Episode 149: The Journey Back (1)
Damian hadn’t set his destination as the Haxen estate just yet.
Before reuniting with his family, he needed to deal with the artifacts he had on hand.
“This kind of task is perfect for Nokhyang.”
Damian planned to entrust the sale of the artifacts to Nokhyang.
Nokhyang was an organization with significant influence in the capital, even running a black market, making it ideal for handling such items.
However, he couldn’t risk putting all the artifacts up for sale, as it might lead Pandemonium to identify him. He decided to only sell items commonly found in other ruins.
“While I’m at it, I should train those guys.”
By “those guys,” he meant Dominico and his group.
Although they had joined him, Damian felt they weren’t yet ready to be used as an immediate force.
“Twenty regular soldiers, six low-class, four mid-class, and one high-class.”
Normally, this would be an impressive force to boast about anywhere.
The problem was that Damian’s adversary was Pandemonium.
Pandemonium was so powerful that even master-class warriors were disregarded. This force wouldn’t suffice.
Damian couldn’t rely on using his secret technique, Gyeolheuk, every time.
“From now on, you’ll repeat the movements I teach you ten thousand times a day.”
On the way to the capital, Damian summoned Dominico and his group and instructed them.
“Did you say ten thousand times?”
Dominico asked, his face a picture of disbelief. Since forming a bond with Damian, Dominico had been using honorifics with him.
“Why? Do you have a problem with that?”
“I can do it, but… it seems like too harsh a training for the others.”
Dominico had a point. Even swinging a sword a hundred times could make one’s arms feel like they were falling off. And now they were supposed to perform more complex movements ten thousand times?
“It would be harsh if you were human. But you’re undead now, aren’t you?”
They didn’t need to eat, sleep, or even worry about injuries.
“Stop complaining and get it done. It’s not like you have anything else to do in there, right?”
Damian gestured to the travel bag.
The bag, a magical artifact used by a necromancer, had the function of storing multiple undead.
Damian had discovered that the inside of the travel bag was a subspace where the undead could move freely.
“My goal is to make all of you high-class.”
At Damian’s words, Dominico and the other spirits burst into laughter, thinking he was joking to motivate them.
But Damian didn’t laugh. Only then did Dominico and the others realize he was serious.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. I don’t make empty promises.”
It wasn’t an impossible goal. Damian had Gyeolheuk.
By using Gyeolheuk, Damian could share his knowledge and experience with them.
Though it was temporary and they would forget everything once Gyeolheuk was deactivated, the sensations would linger to some extent.
With Damian’s guidance and training, and by periodically using Gyeolheuk to engrain the sensations, Damian calculated that they could achieve the goal soon.
“Oh, and you need to become a master. You know that, right?”
Damian said to Dominico, who responded with a wry smile.
“I’m not sure if I can meet your expectations.”
“Don’t play coy. You’re the most likely to succeed.”
It might even be faster for Dominico to reach master-class than for the others to all become high-class.
Dominico had that kind of talent.
“Oh, and one more thing…”
Finally, Damian turned around.
There, Miya was curiously observing a snake on a tree branch.
“See that one? Fight with her for three hours every day.”
“Excuse me?”
Dominico looked at Damian in shock.
“She’s got potential, but she keeps losing because she’s inexperienced.”
“If that’s the case… I’ll follow your orders.”
“Don’t take it lightly. Do it properly.”
“Understood. I’ll fight as if my life depends on it.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Damian shook his head.
“Just kill each other.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t fight as if your life depends on it. Just kill each other. It’s not like you’ll really die, right?”
Dominico was already a dead spirit. As for Miya, consuming the blood of a phoenix had greatly enhanced her regenerative abilities.
Dominico glanced at Miya. She appeared to be a delicate beauty.
And now he was supposed to just kill her?
“Uh…”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
But Dominico had no choice but to follow Damian’s orders. He owed him too much.
“Yay!”
Unaware of her impending fate, Miya was happily twirling the snake by its tail.
Afterward, Damian made contact with Nokhyang in the capital.
He entrusted them with the artifacts that wouldn’t draw attention if sold.
While he was at it, he checked the items coming up for auction, thinking there might be something he needed.
“Disappointing. They’re all useless elixirs for me. No mana cultivation techniques at all.”
From high-class onward, ordinary elixirs couldn’t increase one’s mana.
Legendary elixirs like the Elixir of the World Tree or the Fruit of the World Tree were needed.
Otherwise, the only option was to slowly accumulate mana. The problem was that Damian didn’t have the luxury of time.
“To fight Pandemonium, I need to become a master-class as soon as possible.”
Damian intended to completely annihilate Pandemonium.
During the War of Destruction, Pandemonium had been the strongest allies of Dorgo.
