It had already been some time since the kingdom sent in top-tier experts to assist.
But news? Still nothing.
Lately, the capital had been eerily quiet.
The soldiers were growing anxious, wondering if they’d be the next ones sent in. Meanwhile, the kingdom’s leadership, desperate for tangible results, had started doubting my command.
Everything was a mess.
Completely upside down.
What now?
I had to come up with something—anything—to turn this around…
—Excerpt from the Atlanta Secret Library’s “The Fall of the Balkan Kingdom: A War Diary”
Bubble, bubble!
Ever since Vivian brought the iron pot, a heavy silence had fallen over the camp. The only sound was the thick liquid bubbling noisily.
“Huh? Why is everyone just standing there? Come on, hurry up! It tastes awful once it cools down!”
Vivian knocked on the pot with a ladle, grinning brightly. Her eyes sparkled, clearly hoping for a compliment like “This is delicious!” But thinking back to Sun Yoo-woon, who’d collapsed foaming at the mouth after eating Vivian’s cooking, I couldn’t bring myself to get up.
Maybe I was just being paranoid. After all, it looked fine on the surface and smelled good. But then there was Geun-won, lying motionless off to the side. I wasn’t the only one who noticed—several clan members’ eyes betrayed unmistakable fear.
Most stayed silent, but a few brave souls stepped forward.
“Hmm~ Smellsss good~.”
Jin Soo-hyun was sniffing the air with his eyes closed, walking toward the pot. He must have joined later and didn’t know about the previous disaster. In that sense, Je-gal Hae-sol was smart—he quickly gauged everyone’s reactions and quietly pulled his half-raised backside back to his seat.
“Alright. Hand me a bowl. I’ll eat it myself.”
“Hmph. Don’t get cocky. Consider it an honor. I don’t cook this often, you know.”
Vivian said this with a haughty tone but poured a full ladle into the bowl Jin Soo-hyun held out, clearly delighted. A sudden thought flashed through my mind: I should stop this.
But it was fleeting. Maybe Geun-won had collapsed for some other reason—there was a faint, foolish hope left. To find out, I needed a test subject, a sacrificial lamb. Yeah, maybe one ladleful wouldn’t kill him.
“What? Just one ladle?”
Jin Soo-hyun frowned and grumbled.
“Hey, you expect me to eat just this and leave? I’m starving here!”
Is he crazy?
“Geez, don’t be greedy. Should I have made more?”
“Looks like there’s plenty. Give me more, at least.”
“Alright, alright. Eat up~.”
“That’s better. Especially more meat. More, more, more…”
In the end, Jin Soo-hyun took a bowl overflowing with stew, looking satisfied as he returned to his seat. He stared at the steaming stew with a pleased expression, then plunged a silver spoon deep into it.
Suddenly, black smoke rose from the bowl. Everyone watching flinched. But Jin Soo-hyun seemed oblivious, staring at his now blackened spoon with satisfaction.
“Wow. The meat’s big and perfectly cooked. Let’s eat!”
He shouted loudly and opened his mouth wide, shoveling the spoonful in. The moment his mouth closed, I heard several people swallowing nervously.
Then—
“…Ah, damn it.”
His cheerful face twisted in less than a second.
I’d hoped otherwise, but it was clear: not eating was the right choice.
Jin Soo-hyun quickly covered his mouth, as if cursing slipped out unintentionally. Then, suddenly, he bent over, gagging with a muffled “Ughh.” Vivian, who’d been quietly holding her ladle, glared at him with eyes blazing with anger.
“What? Did you just say ‘damn it’?”
“Ah, no… I didn’t mean to curse… Ugh.”
Jin Soo-hyun shook his head, denying it, but bent over again.
Then—
Screeeech!
Just as everyone focused their attention, a sharp whistling pierced the air. An arrow flew at lightning speed, striking dead center. A sniper shot.
In that split second, Jin Soo-hyun’s eyes snapped open, sharp and fierce. He sprang up, drawing his sword in a flash and swung it.
Clang!
Bang!
He successfully deflected the arrow. But then came a loud popping sound. A pouch attached to the arrowhead burst, scattering a cloud of pink powder. It spread so fast it quickly obscured more than half the sky. I instinctively held my breath.
“It’s an ambush! Everyone, prepare for battle—”
Just as I grabbed my sword and stood, a fierce gust of hot wind hit us, as if the air itself was burning. Looking up, I saw eight blazing fireballs arcing down toward us.
Instinctively, I knew the sniper attack wasn’t over. This wasn’t a random barrage—it was a calculated strike. In other words, the magic wasn’t aimed at us, but at the powder.
I immediately raised my hand.
“Area Declared.”
Boom!
