I woke up and propped myself up. Glancing outside the entrance, I saw the dim twilight already settled in various spots around the camp.
‘Must be around dawn.’
I usually try to keep a steady daily rhythm, but this time it was impossible. Just because the war was over didn’t mean we could rest immediately.
The battlefield cleanup only finished at dawn, and the camp setup wasn’t done until morning. After that, I went back and forth several times to check on my brother’s condition with Baek Han-gyeol and An Sol. I only managed to catch some sleep around noon. That’s why waking up now felt awkwardly timed.
I stared blankly outside for a while, then slowly got up from the cot. Pulling back the curtain that covered half the entrance, a cool breeze blew in. It felt like my foggy mind was gradually clearing.
‘I should take a walk.’
I thought about visiting the wounded management tent but decided against it. Once or twice a day is fine, but more than that would just be a disturbance. Having slept well, I wasn’t sleepy anymore. Rather than sitting around doing nothing, I figured it’d be better to get some fresh air. Grabbing only my sword, I stepped out of the tent.
Apparently, many others had the same idea—quite a few users were already outside in the camp. Some were talking with serious expressions, others slumped in corners, looking dazed. The overall atmosphere was grim.
‘Well, it’s understandable.’
From what I overheard this morning, confirmed deaths had already surpassed 900. Including those whose bodies hadn’t been found, the number might exceed a thousand. Add the injured, and the total casualties skyrocketed. It was an enormous loss. No wonder the mood was so heavy.
“Hello, Mercenary Lord.”
“Ah, Mercenary Lord, thank you for your help.”
No one smiled, but whenever someone caught my eye, they politely expressed their gratitude. I don’t recall saying much, so maybe someone in my clan had briefed them beforehand. They were courteous, at least.
Our tents were near the fence, so it was easy to slip out of the camp’s outskirts. I wandered quietly with my arms crossed, feeling the night breeze. Eventually, I stopped and sat down somewhere suitable. Lost in thought, I pulled out a cigarette to pass the time.
Suddenly, slow, weary footsteps approached.
I quietly gripped my sword, but sensed no hostility. The footsteps drew closer to where I sat.
After a moment, the footsteps stopped right behind me, then fell silent. Someone sat down with a soft thud, leaning against my back. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Why don’t you stop clutching your sword so tightly? It’s scary.”
As expected, my brother’s voice came through. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the anticlimax.
“When did you wake up?”
“Four hours ago.”
“Four hours ago? Then why—”
“I came by about two hours after you woke, but you were sound asleep. Didn’t want to wake you.”
So he’d thought the same as I did.
“…Sigh.”
I felt his back shift slightly, then his upper body slumped onto the bushes beside me. His face, turned up to the night sky, looked somehow vacant.
He spoke.
“…In the end, I had to rely on your help.”
“You’re not mad, are you?”
His voice held no anger, but I asked just in case. He gave a bitter smile.
“Of course not. Without you, we wouldn’t have even made progress.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Oh, by the way, about that priest—”
“Don’t worry about An Sol. At least his life isn’t in danger.”
“I heard he’s in a coma. Not a game mechanic coma, but a real one. He got like that trying to save me.”
“Don’t blame yourself. If anyone’s at fault, it’s me for bringing him along. And they say comas from sudden shock often end with recovery.”
“Are you sure?”
“The priest—or rather, the former doctor—said so.”
He actually said “someday,” not “soon,” but I deliberately left that out. Didn’t want to burden him. My brother sighed deeply and turned halfway over, facing right.
“…I’m sorry.”
He muttered so quietly it sounded like a whisper. I said nothing, just lit the cigarette I’d been holding.
He was quiet. Normally, he’d have given me a hard time by now, but today, for some reason, he said nothing.
Silence settled between us.
“My abilities weren’t enough.”
After a while, his self-deprecating voice broke the quiet.
“I wasn’t afraid of anything in the Northern Continent… everything went as planned… I thought it would be the same this time…”
“…”
“Now I understand. How narrow-minded that was. I’m not fit to be the Supreme Commander.”
“…Hmm.”
