, this is annoying," I grumbled, "um, let''s just do this in another way. We don''t have to be sneaky-sneaky anymore, right? I mean, I''m sure they''ll notice us when we open this door anyway." Agreeing with my statement, both of them nodded at me. "Well, uh, let''s just" ''Boom!'' "Huh?" My head immediately turned upon hearing the familiar sound, the sound of our signal. "That''s" General Zhang''s words were cut off when the both of us realized the same thing. The smoke signal was red. Chapter 140: Into the maze (3) Chapter 140: Into the maze (3) "Wh-what do we do?" I stuttered, looking at Luke and then general Zhang. I was about to look for general Emilio, someone who could think rationally and who could lead, but he wasn''t here. "What''s wrong?" Luke asked, grabbing my shoulder to gain my attention. "The smoke is red, big bro. Should we go there? Ah, but, the hostages" I paused, trying my best to brainstorm. "So what if the smoke is red?" He continued asking, obviously bewildered. "Ah, right. You weren''t there during our briefing," I piped up, finally realizing that he must''ve had no clue about this, "you see, we had a prior agreement to use smoke signals. I exined to him while I opened my pouch that was strapped to my waist, letting him see our team''s signal gun and the smoke balls that came with it. "Each colour represents a different thing, and in short, red means that they need urgent help," I quickly exined, skipping over the other different colours because we were pressed for time, "and now they''re using it. Should we go over there to help them?" "Hmm, I dunno. Should we?" General Zhang tilted his head while smirking. "Stop talking cryptic or I''ll smack you hard." I shot a re towards this funky general. "Alright, we shouldn''t, then." He giggled. " Dude, are you sure?" I stared at him with a frown. "Yeah. Don''t worry, I''m veeery certain that they''d be fine." He said with a wink. " Uh. Okay." Although I wasn''t sure if that was the right choice or not, Iplied regardless and shifted my focus to the problem in front of us. We couldn''t afford to be distracted here. Focus, Chae. That was what teammates are for. Gotta trust in them, yep. "Right, let''s bust through this door, then. What do you suggest, little cub?" He eyed me with a creepy smirk, "or do you want me to help?" "Help? Dude, you''re the general here, it''s your job," I sighed, "I''m going to have to st through this, I guess." I said while I readied my gun. Didn''t think I''d have to use this so soon, but here goes. "Ooh, you''re going to blow the door off?" General Zhang asked, ruffling my hair, "good, good. Let''s see you do it." "No, I think you misunderstood," I scratched my head in frustration while I prepared for one charged mana bullet, the powerful kind, "I think they''ve made this huge ass door thicker than the wall, and what''s more, they don''t have hinges. I don''t even know how they operate, which is kind of annoying." As I exined my thought process, I pointed at the wall beside it, "let''s just blow this wall off. It''s still very thick and sturdy, but with a couple of shots, I should be able to." "Okay, little cub, whenever you''re rea" ''BANG!'' "Oh? I only needed one shot? That''s surprising." I raised one eyebrow upon seeing the huge, gaping hole in front of us. With one bullet, I managed to put one kid-sized hole on the infamously thick and sturdy wall. Pretty dang sweet. I should check my stats soon. "Your growth is suspicious sometimes, you know?" General Zhang chuckled and stepped forward. ''BOOM!'' "There, now it''s big enough for us to walk through." He giggled and winked at me. "Showing off, aren''t you?" With a smirk, I followed him through our newly-made hole. Although he said that my growth was suspicious, he was also equally suspicious. How could he break that wall with only one effortless punch? If I remember correctly, that shouldn''t be possible with his stats, right? Maybe he had a bigger secret than mine, and that was okay. "Huh, this will be my first time seeing their vige up close." Luke said while he stepped in front of me, as if to shield us from anything that mighte our way, since our vision was basically like an old man with cataract now, with all the dust puffing in the air. "So even you have never stepped inside." I wonder what awaited us, then? This might be bad since we had waaaay less info than we did with the elves. "Hey, eyes ahead." ''Fwoosh!'' ''Tap!'' "Almost lost your mind there, didn''t you? Literally." General Zhang snickered as he grabbed a flying axe that was heading straight to my head. "And your legs, apparently." Luke sighed as he showed me an arrow that he already snapped into two. "Thanks, I was busy taking them out that I didn''t notice." I grinned and gestured my head towards the source of the weapons, and there, on the ground, were two minotaurs bleeding all over their face from shed eyes