The Way to Become Stronger
The way to become stronger. For a moment, murderous intent flashed through Carlo’s mind. A monster who had crossed the threshold of Aura in a single bound using nothing but poison and sheer willpower, as if mocking decades of bone-carving training. It was obvious that this abnormal, demonic genius would one day grow into an uncontrollable catastrophe. Any ordinary commander would have slit the new recruit’s throat right then to eliminate the future threat.
But Carlo slowly loosened his grip on the sword hilt. No. Actually, this is fortunate.
What if it was a disaster? What if it was a demon? He had already failed to protect the woman he loved, and with his own hands had cut down the old friend who had sacrificed his life to save him. A broken shell of a man who no longer deserved even to fall into hell. If that monstrous genius and uncontrollable malice could point its blade at Valik’s heart instead of his own, Carlo was more than willing to sign a contract with this devil.
“……Impressive. I never expected you to manifest an Aura Blade on your very first attempt.”
Carlo’s voice was low and heavy, sinking like lead. Tae-oh lifted the corner of his bloodstained lips in a sly grin.
“All thanks to an excellent instructor, wouldn’t you say?”
It was blatant flattery with nothing hidden behind it, yet Carlo chose not to call him out.
“I’m not sure how much credit I can take, but I did teach you the basics of Aura. I’ll show you the fundamental manipulation techniques. From here on, how large and solid you can make that faint energy is entirely up to you.”
“Oh… are you going to teach me your personal cultivation method, Commander?”
Carlo snorted. “It’s nothing that grand. Just some worthless technique I luckily picked up somewhere.”
Still, it was better than nothing. Of course Tae-oh knew where to find far superior Aura cultivation methods, but that was only in the game. In this reality, even this was a godsend.
“So, what do you plan to do about Knight Commander Valik? Doesn’t look easy to kill him right away.”
At Tae-oh’s casual suggestion, Carlo’s brow furrowed deeply.
“You’re right. It will have to be a long-term operation…”
Carlo walked to the desk and spread out a map.
“Valik is a monster operating on an entirely different level from the rest of the Rose-rion Kingdom. He’s the commander of the Second Knight Order who climbed to the top by cutting down countless enemies on the Empire’s front lines. With our current strength, it would be correct to assume we cannot kill him.”
Tae-oh nodded. No matter how he thought about it, Commander Carlo did not have the skill to withstand even a single strike from the knight commander.
“What method did you have in mind, Commander?”
“I’d like to hear your thoughts first.”
Their eyes met in midair. Carlo was testing whether the man could think strategically. Being good with Aura and the sword made one a knight. But if one also excelled at strategy, that person became a commander. A commander who possessed martial prowess was a rarer resource than one might think.
Tae-oh folded his arms, thought for a moment, then answered.
“Hmm… for now, we endure.”
Carlo’s eyebrows rose. “Endure?”
“That’s right. We don’t have any usable options at the moment, do we? Unless you have connections with His Majesty the King.”
Huh? Look at this guy.
Without even glancing at the surprised Carlo, Tae-oh continued.
“What happened to Raymon and Roselyn… tragic as it is, their deaths have blinded Valik for the time being.”
“True.”
“But Valik won’t be focused solely on this place. A man in his position committing such vile acts must have his hands in many pots.”
“Correct.”
“Moreover, the Empire’s advance is ferocious right now. Valik doesn’t have the luxury of time to play his little games.”
“Go on.”
“Then Valik has two possible courses of action. One is to send assassins. However…”
Carlo picked up the thread. “It would be too noticeable. Too many strange incidents have already occurred in our unit. Once or twice might be overlooked, but if it keeps happening, even Valik’s superiors will take interest.”
Tae-oh nodded in agreement and continued.
“Exactly. So he’ll choose the other method.”
A smile formed on Carlo’s lips. “And what would that be?”
Tae-oh shrugged. “What else? He’ll assign us some suicidal mission and wait for us to die on our own.”
At Tae-oh’s final words, Carlo burst into loud laughter.
“Kahahahahahaha!! Correct.”
Carlo found it amusing. Their thought processes differed, yet they had arrived at the same conclusion.
“One more thing. Valik is currently an indispensable core asset to the kingdom in this war.”
Tae-oh nodded. “Of course. He needs to avoid suspicion while doing his dirty work, so he has no choice but to fight hard.”
Carlo’s finger pointed to the border region on the map where red lines intersected.
“Yes. The Imperial army is currently tearing at our borders. We need every powerful fighter like Valik to hold the front line. No matter how rotten his heart may be, at this very moment he is a hero of the kingdom, cutting down Imperial soldiers and earning merits.”
Only then did Tae-oh clearly understand how the situation was unfolding. Ah, this just got annoying. It’s not a simple boss fight.
In game terms, Valik was a named NPC affiliated with the nation defending the main scenario. If they assassinated or killed him without any justification or approval from above, they would be branded as traitors who envied a war hero and started a rebellion. The entire kingdom would turn against them before they could even reveal the ledger. Besides, killing him in the first place would be extremely difficult.
