Shaaah.
A gentle breeze swept through the forest. The sharp, metallic stench of blood flooded my nostrils.
How much time had passed?
The sun had fully risen, casting bright light over the pitch-black woods. I casually brushed my blade clean and glanced around. The entire area was soaked in blood and chunks of flesh. Countless corpses lay scattered everywhere, too many to count. Pools of blood had formed from the endless flow.
As I looked around, some bodies caught my eye for being particularly gruesome. Charred blackened corpses struck by lightning were almost tame in comparison. The aftermath of Vivian’s beast legion or Gong Chanho’s rampage was enough to make me chuckle bitterly. The bodies torn apart by the beasts looked like minced meat, while those attacked by Gong Chanho had one or two places brutally blown apart.
Unless there was some overwhelmingly powerful warrior, I wasn’t particularly impressed by this battle. Even if I had no strong feelings about it from the start, it seemed like those two were competing to see who could kill more cruelly.
I shifted my gaze and saw Gong Chanho slumped in the middle of the clearing, gripping his Surama spear tightly, lost in thought.
I had a pretty good idea what he was thinking. When I blocked his strike earlier, I hadn’t intended to meet it head-on but to deflect it at an angle. Then suddenly, Gehenna’s protective fortress activated, a crimson veil enveloped my blade, and his attack was completely nullified.
That’s when I realized that as long as I had Gehenna’s protective fortress, it could manifest not only on my body but also through the items I wielded.
This was a new discovery even to me, but it wasn’t entirely good news. As Gehenna had warned, blocking that one strike had consumed an enormous amount of magical power.
Still, at least he wasn’t throwing a tantrum over a single blocked attack like last time. The fact that he was thinking like that showed some growth in Gong Chanho’s inner self.
“952 corpses… 431 survivors…”
A voice muttered suddenly. It was my older brother. After the battle, he had been surveying the area a few times and was now counting the numbers.
He approached me, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
“I don’t know how many came, but it looks like we’ve dealt with all the outlaws who entered the Pitch-Black Forest. User casualties are exactly 47. Looks like the outlaws killed them before we arrived.”
“Did we make any mistakes?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. Luckily, they picked their targets well.”
“Hmm…”
He kept pointing behind him. Across the way, the users from the Western Continent we had rescued were huddled together, while An Hyun and Shin Jaeryong moved among them, checking on the wounded. The occasional sideways glance reflected relief at being alive mixed with an unspoken fear.
“Good work. Now, if we can get them safely to the city, the mission will be over.”
I didn’t put much meaning into this beyond the mission itself. We hadn’t rescued everyone, but we’d saved most of them. Now all that was left was to escort them to the nearest city and collect the reward. They promised a fair payment, so once it was decided, they’d probably send a summons through the local messenger.
I clapped my hands lightly a couple of times, feeling satisfied.
“All right. Then… huh?”
Just as I was about to suggest we head back, I caught sight of An Hyun helping a woman to her feet. Looking closer, I recognized her as the woman I had covered with a robe earlier—her lower body wrapped tightly in the fabric.
They exchanged a few words before starting toward me.
Wait a minute. An Hyun talked to a Western Continent user?
The woman who approached with An Hyun smiled gently and bowed politely. Though dust-covered, her golden hair still shimmered, and the delicate, pale nape of her neck reminded me of a graceful deer.
Her calm demeanor was surprising—unlike the other Western Continent users, she wasn’t overwhelmed by anxiety.
She lifted her head, and the sunlight caught her face, making it glow. Her thick, golden hair cascaded in soft S-shaped waves past her shoulders. Against her fair skin and distinctly Western figure, she exuded an elegant yet striking presence.
Her eyes, sharp and intelligent, met mine.
“Hello. I’m Sarah Jane. Thank you for rescuing us.”
Her Korean was a little awkward but understandable.
Curious, I activated my third eye.
Name: Sarah Jane (4th year)
Class: Normal Mage (Master)
Nation: Western Continent
Clan: None
True Name / Nationality: White-maned horse / United States
Gender: Female (22)
Height / Weight: 174.2 cm / 57.8 kg
Alignment: Good / Brightness
[Strength 45] [Endurance 46] [Agility 48] [Stamina 52] [Magic Power 92] [Luck 86]
<Achievements (0)>
<Special Abilities (1/1)>
<Potential Abilities (4/4)>
Traditional Magic (Rank: A+++)
Magic Circuit Application (Rank: B+)
Instant Spellcasting (Rank: A0)
–
[Strength 36] [Endurance 40] [Agility 42] [Stamina 35] [Magic Power 94 (+1)] [Luck 81]
[Strength 45] [Endurance 46] [Agility 48] [Stamina 52] [Magic Power 92] [Luck 86]
Reading her stats, I couldn’t help but admire her. Sarah Jane was the epitome of a mage. Her stats were solid.