Listening to him, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. I felt like I’d heard something similar before.
‘I think Mercenary Lord suits the Supreme Commander position better than me.’
…Was that Han So-young?
I spoke quietly.
“I told you. From the Steel Mountains onward, don’t think about the monsters from the Northern Continent. Well, except for the demigod descents. Those are special cases even in Atlanta.”
“Are there many giant monsters?”
“Quite a few. Like dwarves, beastmen, mermaids. Sometimes fairies wandering the forest, and so on. Not that they’re all giants, but they’re similar in that they form societies as distinct races.”
“Races, huh. So, in the first run, after their existence was revealed to us, what happened to them?”
I fell silent. Asking ‘what happened’ meant their futures—and none of them were good.
Dwarves, skilled with crafts, were forced into slave labor in forges. Beastmen were captured and reduced to pets—not the kind you keep like dogs or cats, but in a sexual sense. Occasionally, fairies from the Southern Continent’s forests wandered near Atlanta and got caught.
The captured fairies… well, you can imagine. Their beauty sealed their fate. I even heard of a user who made a fortune by establishing a brothel staffed entirely by fairies.
Mermaids fared worse. Half-human, half-fish, they became prized gourmet ingredients for their taste and health benefits.
As I rattled off these examples, my brother gave a bitter laugh. But it wasn’t unbelievable. Who says the cruelest animal on earth isn’t human?
“So, are you telling me all this just to make me rationalize myself?”
“What? I’m just answering because you asked.”
“Oh, right.”
“Whether you accept it is up to you. Or do you want me to comfort you?”
He turned back to face me, staring intently, then let out a light chuckle.
“No, no. Just… thanks.”
“Thanks? If you want to grow, you should try being a bit more resolute.”
“You’re right… Oh, by the way, I have something for you.”
“…?”
He pulled something from his pocket and held it out. It was a small stone with a subtle glow and a groove carved down the center. It looked like a smooth pebble.
“What’s this?”
“A token of the ancient priestess. You asked me to keep it safe, remember?”
My eyes widened involuntarily.
“This is the token of the ancient priestess?”
“Yeah. One of our clan members found it during the battlefield cleanup yesterday. Lucky, huh?”
“So…”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone, and I made sure they keep quiet. Even if it gets out, no one will say a word to you.”
That was true, but the topic was sensitive.
Despite some inner conflict, I decided to check the equipment info first and activated my Third Eye.
Ding!
『Additional information about the token of the ancient priestess, not recorded by the Third Eye’s effect, has been revealed.』
‘Huh?’
『Token of the Ancient Priestess.』
(General Description: The ancient priestesses, who wished to remain hidden and secluded from the world, prayed for eternal peace and order under the gods they served. Their powers are divided into three categories:
Secret arts based on sacred texts.
Tattoos based on engravings.
Divine possession based on divine speech.
Over time, these three powers separated and fell dormant in the world. The token of the ancient priestess contains the power of divine possession based on divine speech.)
(Additional Description: Though known as the token of the ancient priestess, this relic is actually a trace of the goddess of sorrow, Arianrod. The ancient priestess who formed a bond with the giants and partially lifted their curse was, in fact, Arianrod in a possessed state. After the Giant War, Arianrod maintained the curse steadily, but upon noticing the giants gradually developing resistance, she made a decisive choice. This token partially restores the giants’ strength but is essentially a divine relic that perpetuates the curse forever.)
‘So the partial restoration of power is just a side effect, and the main purpose is the eternal maintenance of the curse?’
The explanation made me tilt my head slightly in confusion, but since it didn’t really matter, I read the general description again.
“Power of divine possession based on sacred words.”
Just as I expected. This token was the final piece of the three powers of the ancient shaman.
Naturally, my mind drifted to that big, ample chest—no, to Im Hanna.
The power of the ritual incantations came from Mule. That’s how I inherited the rare class of the Twilight Shaman. The power of the engraved tattoos was a gift from the ancient hero we met during the last expedition to the dragon’s slumbering mountain range. And now, having discovered the divine possession power as well…
“A secret class.”