and throat. "Whoo, quite impressive, little cub." General Zhang praised me while whistling. "Psychokinesis sure is useful." I responded while catching my new dagger that I hadunched against those minotaurs. " Did you steal that?" The white-haired general asked while pointing at my beautiful dagger with green engravings on it. "Yup, sure did. Mine now." I giggled and ran forward,pletely out of the smoke. Upon stepping my foot on the hard, dusty ground, my eyes widened in shock when I saw the state their ''vige'' was in. "Dude, how did they live in this ce?" I muttered to myself as I eyed my surroundings. Although a few minotaurs had noticed our presence and were now closing in on us, they didn''t surprise or rm me as much as their vige did. It was totally, totally dysfunctional. What was up with this world and its barely functioning societies!? They needed to get their shit together, man. How could their vige just consists of Nothing? As far as my vision was able to see, there wasn''t even any house. Random trees stood here and there without any patterns whatsoever, and trashes were scattered everywhere. What the heck? "Oi, stop having that disgusted look on your face. We''re literally surrounded." Luke groaned while tapping my shoulder, as if trying to snap me out of it. "But But how? What is this ce?" I said as I struggled to find the right words to say. "It''s not surprising, since the minotaurs don''t really need to eat to survive." He replied with a straight face while he pointed his newly-stolen spear towards the minotaurs that were slowly approaching. "They don''t? So they''re like, prawns?" I eximed with surprise. "Ugh, you talk too much, kid. Save the talking forter. We have to clean them up first." Luke sighed for like the tenth time today, probably. "Yay, killing time!" General Zhang threw his arms up in the air in joy, and then licked the blood off of his finger that got a slight cut from the axe. "Sure sounds like it," I charged another mana bullet and aimed towards the crowd of minotaurs, "wanna race?" "Race?" Luke raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, the one with the most kills gets to be the winner?" General Zhang gleefully eximed. "Yeap. Winner gets one favour from the loser?" I smiled. "Hmm, kinda sounds fun. I won''t be getting thest ce, though, kid." Luke smirked. "Agreed. Same here." General Zhang also grinned maliciously. "Then Start!" ''BANG!'' -------- "Phew, that should be good enough, right? Ah~ That was fun~" General Zhang stretched his body as he dropped another dead minotaur on top of his pile. " That wasn''t fun." I grumbled. "Huh? Don''t me us for your rookie mistake." Luke chuckled while he, too, piled another body on top of his already huge pile of minotaurs. Dead minotaurs. "IThis is so painful. You guys are mean to me." I pouted and stomped my feet while walking towards them. "Hey, it should be obvious that if you wanted to count bodies, you have to, you know, actually count it," Luke chuckled and tapped my back a few times, teasing me, "what do you think this is? Some sort of game where your kill gets counted automatically?" "Ack! I get it, I get it, I made a mistake! Well, you guys still have an unfair advantage! You guys can kill them without pulverizing their bodies." I huffed in frustration. Ahhh, this was tragic. I was pretty sure that I wiped out a good amount of them since I used both my gun and my fire magic simultaneously. I figured that there was no point in saving mana if we were going to tten this kingdom to the ground anyway, right? But thennnnn, by the time I noticed that both of them were killing the minotaurs while preserving and piling up their bodies, it was already toote. There was no way I could recount all those dismembered body parts and charred remains that I left scattered everywhere. "Well, since you can''t provide us with a kill count, you''re disqualified. Woo-hoo!" General Zhang giggled proudly. "That Ughhhhh." I rolled my eyes. I wanted to protest, but then, they were right. I should''ve counted. Well, we had never done something like that before back in my days. We only count confirmed kills when we had a mission to assassinate a certain group, but the count was never higher than a hundred or so, since we were a specialized squad who only targeted a specific group of people. "Too bad, kid. Maybe next time," Luke smiled, "although I''m pissed that somehow that slippery eel managed to gather a pile that''s twice as big as mine, at least I''m not in thest ce." He snickered. "You damn big brother, I thought you wereforting me." I groaned and pinched his cheek in annoyance. "Well, you owe me a favour now, little cub~" General Zhang jumped down from his pile of body andnded beside me, whispering into my ears, "let''s see now, what should I ask for, hmm?" "Too close. Not good for kids." Luke instantly pulled me away from that eel, just like an old-schooled