A clear beam of light slid down like a slide, striking the ground with force. A dome-shaped barrier, like an upside-down bowl, instantly enclosed us. It didn’t do much else—Hwa-jeong, who understood my intent, seized control of all the fire within the barrier. The eight fireballs hung frozen in midair, as if caught in a ‘Hold’ spell.
The lull lasted only a moment. I glanced sideways and saw about twenty figures emerging from the bushes. There might be more archers or mages hidden nearby.
When our eyes met, they hesitated. I could feel their disbelief. Sure, they didn’t know what the powder was, but it had no effect, and their magic attacks were frozen in the air.
Then, the one at the front quickly scanned us and said calmly,
“Retreat.”
With that short command, he turned and disappeared into the forest. The others didn’t hesitate and began to withdraw immediately.
“Huh?”
Look at them.
I couldn’t help but admire them. They tried to confuse us with powder and magic, but the ambush failed spectacularly. Then, as if realizing they’d made a mistake, they decided to retreat instantly.
Their quick judgment and coordinated movement were impressive—if you looked at it positively. Negatively, they were like scared rats.
Anyway, these weren’t amateurs. They seemed pretty skilled.
“Soo-hyun.”
Ko Yeon-ju called me quickly. I knew what she wanted.
I lifted the area barrier and spoke.
“We might be facing a diversion tactic. Don’t pursue them all. Yeon-ju, Im Han-na, Lee Yoo-jung, and…”
“Hyung-nim, I’m coming too.”
Suddenly, Jin Soo-hyun stepped forward. His breathing was a bit heavy, but he didn’t look too weak. The powder must have protected him from the worst of the gag reflex. A blessing in disguise, I guess.
But his eyes were strange—sharp, dripping with anger, almost bordering on madness. His whole body screamed, “I’m furious right now.” He swung his sword wildly, as if he couldn’t hold back his rage.
“No. You don’t have to come.”
“I’m coming. No need to use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.”
“Fine, fine.”
“Yes. Those bastards. We should kill them all, right?”
Honestly, Ko Yeon-ju alone would be enough. But swept up by his energy, I found myself agreeing. Jin Soo-hyun gritted his teeth and charged into the forest. Yeon-ju, Han-na, and Yoo-jung stood frozen for a moment before I urged them on, and they hurried after him.
Some time passed.
“Hey, you damn bastards!”
A fierce roar, like a wild beast’s, echoed through the forest. They’d caught up quickly. I could hear the sounds of heavy blows and thuds. They were probably furious about the sniper attack.
“You dare feed me that crap, you son of a bitch!”
“Ugh, aaargh!”
Throwing, kicking… Wait, what was he feeding them?
“I didn’t mean to curse, it just slipped out, you bastard!”
“W-what are you saying? That’s… No! Aaargh!”
“Shut up! It’s not just bad—it’s beyond bad! You damn bastard!”
“We’re running away, and this is too much! What did we ever do to you? Aaargh!”
The shouts and screams filled the forest, making it feel like the trees themselves were shaking. As I watched, someone quietly approached—it was Je-gal Hae-sol.
“Clan Lord.”
“…?”
“That’s Stu. Maybe there’s some kind of buff effect we don’t know about.”
“…”
I glanced sideways and saw Vivian fervently cheering in front of the iron gate.
“You bastards! Well done, Jin Suhyun! Kill them all!”
…Could it be she doesn’t realize?
I sighed and shook my head. Then, watching Surim’s screams still echoing, I offered a light condolence. Those guys had unintentionally become Jin Suhyun’s punching bags.
A little while later.
After about thirty minutes of waiting, Surim’s commotion finally died down. The four who had gone on the hunt had done an excellent job. Not only the twenty men who had shown themselves earlier but also the archers and mages hiding somewhere were all captured.
In total, twenty-eight men were tied up tightly and kneeling in the center of the camp. No, twelve. Sixteen had died during the pursuit, most at Jin Suhyun’s hands. Among the bodies were some gruesome sights—crushed skulls, ruptured abdomens, and more. Yet, still not satisfied, Jin Suhyun was gritting her teeth, pounding the backs of their heads.
“Could these be the ones we’re after…?”
“Oh my?”
Recalling Jo Seungwoo’s warning to watch out for traps, I was deep in thought when a sudden startled voice broke through. Goh Yeonju stood frozen, her eyes wide like a rabbit’s. She seemed to have been searching through the men’s belongings and had found something.
“Look at this. These guys are completely ridiculous.”
“…”
“Where did you get this? Aren’t you going to tell us?”
“…”
Goh Yeonju grabbed the collar of the man who had been leading earlier and yanked him up. Still, he kept his mouth shut, so she placed her right hand on the crown of his head and locked eyes with him. She was about to use the ‘Eyes of Seduction.’ I quickly spoke up.
“Goh Yeonju. What’s going on?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
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It’s Lunar New Year. Wishing you all peace and good fortune in 2015.
Happy New Year to all my readers! (__)