In truth, secret classes that require collecting all the pieces to inherit don’t always show overwhelming strength at the rare class stage.
But on the flip side, when all the pieces come together, the synergy between each power can unleash terrifying strength. In other words, that’s when the true power finally awakens.
With that thought, I ended up accepting the token of the ancient shaman. Adding a powerful secret class to the mercenary clan was definitely something to welcome. Of course, that didn’t mean I planned to hand it over right away. The conquest wasn’t over until we discovered Atlanta.
“Well, at least I can take some credit for giving it.”
“Thanks. I’ll put it to good use.”
“Thanks, huh… By the way, Suhyun.”
That was when my brother, who had been fiddling with the token of the ancient shaman with a big grin, suddenly called me over in a low voice. Earlier, his tone had been a bit weak, but now it was clearer.
“I’m just asking out of curiosity.”
Slowly sitting up, he looked me straight in the eyes, which shone brightly.
“You know the giants, right? You said before that if you had the chance, you’d want to make one your ally.”
“Yeah? That’s right. Though it’s pretty much impossible.”
“Well then. Suppose you were leading this conquest, and during it, you actually met a giant you really wanted to recruit as an ally…”
“…If I met one?”
“Would you have even tried? I mean, tried to make a giant your ally.”
“No.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant at first, but it was a question that didn’t require much thought, so I answered immediately. He narrowed his eyes and stared at me, as if surprised I answered so easily.
I shrugged.
“I told you. There was a failed attempt in the first run. If it doesn’t work, there’s a reason.”
“Is that so…”
He seemed to ponder for a moment, then muttered quietly.
“Alright, I get it.”
Suddenly, he sprang to his feet and held out his hand, as if telling me to get up too.
“Let’s head back for now.”
“Huh? What’s with the sudden change?”
“Not sudden at all. Things are going to get busy starting tomorrow. We’ll march at dawn, take over the giants’ territory, and immediately start building a fortress.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
It wasn’t wrong, so I grasped his hand and stood up.
After returning to camp on good terms with my brother, I went into my tent and forced myself to sleep, though sleep wouldn’t come.
The next day.
Just as he said at dawn, my brother immediately broke camp and began the march. Within less than an hour, the northern expedition force discovered and took control of the giants’ territory.
At last, the official conquest of the Steel Mountain Range’s third region was complete.
---------------------------= Author’s Afterword =---------------------------
Actually, between Thursday, July 31, and Friday, August 1, I went on a trip to the provinces with a representative from Joara. There were a couple of funny episodes along the way.
Joara rep: So, what about today’s serialization? Did you schedule it in advance?
Roh Yujin: No. I uploaded the last chapter past 3 a.m. I started writing again at 4, but didn’t finish.
Joara rep: So, is it a break then?
Roh Yujin: Haha, no. I wrote about 2,000 characters already. I brought my ultrabook and USB. I’ll finish the rest on the train.
Joara rep: Hahahahaha.
Roh Yujin: Ah…
Joara rep: Hahaha. Just take a break. It can’t be helped.
Roh Yujin: No way. I took a break once after four consecutive chapters… I don’t want to get into the habit.
Joara rep: Okay, then fighting! I’ll do my best to distract you. Hahaha.
Roh Yujin: T.T
(Though they said they’d distract me, they actually did the opposite. I wrote on the train, in the company meeting room, even in the sleeping quarters. I actually experienced what you all call “canned writing.”)
Anyway, I finally finished writing at 11:31 p.m., scheduled the upload, and went drinking with the Joara rep. :)
Joara rep: Hey, look at this comment. They say the author’s love scenes aren’t good.
Roh Yujin: Ugh… I admit that. I’ve heard it a lot. I’m a love scene novice.
Joara rep: Hahaha.
Roh Yujin: Hmm, let’s see the other comments…
That’s when the mood shifted.
Joara rep: ……
Roh Yujin: Haha.
Joara rep: ………
Roh Yujin: Huh?
Joara rep: ………………
Roh Yujin: Haha!
All in all, it was a couple of days full of hilarious moments! :)