Episode 98

The hunting dog bitten by the Gurav soon drew its last breath.

Zeke wondered why the Empire’s hunting dogs were roaming around here.

“They might be chasing Karus, but there could also be ancient ruins nearby.”

The mad emperor of the Rom Empire was obsessed with scouring every ancient ruin across the continent.

Zeke wasn’t sure if Julius, the consul, had the authority to deploy hunting dogs, but if they were indeed pursuing Zeke and his group, crossing the border would become even more challenging.

Soon, Boris and Simon awoke, and they were startled to see the dead hunting dog.

“Simon, are there any ancient ruins around here?”

Simon nodded in response.

“Yes, there are quite a few hidden dungeons near the border.”

Zeke felt a bit relieved by Simon’s answer.

But he couldn’t let his guard down.

The hunting dogs were also imperial knights. They could be mobilized at any moment to trap them.

“We should get out of here as quickly as possible.”

Zeke woke Karus and headed straight for the tunnel.

The tunnel Simon mentioned, which crossed the border, was an old smuggling route.

Before Ishtar issued an expulsion order, the cartel used this route to send all their soma here.

Back then, it wasn’t the syndicate but outlaws who guided the way.

Simon knew about this tunnel because he had helped transport the cartel’s drugs here during his time as an outlaw.

“We’re almost there.”

Beyond the wasteland, a small village with earthen walls came into view.

Zeke cautiously entered the village.

Simon said he would meet a broker and disappeared into the village.

Zeke and his group went to a restaurant Simon had pointed out earlier.

Karus, slumped at the table, spoke up.

“Ugh. I just want something warm to eat, anything but dry rations.”

Crossing the wasteland, they had only eaten dry food, leaving their mouths parched.

Soon, the food Karus wished for arrived. It was heavily spiced but edible.

Karus, abandoning his royal dignity, devoured the food voraciously.

“Better than those noble brats who throw tantrums over food they don’t like.”

Zeke was grateful that Karus was a down-to-earth royal.

After finishing their meal and taking a short rest, Zeke sensed an unusual tension in the air.

“This isn’t good.”

As he expected, a group of men entered the restaurant.

Judging by their swords, they seemed to be from the central continent.

“Hunting dogs.”

It seemed the hunting dogs searching for ruins had come to the village for a meal.

Zeke signaled Boris and Karus to cover their faces and look away.

Just as they were about to quietly leave their seats, someone called out to Zeke.

“Hey, you.”

Glancing back, Zeke saw it wasn’t the newly arrived hunting dogs but one of the outlaws in the restaurant approaching him.

“You’re a new face. Where are you from?”

Zeke, keeping his face hidden, replied in a southern dialect.

“I’m with the syndicate. And you, where do you belong?”

The mention of the syndicate made the outlaw flinch momentarily, then he grinned and approached Zeke again.

“These days, everyone claims to be with the syndicate. You think that scares me, kid?”

He was just a thug looking to rob travelers entering the village.

Zeke was more concerned about the hunting dogs at the inner table.

“I don’t want any trouble. What do you want?”

The outlaw, with a smug expression, replied.

“Hand over everything you’ve got. Let’s see what you’ve got, and maybe the boss will decide what to do.”

Zeke nodded reluctantly.

“Fine. Most of it is on the horse. Let’s go.”

The outlaw, gleeful, followed Zeke to the stables.

Zeke tossed a pouch from the horse to the outlaw.

“Wow, it’s pretty heavy. Let’s see what’s insi—”

Before he could finish, Zeke struck the outlaw’s neck, knocking him out cold.

Zeke led the horse to where Karus and Boris were waiting.

But the hunting dogs, who had been quietly eating, were now approaching Zeke.

“Hey, you. Come here for a second.”

Zeke hesitated for a moment before approaching the hunting dog with his face still covered.

“What can I do for you?”

“I heard you say you’re with the syndicate. What are smugglers doing here?”

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t been recognized.

Zeke slowly concocted a story.

“The route to the central continent was suddenly blocked, so we came here to detour through the desert.”

One of the hunting dogs eyed Zeke suspiciously, then approached Karus, who seemed different from the others.

“You, take off your robe.”

The hunting dog reached to pull off Karus’s robe.

At that moment—

Thunk!

Zeke drew a dagger and hurled it at the hunting dog’s hand.

He then swiftly unsheathed his iron sword and slashed the neck of the hunting dog in front of him.

Swish!

The sudden death of their comrade left the hunting dogs momentarily stunned.

“Get them!”

Boris drew his sword and stabbed a hunting dog from behind as it shouted.

Zeke threw a dagger at a hunting dog trying to flee.

In the blink of an eye, three hunting dogs lay dead in the restaurant.

Boris approached Zeke.

“Boss, it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered.”

“Leave the horses and head to where Simon is. We need to get through the tunnel quickly.”

Zeke gathered Karus and ran towards Simon’s location.

But then, other outlaws began to chase after Zeke’s group.

“The ten-thousand-gold bounty is escaping!”

It seemed bounty hunters had also arrived here.

Zeke used a flashbang skill on the pursuing outlaws.

Flash!

“Argh!”

The outlaws exposed to the flashbang writhed on the market floor.

As they crossed the market to reach the tavern Simon mentioned—

“Boss!”

Simon came running towards Zeke.

“What happened?”

“The bounty hunters are already on our tail. The hunting dogs caught our scent too. Can we enter the tunnel now?”

“There’s no guide, but we can enter.”

“I’ll find the way, so let’s go quickly.”

Zeke followed Simon towards the tunnel.

The village had been built around the tunnel, so the entrance was closer than expected.

The entrance was inside an old well.

A guard stood watch in front of it.

