Tamed Calamity (2)
The valley was bustling with activity.
Despite having been the domain of a true dragon just days before, the maze-like ravines now echoed with the constant chatter of human voices.
“We’ll clear a path from here to there!”
“Break the big rocks into manageable pieces for later use, and load the smaller stones onto the carts right away!”
“Be careful of any cracks or caves in the cliffs! There might still be monsters lurking!”
The voices belonged to the crusaders.
Armed with chisels and hammers in their hands, weapons at their belts, and bags of tools slung over their shoulders, the knights were hard at work.
They were scattered in small squads, tidying up the entrance to the valley.
Clearing the debris from the battle and preparing the ground for a new path was their task.
Clang! Clang! Clatter. Clatter.
Though the knights had only arrived half a day ago, the work was progressing at an impressive pace.
While the crusaders cleared paths and set up temporary camps by the river, the paladins organized scouting parties to eliminate any remaining monsters, securing the area.
“Looks like they’re planning to build another fortress.”
Dalen observed the scene from atop his horse, deep in thought.
In the hundreds of times he had played through this scenario, there were occasions when the paladins expanded their territory like this.
Usually, they seized the opportunity when the Azure Dragon passed away naturally, advancing their forces beyond the Estra Fortress.
It was a sound strategy.
The outer regions of the rift were practically under the dragon’s control.
If they timed it right, they could successfully claim part of the rift’s depths.
“But timing is everything.”
If they advanced too early, they’d face a counterattack from the dragon’s still-intact forces.
Too late, and demons from deeper within the rift would have already taken over the dragon’s former territory.
Since no one could predict the exact moment of the dragon’s death, it was essentially a gamble.
Even if they managed to seize the land, holding onto it was another matter entirely.
“The paladins’ main purpose is to guard the rift’s entrance, not to venture inside.”
For the knights, who focused most of their strength on defending their territory, deciding to advance into the rift meant one thing.
It meant the entire continent was already in chaos, and they needed to strike a blow against the demons in the labyrinth.
Even if they managed to land a blow, the knights couldn’t withstand the greater calamity that would follow.
“Things are a bit different now, though.”
The end was accelerating, that much was clear.
Yet, Dalen had thwarted many of their major attempts.
Some demons must be feeling quite anxious.
They had tried to invade the continent years ahead of schedule, unable to bear the constantly shifting future.
But their efforts kept crumbling at the hands of one person.
For now, the situation was more favorable for the humans of the continent than in any previous cycle.
As the end floundered, the knights expanding their territory into the rift was a welcome development.
Clang! Clang!
Amidst the shouts, the sound of tools breaking rocks echoed.
Dalen slowly guided his horse through the noise of mules braying and carts clattering.
And then it happened.
“Aaaah!”
A scream reached his ears from deeper within the valley.
Roar!
“It’s a rock troll, fall back!”
“What the hell? I thought the patrol cleared them all!”
From within a narrow crevice in the cliff, the troll’s roar reverberated.
The crusaders, in the midst of their work, paled and retreated en masse.
Surrounding the crevice in a semicircle, they hastily dropped their tools and drew their weapons and thick ropes.
“Ah, ahhh!”
At that moment, a young crusader stumbled out from the crevice.
Barely in his late teens, his face was ashen, and he was on the verge of panic.
“Run, everyone! It’s a troll, a troll!”
“Larry! Over here!”
A middle-aged crusader leading the squad shouted. The boy snapped back to his senses and tried to run towards him.
But just then, a rock flew like lightning and grazed the boy’s leg.
“Aaaah!”
Blood splattered, and the boy fell to the ground.
As he scrambled to crawl away, a nearly three-meter-tall, muscular troll emerged from the crevice.
“Larry!”
The middle-aged crusader shouted, but even he couldn’t approach recklessly.
The rock troll’s skin was cracked like stone, its toughness akin to actual rock.
Unless one was a paladin who could enhance their body and weapons with holy sigils, stabbing it with a spear or sword was futile.
Groan, groan. Roar!
“Ah, ahhh!”
The crusader, clutching his shoulder, screamed as the troll reached out.
Its greedy eyes locked onto its prey, its grip strong enough to crush a human head in an instant.
“Ugh…”
The boy sensed death approaching.
He couldn’t even scream as he squeezed his eyes shut.
Thud—bang!
His hair fluttered. Something had sliced through the air.
The sound of a massive wedge splitting stone followed, and the boy cautiously opened his eyes.
And he saw it.
Roar!
The troll let out a final scream as its wrist fell to the ground.
Thud.
Green blood splattered everywhere, and the boy saw a gleaming blade embedded in the cliff.
Before he could comprehend what had happened, the blade pulled itself free from the cliff.
Whoosh!
A dark red flame ignited on the blade. It was a hand axe.
And in the next moment, the hand axe became a fiery disc, flying towards the rock troll.
Thud—squelch!
Like slicing through soft cheese, the disc effortlessly tore through the troll’s chest.
The boy’s gaze followed the brief flash of its trajectory, finally landing on a large mercenary standing behind his fellow crusaders.