grandma. "I swear, if you guys get into another argu" "Wait." "Huh?" I stopped mid-sentence when general Zhang suddenly raised his hand, signaling us to stop talking. His cheeky smile was reced with a shocked expression in a split second, and his body tensed up, losing his previous rxed posture. "Little cub, we got a little problem." He quickly told me while he started to run, to which I reflexively followed. "Huh? Wait, what? Why are we running?" I asked back with a little yell, because we were now running and it was getting harder to listen to each other''s voice. "There''s someone." "Whaaaat?" I yelled, not being able to fully hear what he said. "I said there''s someone with Owen and porcupine right now. And from his mana, I''m pretty sure it''s your old pal." He repeated, this time a bit louder. " Eli?" My eyes widened in surprise. Chapter 141: Into the maze (4) Chapter 141: Into the maze (4) "Hey! Did you say Eli is here?" I yelled again, this time with a pounding heart. "Yes." He answered concisely as he kept running and leaping between trees, to which I followed. "Who? Oh, that boy back in myir? Is he good news or bad news in this case?" This time, Luke was the one who proposed the question. I immediately looked at general Zhang, waiting for his answer as I nervously gulped. Right, this time, he was the one who knew the current Eli the best, not me anymore. They were sort of, like, contractual something? Partners in crime, maybe. So, was it good or bad? "I don''t know." General Zhang answered the question while he jumped past a tall bush. "What!? You don''t know?" I hopped over the same bush, and quickened my pace, "but you said you had ns to meet him, right? Or something like that?" "Yes, but we don''t get in the way of each other''s business," he groaned, "and those two, Owen and porcupine, wasn''t part of our n. So I can''t guarantee anything." "Seriously? Dude, you have a wacky rtionship with him, I swear" I frowned, "then, we are rushing because?" "He might kill them, what else?" General Zhang replied, sounding a little annoyed. "Ah, right. He''s like that now." I gulped, taken aback that I still wasn''t very used to this version of Eli. He used to be so against senseless killing. Ugh, thinking about this hurts my head. "What''s your n, then?" Luke suddenly asked, which piqued my interest. "Huh?" General Zhang answered, sounding obviously annoyed. "Your n. You weren''t able to defeat himst time, were you?" "Hmm, is that how it looks like to you?" "What?" I frowned, not really understanding what they argued about this time, "in any case, let''s hurry up! Where are they being kept, exactly?" "They''re not far. Although, there''s something a little weird." General Zhang replied without slowing down his pace. "What''s weird!?" I yelled, trying my best to keep up. -------- "This. This is weird." Finally, after running around for roughly five minutes, we stopped in the middle of nowhere, right when general Zhang stopped to announce that something was weird here. "What do you mean?" I started to look around, trying to find something off from our surroundings. "Ah, yes. Now I understand what you meant by weird." This time, Luke agreed with him. I groaned when I couldn''t really pinpoint what was weird about this ce Eh? Wait, they were all looking down Perhaps? "Are they down here?" I questioned while pointing down with a confused face. "Most certainly. I can clearly feel their mana down below," general Zhang nodded while tapping his heel on the ground, "why do you look so surprised, little cub? Underground prison is prettymon, right?" "I mean, yeah But honestly, I didn''t expect those minotaurs to be smart enough to build something like that. I guess this world is still so foreign to me, after all," I sighed, "should I st through this?" "No need, I''ll do it," he responded tly, "Owen, porcupine, you haven''t been weakened enough to not be able to shield yourself, right? Watch out~" And with a smirk, he raised his foot high above the ground. ''BOOM!'' "Ack!" I flinched and instinctively protected my head with my arms when his stomp caused the ground to shake and the dust to fly everywhere. "Big bro! Get away!" I shouted and jumped backwards a few meters to avoid falling into the hole that was beginning to form on the ground. " What?" "Oh! Is that?" My head started to look around again when I heard a familiar voice that I hadn''t heard for quite a long time. "Yo, Owen, porcupine~ How''s life treating you?" "Took you long enough." "General Owen!" I quickly ran and peeked over the hole when I heard his voice for the second time. He was alive! Great! "Wait, you''re here? So, the powerful mana that I sensed belonged to But, how?" The huge general stared at me with wide eyes. Ah, right. I had grown quite a bit from thest time we met, hadn''t I? "Why do you look so disappointed to see me?" I pouted, "anyway, don''t worry, we''re