Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Legend #3
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“In-cred-i-ble!”
Caitlin’s golden eyes were shining, no, sparkling brightly. They were like two luminous white moons set against her dark blue hair.
After returning to the tent and hearing a rough explanation from Ingong, Chris let out a series of disbelieving laughs. Instead of marveling with the same pure wonder as Caitlin, he shook his head.
“I can’t believe it even after seeing it. You combined the aura techniques you learned from the Sword Duke with the Beast God Fist? And you did it unconsciously, not even intentionally?”
It was beyond absurd. Chris himself had grown up hearing he was a genius, but he’d never even imagined something like what Ingong had accomplished.
“I thought you had an insane talent for it when you were learning aura, but…”
Thinking back, the very process of him learning aura had been extraordinary. What’s more, it had only been about two months since Ingong had learned it. To think he had already caught up to Caitlin, at least in a sparring match, in such a short time… the word ‘genius’ felt insufficient.
Seeing the look of near-mental collapse on Chris’s face, Felicia smiled triumphantly. She crossed her arms lightly and spoke as if showing off.
“The Sword Duke was quite surprised too. He said Shutora’s talent might even rival that of my brother, Zephyr.”
“Wow, really?”
Caitlin’s eyes widened in surprise. Though she’d never had a proper conversation with the second prince, Zephyr, she had heard time and again just how incredible he was.
Felicia, as if pleased by Caitlin’s reaction, nodded emphatically in response.
“Really. He said it right in front of me. It was the first time I’d ever seen the Sword Duke so surprised.”
In truth, she could count the number of times she had met the Sword Duke on one hand, but it was still the first time she had seen him look so shocked.
Caitlin gasped in admiration again, and Felicia lifted her chin high. Chris, who had been watching them quietly, shook his head once more in disbelief.
“Like I said before, why are *you* the one acting so smug? The amazing one is Shutora, not you.”
Instead of getting flustered by the sharp remark, Felicia glared at him. Chris scoffed at her glare before turning his head toward Ingong.
“In any case, I’m proud of you. And amazed.”
When they first met during the Red Lightning tribe subjugation, he hadn’t felt much of anything. He’d simply thought of him as someone to help humor Caitlin, who wanted to get along with her half-siblings.
But he was wrong. This guy was worth so much more than that.
To call him a diamond in the rough would be an understatement. Deciding to teach Shutora the Beast God Fist might have been the best investment of his life.
A prince who belonged to none of the three factions in the Demon King’s castle.
Instead of hiding or sugarcoating it, Chris stated his request as bluntly as ever.
“Shutora, could you teach me and Caitlin the Sura God Fist?”
It would surely need more research, but if Chris’s judgment was correct, the Sura God Fist was clearly an evolution of the Beast God Fist. There was no harm in learning it.
Chris’s eyes shimmered with a burning desire.
But it was a request he couldn’t grant. It wasn’t because he was reluctant to pass on the SS-rank martial art, the Sura God Fist, to them.
Ingong’s brows furrowed in apology as he replied.
“Sorry, like I said before, it’s not something I created consciously… I don’t think I can right now.”
It wasn’t an excuse; it was the truth. Ingong hadn’t yet fully grasped the Sura God Fist himself. He could probably teach them the paths and methods of circulating aura, but a martial art wasn’t completed by that alone.
‘I’ll probably need to get it to at least level 5 before I can teach it.’
The Sura God Fist was currently at level 3. As expected of an SS-rank martial art, the points and proficiency required to level it up were enormous. Raising it to level 5 right now was impossible.
At Ingong’s reply, Caitlin’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. Chris stared straight into Ingong’s eyes for a moment, then sighed.
“You don’t seem to be lying. A martial art that even its creator can’t teach… you really are unconventional.”
At the end, he grinned and clapped Ingong on the shoulder.
‘He suspected me.’
Unlike Caitlin, Chris hadn’t immediately believed him. But in a way, that was normal. If Ingong had been in Chris’s shoes, he would have done the same.