Simon showed a token he received from the broker, and the guard nodded, allowing them to enter the well.

Simon went in first, followed by the others.

Whoosh!

Once inside, they found a narrow tunnel leading from the bottom of the well.

It was astonishing to think that just a few years ago, this tunnel had been used to transport drugs from the south to the central continent.

Zeke opened his map to navigate the tunnel’s complex paths.

“I’ll lead the way. Simon, stay at the back and protect Karus.”

Thanks to the map, Zeke could navigate the tangled tunnel without getting lost.

Soon, the narrow path opened into a wider passage.

Simon spoke to Zeke.

“Boss, if we keep going this way, we’ll cross the border.”

Zeke’s group continued down the long tunnel.

It was hard to believe that humans had managed to carve out such an extensive tunnel.

After walking for quite some time, a commotion erupted from behind.

“There they are!”

It seemed there was more than one entrance to the tunnel.

Armed outlaws were pursuing Zeke’s group.

Simon, observing them, spoke to Zeke.

“The one leading them is the Desert Reaper, a rather notorious outlaw.”

“Simon, protect Karus. Boris, stick close behind me!”

Zeke immediately drew his iron sword and charged forward.

Whoosh!

Using too powerful a technique could risk collapsing the tunnel, so Zeke had to rely on swordsmanship alone to deal with the outlaws.

Zeke swung his sword with force.

Thud!

The Desert Reaper, clashing with Zeke’s sword, was sent flying and embedded into the wall.

Boris also wielded his sword against the outlaws, taking on several at once.

Zeke shouted to Boris.

“Boris! Cover your ears and fall back.”

At Zeke’s command, Boris rolled back.

Simultaneously, Zeke used his dissonance skill.

Ziiing!

A strange sound reverberated around Zeke, causing the outlaws to stagger back in pain.

“Is it magic?”

Though it was a skill Zeke used, to them, it seemed like magic.

Zeke’s sword swept through the disoriented outlaws.

“Ugh!”

Even the famed Desert Reaper was no match for Zeke, who was leagues above him, leaving only small fry behind.

Zeke personally beheaded the Desert Reaper, and Boris finished off the remaining outlaws.

Zeke sheathed his sword and spoke.

“Boris, let’s move quickly.”

Zeke’s group resumed their swift pace through the tunnel.

But the outlaws continued their relentless attacks on Zeke’s group.

Slash!

Zeke’s sword cut through the outlaws, clearing a path.

The tunnel floor was soaked with the blood of the outlaws.

Boris, having swung his sword continuously, showed signs of fatigue, but Zeke, with his infinite stamina, continued to dispatch the enemies.

“If it weren’t for my infinite stamina, we’d be in big trouble.”

Zeke handed out stamina potions to his companions and continued toward the tunnel exit.

It was just as they finally reached the exit that Zeke felt a chill run down his spine.

“This… feels like magic.”

Sure enough, spells came flying at them from outside the tunnel.

Crackle! Boom!

Lightning and fireballs rained down on Zeke and his group.

“Get down!”

Zeke shielded Karus and activated his dragon-scale armor.

Once the explosions subsided, he stood up and turned to Simon.

“Keep Karus safe. I’ll deal with the mages.”

Donning his iron armor, Zeke dashed out of the tunnel.

“He’s out! Attack!”

The mages unleashed a barrage of spells at Zeke the moment he emerged.

In this lawless land, you could find all sorts, including battle mages.

Fireballs, lightning, and energy bolts came at him just like before.

But his shield automatically deflected the magic.

Vwoom!

As soon as the shield’s effect ended, Zeke charged at the mages with his sword drawn.

He reached out and used his magic reflection skill.

The distortion in the magical field left the mages flustered, unable to cast their spells properly.

“W-What’s happening?”

Zeke swiftly cut them down with his sword.

After quickly dispatching the mages, he noticed the outlaws behind them looking bewildered.

“Those bastards! They said they were Delphoa mages, but it was all lies!”

The battle mages Zeke had defeated seemed to be deserters from the Delphoa Magic Corps.

He then turned his attention to the remaining outlaws and took them down as well.

“Phew.”

Even with his seemingly endless stamina, Zeke had his limits.

He was beginning to feel the strain. The rapid pace had prevented him from using his gluttony ability to recover, leaving him mentally exhausted.

“If I suddenly black out, it’ll be even more dangerous.”

Zeke signaled for his companions to come out.

Boris brought over the horses the outlaws had been using.

Simon spoke to Zeke.

“Boss, if we ride for about two days, we can reach a village before entering the Forest of the Forgotten, beyond Ishtar’s territory.”

“Let’s head there, regroup, and then follow the forest’s edge into the Duchy of Troy.”

“That seems wiser than heading into the desert.”

“Alright, let’s change our route.”

Though it was a longer path, entering the desert, where Karus was a target, was akin to a death wish.

As Zeke and his group urged their horses toward the border, they sensed something rapidly closing in behind them.

Zeke enhanced his vision with his dragon eyes to identify the pursuers.

A curse slipped from his lips.

“Damn it, the Empire’s hounds are on us.”

It seemed the three they had killed in the tavern had led to their trail being discovered.

They pushed their horses harder, but the stolen mounts couldn’t outrun the Empire’s warhorses.

Soon, the hounds caught up with them.

Thwip!

One of the hounds fired a crossbow bolt.

Zeke, riding at the rear, swung his sword to deflect it.

He shouted to Simon.

“Keep going! Once we get closer to Ishtar’s territory, those hounds won’t be able to follow!”

Zeke lagged slightly behind, throwing daggers at the pursuing hounds.

Thud!

The daggers, charged with his power, slowed the hounds’ advance.

But then, another dust cloud rose beside them.

A new group of outlaws was charging in from the side.