Episode 311
“Lower your weapons. I’m not an enemy of the Highlanders.”
Despite Zeke’s words, the man wielding dual swords and the warrior with the bastard sword remained silent. They seemed to be weighing his words, unsure whether to trust him.
‘Always so suspicious.’
The two Highlanders before him were people Zeke had known in a past life.
‘Adnan and Bodmir. It’s been a while.’
Adnan was a warrior from Ishtar who had taught Zeke about poisons and martial arts, while Bodmir was a northern warrior who had fought alongside him against barbarian tribes and beasts in the Giant Mountains.
Highlanders were a secretive group, forbidden from interacting with outsiders after their pact, so few knew of their existence. They only emerged to hunt beasts on orders from the High Table, then waited for their next mission.
Because of this, even among themselves, Highlanders had little interaction, making them wary when an outsider mentioned them.
Zeke slowly retrieved a mirror given to him by the Sage of Stories from his inventory.
“There’s no need for alarm. I know about the Highlanders because the Sage of Stories from the High Table told me.”
He tossed the mirror in front of the two men.
They kept their swords trained on Zeke, not lowering their guard. Bodmir prodded the mirror with his sword, then glanced at Adnan.
“Seems genuine enough.”
At Bodmir’s words, Adnan relaxed his stance and picked up the mirror from the ground. When he removed his hood, his face was revealed—dark skin and scars, just as Zeke remembered from his past life.
After examining the mirror, Adnan tossed it back to Zeke.
“My name is Zeke Draker,” Zeke said.
Bodmir, with his bear-like build and thick beard, sheathed his bastard sword and laughed.
“Haha! So you’re the one who snatched the dragon from Lord Nigel.”
Adnan, still cautious, asked Zeke, “What brings a knight of Draker here?”
Just as in the past, Adnan was meticulous and suspicious. Highlanders always worked in pairs, and Adnan’s thorough nature often paired him with the more free-spirited Bodmir, a decision made by the High Table.
‘My mentor said the other High Tables found it bothersome and left it all to the leader.’
Recalling the past, Zeke addressed Adnan.
“A sudden monster appearance has trapped the leaders of the Joins and Beastfolk, along with our knights. I’m here to help them escape.”
Bodmir nodded at this explanation.
“Sounds like something the dragon-snatcher would do.”
Adnan pointed to the hunting dogs behind them and asked, “And those guys?”
“As you can see, they’re enemies. They’re the Emperor Rom’s personal unit, known as the Hounds.”
“So you’re saying you have nothing to do with the monsters and beasts here?”
“Exactly. If it were my doing, I wouldn’t be going through all this trouble.”
Yet Adnan’s suspicion lingered.
‘So difficult.’
Zeke clicked his tongue inwardly and asked Adnan, “Are they all dead? If any are alive, I’d like to interrogate them.”
“We don’t operate that way.”
For Highlanders, secrecy was paramount. The moment the Hounds saw them, they were as good as dead.
‘Adnan is difficult, but at least he’s reasonable. It might be wise to enlist the Highlanders’ help.’
Zeke spoke to Adnan again.
“The Sage of Stories mentioned that Highlanders are specialized in hunting beasts.”
He paused before continuing.
“We need to pass through a monster-infested canyon to return to the autonomous district. If you can assist us, we’ll compensate you.”
Adnan glared at Zeke and replied, “You misunderstand the Highlanders. We’re not mercenaries who hunt beasts for outsiders.”
Bodmir interjected, “We do it sometimes, just for pocket money.”
Adnan shot Bodmir a sharp look, and Bodmir turned away, whistling nonchalantly.
Zeke addressed Adnan, “Aren’t you here on a mission to deal with the beasts anyway? We have strong knights, Joins, Beastfolk, and Barbarians on our side. Plus, I can wield the power of light, which is advantageous for hunting beasts.”
Bodmir, intrigued, asked, “Power of light? What’s that?”
Zeke drew his sword, Roland, and activated his light aura.
A gentle hum filled the air as a soft glow enveloped Bodmir and Adnan.
“Wow!”
Bodmir swung his now-luminous bastard sword with fascination.
Adnan, observing Zeke, remarked, “With such power, you shouldn’t need our help.”
“Even with this power, leading hundreds through a monster-filled canyon isn’t easy. You seem familiar with such tasks, so I thought you might know a safe path. Escorting us would be even better.”
Zeke’s suggestion was based on Bodmir’s abilities. In his past life, Zeke had seen Bodmir’s skill in finding hidden paths during their missions in the Giant Mountains.
‘The system map shows the general terrain, but not hidden paths… I can’t figure it out. Bodmir should know a safe route.’
Adnan asked Zeke, “What do we gain by accepting your proposal?”
“I’ll draw their attention, making it easier for you to hunt the beasts.”
Adnan pondered Zeke’s offer, then looked at Bodmir, who nodded in agreement.
Adnan, after a moment of thought, told Zeke, “Knight of Draker, we’ll accept your proposal. We’ll show you the way, but we can’t escort you. We have our own mission.”
Zeke was slightly surprised at how easily Adnan accepted his proposal.
‘I expected more resistance.’