Considering that, he couldn’t leave a single one alive. At the very least, he needed to dismantle the organization.
“Send the proceeds to the Haxen estate.”
With a sense of regret, Damian left Nokhyang. Now, all that was left was to return home.
Leaving the capital, Damian directed his horse toward Spring Castle, where his family awaited.
As he traveled along the main road, a large forest greeted him.
While crossing the forest on horseback, Damian suddenly stopped and muttered to himself.
“How strange.”
“When did the Kingdom of Apple become so dangerous?”
No sooner had he spoken than an arrow flew from the bushes. Without even looking, Damian tilted his head back, and the arrow whizzed past his face.
Soon, countless arrows flew from the bushes, so densely packed that dodging was impossible.
Damian drew upon his mana and released it outward. The resulting wave of energy deflected all the arrows.
“This is getting annoying.”
If a fight broke out here, the expensive horse he had bought would likely die.
Damian dismounted and slapped the horse’s flank. The horse neighed and galloped away.
“Come out now.”
Damian called out, surveying the forest. At that moment, a woman wielding an arming sword emerged from the bushes.
She swung her sword at Damian, who drew his sword, Dawn, to block the attack.
The force of the blow traveled down the blade, surprising Damian.
“High-class? There shouldn’t be any female high-class warriors in the Kingdom of Apple.”
The woman didn’t answer Damian’s question. She simply continued to swing her sword.
Damian blocked all her attacks with Dawn. No matter how many times he parried, the woman’s hands didn’t stop.
Her relentless, entwining swordplay was like that of a snake.
“Who are you with? What’s your motive for targeting me?”
Damian asked again.
At that moment, he sensed a killing intent from behind. A man wielding a spear charged at him.
The man thrust his spear at Damian in rapid succession. Damian deflected the spear with Dawn.
If the woman’s swordplay was relentless, the man’s spear was incredibly nimble. Light yet chillingly precise strikes rained down.
“Another high-class warrior, huh?”
Just by observing his stance, Damian could tell. This man was also high-class.
The two high-class warriors coordinated their attacks on Damian. Their sword and spear constantly aimed for his vital points.
Damian’s eyes moved rapidly, reading not only their techniques but also their muscle movements and eye focus.
Once he had assessed everything, the movements of the two became clear as day.
With all the pieces in place, all that remained was the finishing touch.
Damian activated his secret technique, Berserk Light.
As his body temperature rose, all his senses heightened. Simultaneously, the movements of the two slowed down.
The once rapid onslaught of spear and sword now seemed to move through water.
In this slowed world, only Damian maintained his original speed.
He twisted his body to dodge the spear and sword, then slashed the necks of both the woman and the man.
Damian deactivated Berserk Light. The world, which had been moving slowly, returned to its normal pace.
“Gah!”
“Ugh!”
Only then did the two realize their necks had been cut.
They clutched their throats in disbelief, blood seeping through their fingers.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
“Ah, ah…”
Desperately, they used their mana to seal their wounds. True to their high-class status, the bleeding soon stopped.
But while they had managed to stop the bleeding, they were in no condition to continue fighting. Any vigorous movement would surely reopen their neck wounds.
The two looked at Damian in terror as he raised his sword to finish them off.
It was then that…
An arrow shot out from the thicket.
It was far faster than the first arrow that had come at him.
There was no way to dodge it. Demian raised his sword, Yeomyeong, to deflect the arrow.
The impact was tremendous. Demian was pushed back, sliding across the ground.
“So there was a Master Class hiding here after all.”
When Demian had used the Berserk Elixir, he could have easily killed the two attackers, but he hadn’t. It wasn’t just because their attacks lacked lethal intent; it was also due to the immense presence lurking in the forest.
Though the presence was concealed, it couldn’t escape Demian’s keen senses.
“Who are you?”
Feigning ignorance, Demian shouted toward the direction the arrow had come from.
Two figures emerged from the underbrush.
One was a woman with a sharp, striking appearance, holding a longbow nearly as tall as she was.
Beside her stood a boy.
Curiously, the boy’s hair and eyebrows were completely white, giving him the appearance of an old man.
“What a loud voice you have,” the boy remarked.
Despite his youthful appearance, his tone was as antiquated as an elder’s.
“Cynthia, did you see that? He blocked your arrow,” the boy said, turning to the woman. She remained silent.
Unperturbed, the boy continued with an excited expression.
“You didn’t intend to kill him, but still… a High Class blocking a Master Class strike? Isn’t that remarkable?”
Despite the boy’s praise, Demian didn’t respond. In truth, he couldn’t afford to.
“Why is this person here?”
Ever since recognizing the boy’s face, Demian had been thrown into turmoil.
Anyone who knew the boy’s identity would feel the same.
The boy’s name was Carl Hopper.
He was known to the world as the Mercenary King.