What surprised me most was that she hadn’t unlocked one of her potential ability slots yet. Someone at her level wouldn’t have left that unused by accident—it seemed deliberate, for some purpose. My perception that the group was just a bunch of nobodies shifted slightly.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Su-hyun. Do you speak Korean?”
“Yes. I know a little Korean and like it. I studied hard on my own when I was in college.”
I extended my hand lightly, and Sarah Jane cautiously took it.
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
At that moment, as if she’d been watching from somewhere, An Sol suddenly ran over, interrupting with sparkling eyes and an excited voice.
“Hey hey! Do you know kimchi?”
Dude.
That was a pretty random—and maybe even rude—question. But Sarah Jane quickly composed herself and smiled warmly.
“Yes, I know it. I like kimchi.”
“Wow! Then do you know bulgogi?”
“Yes. It’s really delicious. I eat it often.”
“Ohhh! Then do you know baekm… uh!”
I quickly swung my fist and smacked the head that had suddenly popped in beside me. What was he trying to say?
“Hey, hyung… that hurts…”
An Hyun clutched his head, shooting me a look of protest, but when I glared back, he lowered his head and backed off. Honestly, after a good fight, these guys just can’t help themselves.
“…tsk.”
Sarah Jane looked around blankly for a moment, then covered her mouth and bowed her head, cheeks flushing. I quietly spoke.
“We’re a rescue team. We came on a mission from the angels to save you.”
“Angels?”
“Also called helpers.”
“Oh, I know that term. I have a hunch.”
I understood what she meant—something like “I have a feeling about that.”
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
“By the way, I’m curious—before meeting us, did you ever encounter any users from the Northern Continent?”
“Huh? No, I haven’t.”
I asked on a whim, thinking of Maeng Ah-ra, but Sarah Jane shook her head wide-eyed. That likely meant the Western Continent migration incident and the Northern Continent guardian disappearance were unrelated.
“I see. Well, understood. Then we’ll escort you safely to the city.”
“Really? Thank you so much!”
“No problem. It’s part of the mission anyway.”
“Hyung, what will you do after you take us to the city?”
An Hyun, not wanting to be left out, jumped in again.
I sighed inwardly and answered.
“Well, I guess we’ll head to the temple—or rather, the summoning chamber. Since the angels requested this mission.”
“Oh…”
An Hyun nodded as if he understood.
But what did he really understand? I was just diplomatically saying I couldn’t be responsible beyond that point.
Again, I had no intention of attaching any meaning to this beyond the mission. And I still didn’t know why these users had come to the Northern Continent in the first place.
Ever since the continental war two years ago, the Northern Continent has held a very negative view of the Western Continent. Of course, the West has its share of users and outlaws, but people don’t really bother to distinguish between them. Above all, there’s the whole White Horse incident… After the magic circuits of prisoners were destroyed and they were sold off as slaves, Western users within the Northern Continent have been treated worse than ordinary residents. It’s not something we could take responsibility for.
“Still, this Sara user…”
I glanced up, meeting her gaze. I was planning to recruit a large number of clan members soon, and here was a promising candidate right in front of me. Part of me wanted to subtly encourage her to join, one by one. But… it seemed she was the leader of a group of fugitives. If I’m not careful, I might end up with hundreds of liabilities on my hands. That was something I absolutely wanted to avoid.
I spoke quietly.
“Just so you know, you’ll need to be careful once you reach the city. Since the incident two years ago, the Northern Continent’s perception of the West has been very poor.”
“Hmm… I understand.”
“You could face unnecessary trouble, or even worse.”
“I’m prepared to endure it. Thank you for the warning.”
Sara Jane’s voice was resolute, as if she had expected this.
I found myself liking her more and more. I had thought she might cling to me, begging for help, but she seemed to be a strong-willed woman.
“That’s good. But if it ever gets too difficult, look for a mercenary clan in a city called Atlanta.”
“Atlanta? Mercenary?”
“Atlanta is a city in the Northern Continent, and the mercenary clan I lead is based there.”
“I see. Then…”
“While I can’t protect your entire group, I do have the strength to protect a few.”
“…!”
At that moment, a flicker of surprise crossed Sara Jane’s eyes.
I decided to leave it at that.
She seemed smart enough to understand what I meant. Most likely, operating in the Northern Continent would be tough for her group. But I could protect at least one person—her. Saying “a few” was my way of suggesting that if she had comrades of similar caliber, she could bring them along.
A moment later, after confirming Sara Jane’s subtle nod, I slowly turned away.
“It’ll take about four hours to reach the city. Let’s get going.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
That wraps up the rescue arc.
I see from the comments that a few of you have good instincts about what’s coming next. Haha.