Episode 26
Chapter 10: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastmen, and… (4)
“They haven’t been lying in wait for long. The ones holding Mesa can’t be far off either.”
Sweat poured down Jin’s entire body like rain as he ran.
Since yesterday afternoon, he’d been searching, chasing, and fighting nonstop for over twenty-four hours. His stamina was starting to give out.
The simultaneous spellcasting for tracking and the secret use of ‘Blade Wind’ had taken a serious toll on his energy.
About fifteen enemies remained.
In the worst case, he’d have to face them all at once; if luck was on his side, he could take them down two or three at a time, like now.
“It really stings that I’m still so inexperienced. If I had even the combat skills from my past life, I wouldn’t have to waste time strategizing against these punks.”
As he tracked them, Jin noticed how sloppy Kinzello’s attackers were.
They were former mercenaries or knights, no doubt, but they hadn’t even bothered to cover their tracks properly.
“They must be underestimating us.”
He was right. Kinzello completely disregarded the cadets of Runcandel. Even though they belonged to Runcandel, they were seen as inexperienced rookies with no real battle experience.
The fact that only two men were left behind to finish off the second squad after kidnapping Mesa proved it. And the way they’d ambushed with just one mage and two warriors to cover the pursuit was the same careless attitude.
“Let them keep underestimating me. I’ll make them regret it properly.”
Their arrogance was Jin’s greatest weapon. Even with his stamina drained, he wasn’t afraid of them.
He ran for another hour, carefully watching for ambushes, but the footprints remained steady and consistent.
Then, wagon wheel tracks appeared alongside the footprints. Jin stopped briefly to examine them.
“The ones who kidnapped Mesa must have joined up with others here. They’ve started moving her by wagon.”
That made pursuit much easier. The uneven ground, softened by last night’s sleet, had slowed travel on foot.
Following the wagon tracks for a while, Jin came upon an unfamiliar forest path.
It led into the territory of the beastmen.
Taking a steady breath, Jin entered the forest. The wheel tracks continued along the single path cutting through the woods.
“So, how should I start now?”
Jin was on a rescue mission. What had begun as a search for the son of a wealthy noble had turned into a full-scale rescue after the kidnapping.
The most important thing now was the safety of the hostage.
“Keeping Mesa unharmed is more important than killing these bastards.”
It had been about three hours since the kidnapping.
Three hours was plenty of time for kidnappers who didn’t know the value of time to treat Mesa like a mere plaything.
But Jin still believed she was safe. If she’d been harmed, he would have caught up to them by now.
All Jin knew about Kinzello came from pre-reincarnation news reports.
An extremely radical, strictly hierarchical illegal armed group—that was how Jin defined them.
That strict hierarchy was key.
Jin believed Mesa was still alive because even when Kinzello claimed spoils, they took them in order of rank.
“If I push a little further, I’ll find their base. Mesa probably arrived there not long ago.”
Thirty minutes? An hour?
Probably around that.
The kidnappers were likely just handing Mesa over to their superiors.
This was Mesa’s last chance to survive.
Every minute counted, so a direct assault was the fastest option.
But charging straight into their base had its risks.
If all the enemies were gathered, Jin would face a one-sided full-scale battle. Even if he killed them all, it could trigger a hostage crisis.
After a few seconds of thought, Jin nodded.
“First, I need to throw them into chaos. Make them so panicked they can’t handle Mesa. Luckily, this is a forest.”
A red orb of magical energy formed in Jin’s palms—the four-star fire magic he’d seen the mage use earlier: the Flame Whip.
“Good thing I reached four-star magic before coming here. Three-star firepower wouldn’t have been enough to burn this wet forest.”
With a roar, Jin unleashed the Flame Whip in all directions. The whip’s power was impressive, but its real strength was how it clung stubbornly to targets once it struck.
Perfect for setting fire to a forest soaked by sleet.
Sweat pouring, Jin cast the spell again.
Arson was a serious crime worldwide.
But for Jin, a Runcandel cadet, that didn’t apply.
As the flames grew, Jin summoned the power of wind.
“Wave Wind.”
Another four-star spell.
As the incantation finished, a blue wind, tinged with magical energy, surged forward, carrying the flames like crashing waves.
The fire spread through the forest.
At first, the wet trees resisted, but once the flames took hold, they devoured the woods at a terrifying speed.
Jin advanced through the inferno, using the fire resistance granted by the Phoenix’s Heart to shield himself.
The heavy use of four-star magic drained his mana severely, but the tactic was a success.
In the distance, Jin spotted people rushing out of Kinzello’s branch building.
“Fire! The forest’s on fire!”
“Report to the captain! Mages, get out here quickly!”