going to bail you out!" I yelled and got myself ready to jump down the hole. Surprisingly, both of them looked kinda okay-ish? I mean, this was the first time I saw general Enzo, but he looked Almost exactly the same as general Emilio, even down to his bodynguage. Very stiff and guarded. Shouldn''t they look malnourished and tired as heck, though? The minotaurs didn''t really need to eat, right? So Wait, how did they survive, then? There should be no food here, and there was no way they could survive only on water for weeks. "Finally, you''re here." A raspy voice entered my ear, and my whole body immediately froze. I was just about to step into the hole, but now I felt like I couldn''t move a muscle. "Yo, edgy prince. Mind telling me what''s your business here?" General Zhang scoffed while looking down the hole. "I wasn''t talking to you, but to that thing over there." The aforementioned guy pointed towards me with his sword, his infamouslyrge sword that he kept behind his back just a few seconds ago. I really wanted to call out his name, to ask him questions, but somehow, I felt like my words were stuck inside my throat. "That thing? You mean her?" General Zhang frowned, "she''s not a thing." " I don''t care either way. I only want to know who she is. She''s definitely suspicious, don''t you realize that?" Eli replied coldly while throwing an icy re at us. Ugh, how could his red eyes look that menacing? Felt so weird to me. "Well, she''s none of your business. What do you want from those two?" General Zhang hopped down the hole andnded in front of the dark-haired guy who wore a ck leather jacket,plete with ck pants toplete his look. "I decide my own business," Eli retorted with a growl, "and my business with them is done. Right now, the person I want to talk to is you." He tilted his head, gesturing towards the white-haired man in front of him. "Done, you said?" General Zhang raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You can ask them yourself, what business I''ve been doing here for thest few weeks." Eli pointed at the two generals behind him that was seated on the ground, bound by chains around their wrists. "Last few weeks?" General Zhang took a step forward, but suddenly looked back at me and Luke, and ultimately refrained from doing so, retracting his foot and continued to stand between Eli and us. "Yes That man, he" General Owen opened his mouth, looking a bit unsure, "he had beening every few days to bring us food and other basic needs." "Yes." With a short answer and a simple nod, general Enzo also confirmed the fact. " Huh. Didn''t know the heartless edgy prince is capable of doing things like that," general Zhang crossed his arms, "well? Now, spill your reasoning for doing that." "Sharp as ever, I see," Eli replied without the slightest hint of emotion in his voice, "I came here to propose something to you." "Oh? A new project? Bold of you to do that since we haven''t even finished" "This is for the sake of our goal." The moment general Zhang heard that, he quickly stopped talking and nodded. "Before that, I would like to talk to them to confirm their well-being. That''s okay with you, right?" General Zhang replied coldly, without moving from his ce. " Do what you want." The other man sighed and looked away for a second, before deciding to stare at me again. "Urk." I flinched a little, but still not moving from my ce. What was I supposed to say in this situation? What was I supposed to do? I What did I even want to ask or say to him? "Eyes on me, edgy prince," general Zhang reprimanded him and snapped his fingers in front of Eli''s face, "you two,e here. You can walk, right?" Hearing that, general Owen and general Enzo stood up, although a bit wobbly, and walked over to general Zhang. Without the need for more exnation, both of them held their wrists up, as if offering the chains to the goofy general. ''Ting!'' By only clenching his fist, he managed to break the chains into pieces, freeing the both of them without moving even one facial muscle. See, he was even more suspicious than I was. How the heck could a normal person break a chain like that like it was nothing? "Hey, you guys alive? Do you still have energy?" " Yes. Noints here. What do we need to do?" General Owen was quick to answer, and immediately asked for the next course of n. Not a lot of people could be that focused, especially after living under that condition for quite some time. "So, have you finished checking?" Eli suddenly interrupted their conversation. "I guess they''re actually fine. So, what do you want?" General Zhang asked while he threw the broken chains aside. Although I could clearly see that the other generals were shocked that Eli, the man that had been the talk of the townin a bad way, was talking so casually with general Zhang, they were able to read the situation and waited for them to finish their talk. So he really