‘That’s why I like Caitlin more, though.’
Ingong looked over at Caitlin again. She gave him a determined look, clenching both her fists.
“You’re really amazing. I need to train harder, too. I don’t want to be left behind.”
Her words were filled with sincerity and passion.
This time, it was Ingong who felt a small sense of admiration. Caitlin didn’t feel jealous of him. Even though he had caught up to her aura achievements in just two months, she didn’t harbor any dark feelings. Instead, she was inspired to improve and aim higher.
That wasn’t an easy thing to do. Perhaps that pure-hearted nature was Caitlin’s true innate talent.
‘She seems to be shining.’
He wasn’t joking; he meant it. And it seemed Felicia felt the same way.
“I can’t believe Caitlin and that gloomy guy are siblings.”
With that, she stretched out her arms and pulled Caitlin into a hug. Chris scoffed, finding the situation ridiculous.
“You’re my sister too, you know.”
Felicia pretended not to hear, stroking Caitlin’s hair. In the end, even Chris couldn’t help but laugh.
“Anyway… you’ve gotten strong. Truly. I can’t let my guard down anymore, can I?”
In terms of pure aura quantity, Chris still had far more. It was almost double.
But this was Ingong, who had caught up to Caitlin’s aura—at least in quantity—in just two months. Given the nature of aura, it was incredibly difficult to advance past a certain level, but he felt that if he wasn’t careful, Ingong would catch up in no time.
Ingong waved his hands dismissively.
“I still have a long way to go. I need to learn more of the Beast God Fist, too.”
There were still far too many techniques he had yet to learn. After all, wasn’t the reason he had confessed everything to get help from Chris and Caitlin?
Chris slowly nodded.
“I like that drive to improve. Since we’re here, I can’t teach you as well as the Sword Duke, but I can show you a few things.”
“I’ll be in your care.”
It was a heartwarming scene, tinged with sibling affection. Felicia, who had been watching them with a pleased expression, released Caitlin from her embrace and asked.
“By the way, what brings you two to such a remote place?”
“Well, there are various reasons. What about you and Shutora? Shouldn’t you be heading back to the Demon King’s castle now that your mission at Thunder Doom Fortress is over?”
Chris answered her question with one of his own. Felicia narrowed her eyes slightly before shrugging her shoulders and replying.
“We were introduced to an acquaintance of the Sword Duke.”
Felicia glanced at Ingong, who then briefly explained about Amita to Chris and Caitlin.
“Hmm, I never knew such an artisan was in this area. If I had the time, I’d like to meet them myself.”
Unlike Caitlin, whose eyes sparkled at the mention of the Final Flame, Chris’s expression was quite composed.
‘Well, even if he’s an acquaintance of the Sword Duke, he’s not a well-known figure. It’s not unreasonable to think of him as just a skilled artisan.’
Moreover, due to their nature, Lycanthropes didn’t wear much in the way of equipment. It was only natural that Chris was less impressed than Ingong.
Caitlin, however, was an exception. She looked at Ingong with eyes full of curiosity and asked.
“Are you going to make equipment from a Black Dragon’s hide?”
“I’ll have to see when I meet him, but if possible, I’ll ask him to make something for you too, sis.”
He had more than enough materials. The problem was whether Amita would accept an additional commission.
“I can’t promise anything, though.”
“The thought alone is enough, thank you.”
Caitlin smiled brightly again. Just looking at her was enough to feel healed, and Ingong’s expression softened. Felicia had Ingong and Caitlin sit on either side of her and then turned back to Chris.
“Alright, stop changing the subject. So, why are you two here?”
Chris had deflected the question twice. There had to be a serious reason.
Caitlin looked at Chris with a troubled expression, and Chris let out a long sigh. Instead of offering a clumsy lie, he answered honestly.
“I can tell Shutora. But it’s a little difficult to tell you, sis.”
Felicia’s face hardened for a moment, but she soon nodded. Though she was a bit disappointed, she could understand.
“Alright, should I step out for a bit, then?”