“Buckets! Bring buckets!”
“What the hell is this fire all of a sudden?!”
Kinzello members shouted and scrambled.
The fire hadn’t reached the building yet, so they tried to put it out before it got closer.
“I don’t know what kind of leader they have, but there’s no way he’d risk the ‘spoils’ just because of a forest fire.”
Jin drew the two daggers tied to his boots, surrounding them with spiritual energy.
Meanwhile, Kinzello had no idea Jin was targeting them.
When disaster strikes suddenly, people lose their ability to think rationally.
If even one of them had been calm, they would have realized the fire was no accident.
But the warriors panicked, splashing water everywhere, and the mages scrambled to cast ice or water spells.
Jin slipped through the chaos, hidden in the flames.
Swish!
A blackened dagger flew, embedding itself in a mage’s neck.
The mage let out a small scream, but it was drowned out by the crackling fire.
“One down.”
Jin tossed the body into the flames and immediately spotted his next target.
A warrior clutching a bucket, panting heavily, met the same fate as the mage.
Catching a black dagger flying through the fire was no easy feat, even for four-star warriors.
Jin had recovered only one of the thrown daggers; two still remained tucked in his robe.
“If I keep taking them out like this, it’ll be perfect. But even idiots start catching on eventually.”
Lowering his body, Jin scanned the group.
One man, who looked like the highest-ranking among them, seemed to sense something and began issuing orders.
“First, I have to take him out.”
As the man shouted, Kinzello members nearby drew their weapons and spread out near the branch building.
“They’re letting two mages and two warriors handle the fire, while the rest guard the building. Not a bad call.”
If only I weren’t here.
Jin dashed at the lone man.
He deliberately didn’t draw his sword, Bradamante.
The clanging metal and the sword’s distinctive gleam would ruin the element of surprise.
Tat-tat-tat!
Jin suddenly appeared from the flames, and the man swung his sword in shock.
Jin ducked just in time to avoid the blade, but couldn’t dodge the man’s follow-up kick.
Thud!
Jin was knocked to the ground, rolling once as the man pressed the attack.
“You little rat! You set this fire, didn’t you?!”
Thud! Thud!
The man stabbed his sword into the dirt repeatedly as Jin rolled to avoid the strikes.
Then the man dropped his sword and charged, tackling Jin with his full weight.
“Damn brat, you’re going to die—”
But Jin let himself be pinned.
He’d planned this.
Not drawing Bradamante and provoking hand-to-hand combat was all part of the plan.
Jin’s body twisted and writhed like a snake beneath the man.
Before the man could even realize what was happening, Jin had contorted into a grotesque position, snapping the man’s neck completely.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed as saliva dribbled from the man’s mouth.
“First time using the Meyer-style combat… damn, that hurts.”
Jin had just pushed the limits of the human body to break the man’s neck.
He dislocated his own shoulder to create leverage, slipped his leg through, and strangled the man’s neck in a move called ‘Goblin Assassin’—one of the Meyer family’s secret techniques.
The commander was dead.
All that remained were minnows foolishly darting through the flames, and a bunch of idiots nervously guarding the perimeter of the branch building.
Jin, having reset his shoulder blade, fixed his gaze on Kinzello’s branch. The old stone building, slightly smaller than a mid-tier noble’s mansion, surely didn’t house many enemies anymore.
“A bunch of keys, too.”
Rummaging through the man’s corpse, Jin found a keyring and a few gold coins. Tossing the coins into the fire along with the body, he moved toward the building’s front door.
Creak—
Pushing open the rusted iron door, the first thing that caught his eye was the flicker of candlelight. Strange, indecipherable drawings adorned the walls—each one bearing Kinzello’s emblem.
“Creepy bastards.”
Pressing close to the wall, Jin made his way down the corridor. Soon enough, he realized there was no sign of life inside. At least on this floor, it seemed deserted.
Trying every key on every door, he found one left unused.
“Could this be the basement key?”
Thanks to the building’s simple layout, Jin quickly found the basement entrance.
The last key fit perfectly into the lock. Descending the stairs, he spotted Mesa chained to the wall.
“Mesa.”
Relief washed over Jin the moment he saw her.
His worst fears hadn’t come true. She was still wearing her cadet uniform, though bruises marred her face, evidence of abuse.
Crack! Snap!
Jin summoned his aura into Bradamante and cut through the chains binding her.
“This is dangerous… my lord, why—”
Before Mesa could finish, Jin clenched his teeth.
“Mesa Milcano, is this the time to worry about me? Can you walk?”
“I don’t think I can run.”
“Understood. I’ll support you for now—”
Bang!
Both of them flinched and looked up sharply. Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the entire building.