Bodmir approached Zeke, extending a hand as large as a bear’s paw.
“Haha. The dragon-snatcher. I’ve always wanted to meet you. You’re younger than I expected. I’m Bodmir, and that prickly one is Adnan. He’s a bit sensitive, so be careful.”
Zeke shook Bodmir’s hand.
“Meeting Highlanders here is quite unexpected.”
Bodmir nodded at Zeke’s words.
“Same here. We didn’t expect beasts to suddenly appear here. It’s our first mission in this area.”
In Zeke’s memory, the two had never been dispatched to the ghetto region in his past life.
‘They wouldn’t have sent Adnan and Bodmir just for a simple beast hunt.’
Adnan, standing behind, spoke to Zeke.
“We accepted your proposal to complete our mission.”
“Hunting beasts isn’t your mission?”
“That’s a given for Highlanders. The High Table issued a separate directive.”
Bodmir, surprised, interjected, “Hey, Adnan. Should you be telling an outsider that?”
Adnan clicked his tongue.
“Bodmir, read the pact rules carefully. It’s a rule to inform those we cooperate with about related missions.”
Bodmir scratched his head.
“Was that in there? The rules are too complicated. As long as you know them, it’s fine.”
Adnan shook his head and turned back to Zeke.
“The higher-ups suspect a dimensional rift has formed here.”
Zeke furrowed his brow at Adnan’s words.
‘If that’s true, it’s troublesome.’
Though Zeke knew what a dimensional rift was, he feigned ignorance and asked Adnan, “What’s a dimensional rift?”
“It’s a gap between dimensions. From it, dark energy seeps out, and most beasts are monsters or animals transformed by exposure to it.”
While common knowledge among Highlanders, this was a closely guarded secret from the outside world. If revealed, it could be exploited, as seen with the current empire, so the Highlanders strictly controlled this information.
Zeke, knowing about the Sage of Stories and the Highlanders, was being told this much.
Most beasts crossed over from the Giant Mountains, and the High Table speculated that a massive dimensional rift behind the mountains was the source of the dark energy corrupting the beasts that crossed over.
Rumors among Highlanders suggested that the High Table’s leader was sealing the rift, and over time, the frequency of beast appearances would naturally decrease, though this was unconfirmed.
‘If a rift has formed here, it might infect the monsters with dark energy, turning them into beasts. If ancient or aberrant species appear…’
As the rift widens, not only dark energy but also unholy entities trapped in the abyss might emerge.
These were stronger than regular beasts, including ancient and aberrant species.
Zeke glanced at Adnan and spoke.
“So, our mission is to close that dimensional rift?”
Adnan nodded in agreement. “Exactly. We also need to figure out how they managed to open it in the first place.”
“Perfect,” Zeke replied. “As I mentioned earlier, I’ll create a distraction. Once our team passes through the canyon, I’ll set off magical bombs to throw them into further disarray.”
Bodmir grinned at Zeke’s words. “I like your style. Zeke Draker, was it? You’re not bad for a Draker.”
Adnan also approved of Zeke’s plan. “Alright, let’s go with that.”
Leaving Adnan and Bodmir behind, Zeke returned to the base alone.
The base was littered with the corpses of the beasts they had defeated. Thanks to Zeke’s buffs, they had managed to fend off the attacking creatures with relative ease.
Zeke informed Helen, Crouching Flame’s Song, and Big Joe that he had found a way through the canyon, avoiding the monsters.
When Big Joe asked how he discovered a path they hadn’t known about, Zeke hesitated for a moment before answering.
“While scouting the area, I stumbled upon a hidden path revealed by a phoenix.”
The mention of a phoenix, a symbol of good fortune, was enough to convince Big Joe and even Crouching Flame’s Song. Helen, too, nodded in agreement, though Zeke wondered why she was so easily convinced.
‘It’s one thing for them, but why her too?’
The phoenix was a convenient excuse for situations that were hard to explain otherwise.
With the situation settled, Zeke led the group along the path Bodmir had indicated, deeper into the canyon.
There, they found a cave cleverly concealed behind a rock.
‘No wonder it couldn’t be found on any map.’
The entrance was narrow, but the cave expanded as they ventured further in.
As Zeke examined the terrain with his map, he realized the cave network spread throughout the entire canyon like an ant colony.
‘This isn’t a natural formation. It seems to have been artificially constructed long ago.’
Ancient structures and thousands of monsters summoned from the demon realm filled his mind with a realization.
‘Could this have been the stronghold of the Demon King’s army during their war with the Chronos Alliance?’
Zeke recalled that the Kingdom of Chronos once stood where Baranaon is now.
If the Demon King’s army had stationed their forces to attack Chronos, this location would have been ideal, right on Chronos’s doorstep.
‘So, these monsters weren’t brought from the Forest of the Forgotten but directly from here.’
Though he couldn’t fathom how they resurrected monsters from two millennia ago, the Highlanders suspected a dimensional rift was here, which made him suspicious.
Just then, something caught the eye of the ghostly scouts Zeke had deployed.
‘Hunting dogs…’
Zeke felt his hypothesis gaining more weight.