At Felicia’s question, Chris sighed again. He sank deep into the back of his chair and said in a small voice.
“If you can keep it to yourself, if you promise not to leak it to anyone, I can tell you.”
“And you can trust my promise?”
“I trust you now.”
It implied he hadn’t before, but Felicia was satisfied. Indeed, the relationship between Felicia, Chris, and Caitlin had changed dramatically before and after the Red Lightning subjugation.
“Alright. I’ll keep it to myself. I won’t tell my mother, or Silvan.”
It was a simple verbal promise, but Chris trusted Felicia. She wasn’t the type to make promises she couldn’t keep.
Chris spoke slowly.
“A prisoner escaped. Caitlin and I are here to search for him.”
“If the two of you are personally involved, he must not be an ordinary prisoner, right?”
“Not ordinary at all. He was a prisoner held in the lowest level of the Gray Tower.”
The Gray Tower was a prison for Lycanthropes who had committed especially heinous crimes. All the related events in *Knight Saga* were about its prisoners.
A prisoner held in the lowest level of the Gray Tower.
Ingong knew his name.
“Gerard Moonlight.”
Chris said the name, and Felicia’s eyes shot wide open. She jumped to her feet and asked.
“Wait, Moonlight?”
The surname of the Lycanthrope royal family.
Caitlin’s shoulders slumped as she said.
“Gerard Moonlight is our mother’s older brother… our maternal uncle.”
&
“Gerard was imprisoned in the Gray Tower twenty years ago. That was before I or Caitlin were born. Before you were born, too.”
Chris spoke in a rather harsh tone. Judging by the way he spoke, it seemed he didn’t consider Gerard family.
“He was originally a mighty warrior, the pride of the Lycanthrope royal family. If he hadn’t gone mad, he would have inherited the Lycanthrope throne, not our mother.”
The rightful heir to the throne. And a brilliant warrior, at that.
But Felicia had never once heard the name Gerard.
“What on earth happened?”
“He was obsessed with getting stronger. When he hit a wall, he couldn’t bear it. He wasn’t satisfied with just the Beast God Fist and started dabbling in all sorts of sinister methods. You can guess how that ended, can’t you?”
Chris’s face was quite grim. Ingong, who knew of Gerard’s evil deeds through *Knight Saga*, couldn’t help but nod.
“Having lost his mind completely, Gerard was a disaster incarnate. He was one of the foremost masters of the Beast God Fist, even among the Lycanthrope royalty. A great sacrifice was required to subdue him.”
The death toll reached the hundreds. Moreover, those hundreds weren’t ordinary soldiers. More than half were powerful warriors belonging to the Lycanthrope Royal Guard.
“The only silver lining was that it all ended within the palace walls. Thanks to that, there was no further damage… and we were able to keep our shame from being known to the outside world. The royal family erased all records of Gerard.
Officially, he was declared to have died of illness.”
“But he was alive?”
At Felicia’s question, Chris nodded.
“Our mother couldn’t bring herself to execute him. Before he went mad, he was a kind older brother. She settled the matter by imprisoning him in the lowest level of the Gray Tower.”
And now, that strongest, most wicked Lycanthrope had escaped the Gray Tower.
Felicia shook her head as if dizzy and asked with a serious expression.
“Wait, wait. Isn’t this a huge deal? Is it really okay for us to be laughing and joking around like this?”
Based on the story, Chris and Caitlin were here to capture Gerard.
Chris held up his hands as if to reassure Felicia.
“Don’t worry. Gerard was the strongest warrior twenty years ago. It’s no exaggeration to say he lost more than half of his aura in that final battle. Moreover, twenty years of confinement would have eaten away at him, not helped him recover. The Gray
Tower is that kind of place.”
Elaine Moonlight had kept her insane brother alive, but just barely. She hadn’t provided proper treatment, so he might even be crippled by now.
Caitlin took Felicia’s hand and added.
“We received a report this morning. Uncle Gerard… no, Gerard seems to have headed east.”