“A mercenary…?”
Judging by the armor issued to outsiders by the knights, he was indeed a mercenary.
He casually wiped the axe with his cloak and tucked it into his belt.
After tapping the axe head a couple of times, he walked past the crusaders and approached the boy.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes…ugh.”
“You’re a bit hurt.”
The mercenary’s bear-like hands gently turned the boy over. There was no time to resist.
After inspecting the torn pants and the wound beneath, he pulled out a small vial from his pocket and opened it.
“Ugh!”
The sting of the healing potion flared up. The boy barely stifled a scream.
The mercenary emptied the last drop from the vial and skillfully wrapped the wound with a bandage.
“The bone’s fine. But the new muscle and flesh need to settle, so don’t run for a day. Just walk. And don’t lift anything heavy.”
“Y-yes. Thank you…oh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Y-your eyes…”
“Ah.”
The mercenary covered his eyes with his hand. After muttering something, he removed it.
The eyes that had been vertically slit and dark red were now ordinary black.
Ordinary, yet deep, with a gaze the boy felt he’d never forget.
“I’ll be going.”
Before the boy could express his gratitude, the mercenary stood up.
He approached the middle-aged crusader leading the squad and requested that the boy be allowed to rest for a day.
The crusader, visibly tense, nodded. The mercenary patted his shoulder and rode off.
“Safe travels!”
The squad leader shouted with a voice full of resolve as the mercenary departed.
The boy slowly got up and approached him. The squad leader’s expression was one the boy had never seen before.
Rigid body. Pale face.
It was the kind of expression the boy imagined he had worn just before the troll caught him.
“Sir, I’m completely healed. Just give me orders, and I can pull my weight.”
”…No. You need to rest. It’s his order.”
“Is he really that important?”
The boy scratched his head, puzzled by the squad leader’s demeanor.
While rock trolls were formidable, a powerful mage or paladin could handle one alone.
Of course, he’d never heard of a spell that could shatter a rock troll’s heart in a single blow. But the world was vast, and strange spells were plentiful.
The mercenary seemed to know a spell the boy didn’t, which was intriguing but not something to tremble over.
“You’ll never know. I saw it with my own eyes. Not long ago, when the order got caught up in the civil war, I witnessed how he slew the dragon and earned the title of Dragon Slayer.”
“What? A Dragon Slayer?”
The boy nearly bit his tongue in surprise, but the squad leader’s tale wasn’t over.
“Yes. High above the sanctuary, soaring through the sky without wings, he unleashed lightning from his holy sword. And that’s not even the end of it. Rumor has it…”
Gulp.
With trembling lips, the squad leader swallowed hard.
“They say he personally severed the head of the True Dragon, Cheongrin.”
After rescuing a young crusader teetering on the edge of boyhood and manhood, Dalen urged his horse deeper into the valley.
When he set out, the sun was high in the sky, but by the time he arrived, the sky had turned a shade of violet.
With a soft whinny, Dalen dismounted. He craned his neck to peer up at the cliff above.
His eyes, sharp and discerning, pierced through the illusion magic spread across the cliff’s midpoint.
“This is the place.”
Halfway up the cliff, a massive cave came into view.
Finding it had been easier than expected, likely due to the weakening barrier, its magic fading with its creator’s death.
Dalen bounced on his toes a few times, then pushed off the ground with force.
Boom―!
A pillar of dark crimson flames erupted beneath his feet.
The intense flames burst from his back as well, forming the faint shape of wings.
Dalen soared toward the cliff, his trajectory more akin to flight than a leap.
As he reached the barrier, he drew his sword without hesitation and slashed downward.
Rumble―!
Instead of lightning, flames poured from the sword’s tip, tearing through the already weakened barrier and illusion spells.
Amidst the shattered spells scattering like magical debris, Dalen landed at the cave entrance, grumbling.
“Damn it. Can’t control a thing.”
[…Wasn’t that intentional?]
“Intentional, my foot.”
Dalen shook his head.
The power of the dark crimson flames was undeniable, but the lack of control was a serious issue.
A simple leap had resulted in flame wings damaging his armor.
His lightning strike skill failed to produce its usual flash, replaced by flames instead.
Even when he saved the young crusader from a rock troll earlier, the moment he recalled his axe with the flying sword skill, the flames consumed it.
‘An uncontrollable power, no matter how strong, is a liability. The stronger it is, the more dangerous it becomes.’
For now, being in a secluded valley was fine.
But if he had to fight in a bustling city or a crowded battlefield, his current state would be a major problem.
Moreover, who would want to fight alongside someone who couldn’t control their power, indiscriminately scattering flames?
Considering he couldn’t face the impending doom alone, he needed to resolve this issue quickly.
‘It’s more urgent than I thought. Once the business with the order is done, I need to visit the Crow’s Nest.’
There was someone in the tavern of the Bronze District who could help with this problem.
Though asking for their help involved some risk, given the circumstances, he had no choice.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue, Dalen strode into the cave.
His steps were slightly more tense than usual.