The Poison Seller
Tae-oh and Rolls carried the assassin’s corpse—or more precisely, the Imperial Army insignia and poison vial he had left behind—and headed straight for the company commander’s tent. Carlo was moving red markers across a map when he glanced at the evidence Tae-oh set down.
Carlo’s reaction was far drier than Tae-oh had expected. No surprise, no rage. It was the same indifferent tone one might use to say the lunch menu was disappointing.
“Commander, this is no ordinary matter. An assassin infiltrated the recruit barracks. And he was equipped with standard Imperial gear. That means our perimeter was breached.” Tae-oh deliberately put force into his voice.
Carlo slowly lifted his head and stared at him. His eyes were as dark as a deep well, impossible to read.
“……Pardon?”
Carlo tapped the poison vial Tae-oh had brought with his finger.
Tae-oh clenched his fist. This man was brushing off the situation like it was nothing. Was he truly ignorant, or was he pretending not to know?
“But Commander, although he was Imperial, the poison he used closely resembles items circulating inside our own army. There’s a high chance there’s an insider helping them.” Tae-oh threw out his trump card. Even Rolls swallowed nervously.
Carlo’s eyebrow twitched.
Carlo leaned deep into his chair and gave a crooked smile.
After killing an assassin, the man was now treating him like the spy. Tae-oh was speechless.
“I would never do such a thing!”
It was a shitty argument, but not entirely incomprehensible. The reason they shoved conscripts forward as meat shields against the Empire was precisely because there was plenty of room for spies to infiltrate.
Carlo left those meaningful words hanging and turned his gaze back to the map.
That was it. No investigation, no countermeasures. Tae-oh and Rolls were practically chased out of the tent.
The moment they stepped outside, Rolls spat out a curse.
“You sure?”
Tae-oh nodded. Carlo’s attitude had been crystal clear. He didn’t care whether Tae-oh lived or died—or perhaps he was enjoying watching Tae-oh struggle to survive.
“Either way, we’re fucked.”
“No. This is actually an opportunity.”
Rolls frowned at Tae-oh’s words.
“At least it means he won’t kill us openly. He needs justification. As long as we’re useful pieces on the board, he won’t discard us lightly. So we have to prove our usefulness while building up our strength.”
The next morning, just as expected, their orders arrived. The dispatch the messenger brought was stiff and formal.
[Sector 7 Reconnaissance and Enemy Movement Analysis]
Sector 7. The vast grey zone lying between allied and Imperial territory. A deadly forest of dense woodland and treacherous canyons, unsuitable for large-scale troop movement but constantly seeing skirmishes between small special forces units.
“They say the Empire’s movements are suspicious. Signs of large-scale troop relocation have been detected. Our job is to determine their exact scale and destination.”
As Tae-oh read the orders aloud, the squad members’ faces turned deathly pale.
“Y-you’re telling us to go there? We’re brand-new recruits!” Kyle asked with a tearful expression.
“This is basically a death sentence.”
Tae-oh crumpled the orders and stuffed them into his pocket, scanning the squad. Their eyes were filled with fear, yet beneath that fear was a faint spark of expectation—that if it was Tae-oh, maybe things would be different.
A ragtag bunch. Cowards. But the look in their eyes during last night’s assassin incident had shown they were at least ready to pick up weapons for him.
“We’re starting training immediately.”
“What?”
“If we head in like this, they’ll be wiped out the moment we reach the entrance of Sector 7. We need to make them at least earn their keep.”
Rolls looked utterly fed up.
“We’ll train on the move. You’re helping.”
“Because you want to live too. If I die fighting alone, you’re finished. You know that, right?”
At Tae-oh’s half-threat, Rolls roughly scratched his head.
Preparations for departure were completed quickly. Tae-oh scraped up every usable supply from the logistics warehouse. He especially packed combination materials until his backpack was about to burst. While the forest would have better ingredients, the basic ones needed for emergencies were essential.
Right before leaving, Tae-oh stood behind the barracks and stared into empty space for a moment.
What happens if I die now?
The thought suddenly struck him. Last night, he had killed the assassin and survived. Then he had greeted the morning. That meant the save point had most likely been updated.
If he died now, would he return to the night before the assassin’s intrusion? Or to the morning right after killing the assassin? Or, worst of all, back to the forest before he caught the rainbow rabbit?
The absolute worst case would be returning to the moment after catching the rainbow rabbit.
What if my save point gets set in the middle of Sector 7, trapped in an inescapable pit?
A chill ran down Tae-oh’s spine. He would lose the permanent opportunity the rainbow rabbit represented.
Let’s treat this life as the last one. Don’t think about solving problems by dying. That’s the final resort.
Tae-oh repeated the words like a hypnotic mantra. Complacency meant death. If he acted recklessly while trusting in regression, he could truly meet his end.
“Captain! We’re all set!”
Rian’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Tae-oh turned to look at the squad. Seven comrades stood there, fully equipped and tense. Beside them, Rolls yawned as if bored.
These were his most reliable assets.
“Let’s move.”
Tae-oh gave the short command and took the lead.
The road leading away from the unit toward Sector 7 was desolate. Ruins of villages burned during the Imperial invasion lay scattered everywhere. Throughout the march, Tae-oh relentlessly drilled the squad.
“Kyle! I told you if you hold the shield like that your side will be exposed! Lift it higher!”
“Rian! Secure your field of vision! Don’t just look at the treetops—watch the ground too! We don’t know where the traps are!”
“Bruce! Your footsteps are too loud! You’re basically shouting ‘free meal here’ to any enemies nearby!”
Tae-oh’s scolding never stopped. Rolls chimed in from the side as well.
The squad members were dying inside. Marching with heavy gear was hard enough, yet Tae-oh and Rolls gave them no rest, constantly running tactical drills.
“Captain… can we rest for a bit…”
Tae-oh was uncompromising.
“Sweating now is better than bleeding later. We’re a reconnaissance unit. We have to spot the enemy first, shoot first, and run first if we want to live. Got it?”
“Y-yes, sir!”
During the march, Tae-oh called for a short break at the edge of the forest. But even that rest was anything but ordinary. He pulled out potion bottles he had prepared in advance from his pack.
“Here, everyone drink one.”
“What is this? Why does it look like that? Is it sewage?” Kyle asked, wrinkling his nose.
“It’s a medicine that maximizes the efficiency of rest. I made it overnight. Can’t guarantee the taste, but the effect is real.”
In truth, they were Lesser Vitality Potions. Items that multiplied fatigue recovery speed several times over during rest. Thanks to these potions, they could endure this forced march.
The squad members reluctantly pinched their noses and gulped them down under Tae-oh’s pressure.
“Ugh! What the hell is this! It tastes like rotten potatoes!”
“Agh, my tongue feels numb!”
The squad members who had been screaming gradually changed expressions. Their heavy legs felt lighter, and their foggy minds cleared.
“Huh? What? It actually works? I feel energized.”
“Captain, you got any more? Give me one more!”
Tae-oh chuckled.
“You called me a quack seller, but now you trust me? From now on, even if I give you poison, drink it. Everything I give you is to keep you alive.”
Just then, Rolls, who had gone ahead to scout, burst out from the forest. His expression was grave.
“Why? Did you see Imperial troops?”
Rolls drew a map on the ground with a branch.
Tae-oh’s expression grew serious.
“Magical beasts?”