That was the complete opposite direction from here.
Felicia breathed a sigh of relief as if to say that was fortunate, but Ingong couldn’t relax so easily. He looked at Chris and asked.
“Did he escape on his own?”
The reason Ingong knew about Gerard and the Gray Tower was because there was a related event in *Knight Saga*.
*Release Gerard to weaken the Lycanthropes*—it was an optional event, and naturally, the one behind it was Zephyr.
Could Zephyr have already triggered that event?
At Ingong’s question, Chris’s brow furrowed as he replied.
“It seems there was help from the outside. We’re investigating that as well.”
If Zephyr was truly involved, this was a very serious matter. And if it really was Zephyr’s doing, he had to find out why he had acted so much earlier than in *Knight Saga*.
After finishing the gist of the story, Chris looked back and forth between Ingong and Felicia.
“The incident twenty years ago, and this one now, are internal Lycanthrope affairs. It’s our shame. So, I’d appreciate it if you’d turn a blind eye. Just like twenty years ago, we will resolve this incident with our own strength.”
It was a clear indication that he didn’t want any intervention, even if it was a helping hand.
Felicia looked at Ingong, and Ingong nodded.
Felicia spoke.
“Alright, we were just passing through anyway. I hope it gets resolved well.”
“Thanks.”
Grinning, Chris stood up and continued in a deliberately cheerful voice.
“The mood got unnecessarily heavy. Like I said, he went in the opposite direction, so don’t worry. And over there, we have Grandmaster Bruce, who could be called the strongest living Lycanthrope. It’ll be resolved without us even needing to step in. So don’t worry,
and get some good rest.”
“Alright, then let’s eat. I’m looking forward to a feast.”
Felicia replied in an equally lighthearted tone. Chris, seeming to like her response, laughed heartily and clapped his hands sharply to summon the orderly waiting outside. True to his word, he treated Ingong and Felicia
to a lavish meal.
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The tent assigned to Ingong wasn’t very large, but thanks to the multiple layers of animal hides on the floor, it felt cozy and comfortable.
After finishing his usual training routine inside the tent—Psychokinesis, Dwarven script, Draconic script, Sura God Fist, and the new Beast God Fist techniques he’d learned today—Ingong went to bed early. He was sad to part with Caitlin and Chris after their reunion,
but he had to resume his journey the next morning.
Ingong fell into a deep sleep, and at some point, he found himself standing before the darkness.
It was a familiar sight, but different from before. Beyond the darkness stood not four figures, but only one.
‘Conquest.’
A woman with pure white hair, wearing a golden crown.
With one red eye and one blue, she was looking not at the darkness, but at Ingong.
Ingong approached her. With each step he took, he could feel her. He could also see something pitch-black, as if born from the darkness, coiling around her body.
Her face was the same as the one he had seen on the stone slab, but her expression was different. The look on her white face was not one of ruthless cruelty, but of warmth and benevolence. It reminded him of the Ainkel he had met in the illusion.
The distance between Ingong and the white-haired woman had narrowed to just a few steps. Ingong stopped in his tracks, and the white-haired woman smiled gently.
Conquest. One of the four figures depicted on the stone slab. A being who might rival an Elder Dragon.
Who was she? Was she the one who had summoned him to this world? Why was she revealing herself to him now?
“Who are you?”
Ingong found himself asking, but instead of answering, the white-haired woman looked at him with eyes full of apology. Suddenly, her expression turned wary, and she quickly raised a hand to point behind him.
Ingong reflexively turned around. It wasn’t just because of the white-haired woman’s gesture. He had felt it.
The thing that resided beyond the darkness.
A blackness that was discernible even within the dark.
It was both familiar and strange. Ingong had felt this sensation once before.
Thunder Doom Fortress. The blue energy emitted by the man with the spear.
But this was different. It wasn’t ‘Death’.
“Famine.”
The moment he uttered the word, the darkness collapsed. The jet-black energy flared up like a great fire.
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< Chapter 12 - Legend #3 > End