“Hmm, question here.”
“Speak.”
“There’s no way to kill a war hero like Valik, is there?”
“Correct. There is no way.”
“…Please tell me there is a way. I really don’t want to die.”
Carlo let out a small chuckle. “I was going to tease you a little longer, but I suppose I can’t. Yes. There is a way to kill him.”
Carlo’s eyes grew cold.
“First, we must not lose the war against the Empire. The moment the front lines stabilize and the Imperial army retreats even a step, the people more powerful than Valik will finally turn their eyes to internal affairs.”
He continued his explanation.
“Hmm… so you have connections?”
“Yes. And when that time comes, together with the person to whom I have sworn lifelong loyalty, I will completely sever Valik’s windpipe.”
At the unexpected name that left Carlo’s mouth, Tae-oh’s ears perked up. I knew it! So that’s how Carlo rose from a mere company commander to a high-ranking noble.
“Who is this person?”
“His Highness the Second Prince of Rose-rion.”
Carlo took out a discreetly sealed emblem from his pocket. It was a red seal engraved with the royal crest.
“I am a commoner by birth. Aren’t you curious how someone like me became a company commander here?”
“His Highness the Second Prince took notice of you…?”
“That’s right. The reconnaissance unit is more important than you think. It has a massive impact on the outcome of the war. After all, we must obtain information on the enemy.”
Hoo, would you look at that?
New Story Unlocked
To defeat the mid-boss Valik, the powerful ally faction of the 2nd Prince has been unlocked.
With this, a route that guaranteed both political justification and cleanup had opened.
“His Highness desired a capable support faction. I came here to meet his expectations, but…”
“Nothing in this world goes exactly as planned, does it?”
“Heh heh, exactly. I almost let love and friendship blind me to the point of failing to properly carry out His Highness’s orders.”
Tae-oh asked, “Have you already sent a secret letter to His Highness?”
“Of course. I informed him of Valik’s atrocities and the existence of the ledger. However, even His Highness cannot recklessly strike at Valik, who controls the military, without clear military achievements and justification.”
Carlo placed a heavy hand on Tae-oh’s shoulder.
“His Highness’s faction is relatively weak. Because Valik has aligned himself with the First Prince. For His Highness to defeat Valik and seize control of the military, he needs matching martial accomplishments and a voice worthy of the position. And the ones who must earn that merit are us.”
Carlo’s eyes stared straight into Tae-oh’s.
“Do you have the confidence to survive? No, I’m asking if you have the confidence to survive and, beyond that, achieve overwhelming military merit against the Imperial army and become His Highness’s blade.”
The commander’s chilling warning that they would be driven into a deadly trap where death lurked. Any ordinary conscript would have gone weak in the knees from terror. But an uncontrollable smile of pure joy spread across Tae-oh’s face.
“Confidence? Ah, Commander. Your question is wrong.”
Tae-oh stroked the hilt of his sword with a look of distaste.
“I don’t want to join the Second Prince’s faction…”
“What…?”
A mere mountain hunter refusing the grace of a prince? Anger rose for a moment, but then Carlo thought that perhaps it made sense.
“I just want to get stronger and survive. A prince sounds way too burdensome, doesn’t it?”
At the sight of Tae-oh cackling like a madman, Carlo swallowed a hollow laugh.
“Crazy bastard…”
“I’ll be satisfied with just you, Commander, instead of the Second Prince.”
At those words, Carlo paused and stared deeply at Tae-oh.
“Very well. If you achieve great merit in repelling the Imperial army this time and striking at Valik, I will personally become your patron.”
“Patron?”
“Yes. A commoner like you will need solid backing to establish a position in the military. If the Second Prince is too burdensome, someone like me—a fellow commoner—should be acceptable.”
“Oh, that sounds good.”
To Tae-oh, who knew the future, this was an extraordinary offer.
“Haha, I’m honored. Please don’t forget that promise, Commander.”
Tae-oh answered with a wide grin.
“Then until Valik makes his move, train hard. Effective immediately, your Third Platoon will be reorganized as an independent platoon that answers to no one’s orders except mine. If you need supplies or support, tell the quartermaster and take whatever you want.”
“Khhhh, thank you. Then I’ll be on my way to train.”
Tae-oh left the office with light steps. Through the gap in the closing door, he caught a glimpse of Carlo lost in deep thought.
Good. The board is perfectly set.
Tae-oh looked up at the night sky and clenched his fist tightly. A solid background in the Second Prince, a powerful patron in Carlo, and the free authority of an independent platoon. The rewards for breaking through the early tutorial were sweeter than he could have imagined.
Now I can grow however I want, can’t I?
In this world that mixed romance fantasy and soul-like difficulty, there were many ways to become stronger. War, duels, crafting, training, and dungeons. Tae-oh’s eyes gleamed.
I wonder if there’s a dungeon somewhere around here?