did treat those generals well, after all. No, wait, scratch that. He treated them well because he wanted something Ack, in the end, those two generals get to live. It didn''t matter if Eli did it with additional motive, if it meant that they could survive. "Let me get this straight," Eli started, "let us join forces for the next mission." Chapter 142: Second meeting (1) Chapter 142: Second meeting (1) "Next mission?" General Zhang frowned, "is this another one of your premonition stuff again, edgy prince?" Premonition? Next mission? Uh, was there a possibility where he knew about the missions that were yet toe out? "Yes. I''ll just say this once. It will be beneficial for both of us if we join forces," Eli sneaked a nce at me before continuing, "but know that my side will still survive even if you don''t join us." "Ooh, and did you also see that in your ''premonition'', Elias?" General Zhang smirked as an evil glint flickered in his eyes. "Actually, yes," Eli surprisingly nodded, "I did see that. You can use your judgment to decide whether I''m lying or not." "Nah, I know you''re not lying. You wouldn''t go through all this trouble if you''re lying. You''re not the type to waste your time like that." General Zhang smirked. "Well, what do you say, then?" Silence fell when the question was asked, and even general Owen and general Enzo looked anxious. I nced at Luke, who was surprisingly quite calm about this whole thing. "Shouldn''t your friend say yes?" Luke leaned into me, whispering into my ears. "I mean" I paused, ncing at the two hostages that we had just rescued, "you see, theyno, maybe the whole citizen of Alistair, our town, have a rocky rtionship with that man over there." I exined while I pointed at Eli, also whispering. "And then?" "And then what?" I asked him back. "I don''t understand. And then? I mean, so what if you guys got a rocky history with him? Even I can sense that his mana is unbelievably strong. If he wants to join forces, even just for a while, isn''t that great?" Luke whispered while shrugging his shoulders. "Uh Well, it''s pretty umon to team up with someone who got a bad history with your team. Won''t that create new problems? Like trust issues, and demoralizing the troops and so on?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest and tilted my head. "Uhh. I''m not sure. That''s something only you humans do. We never had problems like that," he sighed and shook his head, "you see, that''s probably why some monsters are better at teamwork than some humans. It''s because they don''t think too much, and they don''t think about unnecessary things like that." " Okay, you got a point," I scratched my head, "but well, our troops are mostly humans. So we have to make a decision based on that, too, right?" "Ugh, yeah. Now that part''s troublesome," he sighed while touching his forehead, "humans, they always stress over unimportant matters. Or should I say, less important matters? Sometimes they have a habit of ignoring the big problem and emphasizing the smaller problems, you know? Tsk, tsk." " You''re talking to one right now. But, I kinda agree." I said as I scrunched my nose in disapproval. "You''re kind of not human, but okay." He snickered. "Hey. That thing sure is active." Eli suddenly remarked, his eyes following my movements. "Sure is. She''s healthy, so isn''t it normal to be active?" General Zhang just giggled upon hearing that. "Annoying. My head hurts." He clicked his tongue while looking down. Excuse him? Me? I was making his head hurt? By talking from so far away with someone that was not him? "Hey! What the hell is your problem!?" I finally snapped and jumped down the hole in anger, "if anything, you''re the one giving me a headache. If you''re only here to discuss your n with this eel, then just discuss. Why do you feel like you need toment badly on others? How am I bothering you?" "Huh?" He flinched and took one step backwards when I closed in on him. "Well? Any excuse why you''re being such an asshole? Or will you finally shut up and admit that you''re doing that for no reason?" I growled while ring back at him. Who said that he was the only one who could re at people? " What is wrong with this thing?" "Eel, does he often do this kind of stuff? Calling people as ''things''?" I turned my head towards general Zhang, who answered me by shaking his head from side to side. "You''re not from this world. So why are you iming to be a part of ''people''?" Eli asked back, much to my annoyance. "Whatever. I''m done exining myself to others. This isn''t the first time someone called me non-human," I sighed and rolled my eyes, "but don''t you think you need to maintain mutual respect with someone you''re going to work with?" Eli raised an eyebrow and looked at general Zhang, "this thing" "Yeah, she''s a part of our team. That part is kinda non-negotiable, so let''s just have a mutual understanding, shall we~?" General Zhang quickly answered while pointing at me. " Alright," Eli instantly agreed, much to my surprise, "I do have some wonders about Her, too. I guess it''s for the best." "Me? What do you want to know? I don''t even know much about myself anymore." I shrugged. After speaking with him for only a short amount of time, I already felt like I was talking to a new person. A part of me rejoiced because there might be a possibility that he wasn''t the same Eli that I knew, but another part of me felt like my whole world had just crumbled. "Your purpose." He stated firmly. "My purpose?" I parroted back, thinking that I might''ve misheard. "Why did youe here?" He asked and took a step forward towards me, before getting blocked off by general Zhang, "ever since you came here, the missions are progressing in a weird way. Are you a dark horse that will slowly bring doom to this world, or are you someone that brings hope into this world?" Me? "Uh, neither." I quickly answered with a t expression. "What?" Eli flinched, probably not expecting my dry answer. "You''re asking about the extremes. Most people fall into the middle zone, not the extremes. You do realize that I''m only a newbie here who doesn''t have a huge influence, right?" I sighed, "so why do you expect me to have a big role? I''m probably just another NPC in your story, since you''re some kind of a big shot here, and that''s okay to me. At least I''m my own main character." " That''s exactly why I''m confused," he let out a sigh that was deeper than mine, "you''re I don''t know, you''re like a newly-hatched duckling, and yet the course of the missions isforget it, I''m getting another headache just by looking at you." "Huh? Did he just insult my face?" I turned towards Luke as I felt a vein popped on my forehead. "PfftHahahahah!" The golden-eyed man justughed and rolled on the ground instead of helping me. "Alrighty! Everything aside, it seems like we''ll be working with each other from now on~" General Zhang pped his hands together and averted the topic skillfully. I opened my mouth to protest since we haven''t heard the other members'' opinions, but surprisingly, everyone else looked pretty okay with it. By pretty okay, I meant there was almost no reaction from them. Only a slight eyebrow raise and a sigh from Owen, and none from general Enzo. Huh, perhaps general Zhang was unexpectedly reliable in making this kind of decision? "Good. If you''ve decided, then hurry up and im this throne." Eli exhaled, as if his energy was drained just by talking to us. I had a feeling that our cooperation wouldn''t go as smoothly as nned "Well, mind telling us how to im the throne, Mr. Know-it-all~?" General Zhang teased him by poking his arm a few times. Pretty weird to see them act like they were friends when thest time I saw them together, they were like strangers who were busy trying to kill each other. "Ugh. I''ve already told you before, haven''t I? Either the leader gives it to you, or you kill the leader. That''s why I advised you to not go against the elves, since they have this automatic session system. You won''t be able to get their throne unless you force them to give it to you." Eli sighed and rubbed his temples. "Hey, it wasn''t my idea, it was hers," general Zhang giggled and pointed at me, "but it went well, though~" "Hers?" Eli peeked at me, before turning away again, "this is what I meant by changing theugh, whatever." " He''s so grumpy." I muttered under my breath, which Eli apparently heard since he was now shooting a sharp re at me. "Not that, edgy princey~ I mean, where is this minotaur leader that you speak of?" General Zhang chuckled and looked around us. "Not too far from here. I''ve taken care of him for you." Eli replied and with one jump, he managed to get out of the hole that we''ve made before. "Ooh~ So you already knew that we were going to ept your proposal? Scary~" General Zhang teased him and followed him out of the hole, but not before grabbing the three of us, me and the other two generals, to help us get out of the hole. "I didn''t. I just figured that you weren''t stupid enough to reject my proposal," Eli shrugged, "if you didn''t ept, I''d just kill the minotaur leader myself, so you''ll have no choice but to take the elves'' throne, reducing both of your numbers." "Spooky~ So relentless." General Zhang giggled in response. "Well, if you didn''t ept, we would be enemies in the next mission anyway." The dark-haired man replied as he started to walk, to which we followed. "What''s the next mission about?" The carefree general asked while he threw the three of us onto the ground once we were out of the hole already. "Ack! So rough!" I protested and rubbed my head that hit the floor uponnding. After ring at me for god-knows-why, Eli finally opened his mouth to say, "our next mission is" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!