Chapter 95: Independence
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: Independence
[S...Savior. Choi Younghoon is dead.]
[Well done, my disciple. I will arrange a meeting soon.]
[Y-Yes! Th-Thank you! Savior!]
After receiving the usual report from the city, I ended the communication. It was a year earlier than expected. In the past, Choi Younghoon's cause of death had been poison. I figured it was likely the same this time. The exact details of who killed him were never revealed, but with so many holding grudges against the West, it was impossible for us to predict.
The important thing was that the Sword Saint had seized power. She was already a difficult opponent to touch, having the protection of the Saint Knights Order, but watching her continuous rise was starting to make me anxious. I had already decided when I would clash with the Sword Saint. The ideal timing would be when she and the Queen of the North faced each other head-on. Vowing to build my own strength until then, I moved on.
Entering the prison we had built a few months ago, I saw several figures. The moment I made my presence known, I could feel them tremble.
“Krrrrrk. For Blood Dagger!”
The Orc swordsmen guarding the prison spoke to me, and I nodded in return. There were three figures in my sight. We had initially captured five, but two had already died, unable to withstand the torture.
As I tried to enter the area where they were confined, I bumped into something. As expected, the problem was my slightly larger horns.
I still wasn't used to the longer horns I'd gained after evolving into an Intermediate Demon a few days ago. My demon form was certainly smaller than an Orc's, but the long horns made it so inconvenient to move in places like this that I almost thought an Orc's body would have been better. I shook my head for no reason and stood before them.
“Are your memories coming back now?”
“Th-That is…”
The ones we captured were members of the Murderer Clan, the Hounds. We found them as soon as we started tracking Park Hyeri of the Spider Clan. Once Ragia's assassins began to move based on the intelligence Baek Ahyeon brought in, we quickly got some useful results. Unfortunately, Park Hyeri wasn't there, but we found the Hounds who were in her place.
The clan raided them directly and captured five alive. Of course, we didn't face the entire Hounds clan, but learning that the Spider Clan and the Hounds were closely related was a major achievement.
“The Spider… where is she.”
“W-We don't know either. We knew th-the Spider was in the East, but… th-that kind of information is only for the executives…”
The problem was that the ones we'd caught were, unfortunately, just grunts. We'd gotten a lot out of them through torture, but they were ultimately useless. The most we could get from them was the locations of the Hounds' hideouts, and even those were mostly concentrated in the East, so we couldn't act on it right now.
When I glared at them, they trembled, clearly anxious. I gave a slight gesture. Jung Hayeon, who was waiting behind me, immediately understood my unspoken command to dispose of these useless beings.
Without her even chanting a spell, roots began to move, instantly digging into the men.
“Ugh… ghk… ack… ack… gack…”
Horrific screams burst out. No, they couldn't even manage a proper scream. The roots were relentlessly filling them from the inside. Eventually, their bodies began to burst, one by one. I simply turned and walked away.
Outside, Chieftain Ragia was waiting for me. She waited with her head bowed, as usual.
“Are the preparations complete?”
“They are finished.”
“Well done.”
Ragia wasn't the only one waiting for me outside. The Giant Wolf, Abar, was also there, her tongue lolling out as she wagged her tail. The interesting thing was that she had also evolved. I didn't know if she could change from the wolf species, but Abar was now slightly larger than before. Her protruding fangs were a little longer, and it went without saying that her physical abilities had improved. An ordinary summoner would probably have a hard time handling her alone. Perfect timing. I mounted Abar, and only after she gave a happy shake could we head toward the place where the clan members were gathered.
Over the past few months, the clan had left Black Spear's village and moved to the Green Goblin Clan's territory. I had judged it better to build our strength internally rather than roam outside. Of course, we never stopped hunting for experience, but since our main goal was to solidify the clan, we spent most of our time training with the Green Goblins.
Personally, I felt I had grown a lot, but it was still not enough. Unsurprisingly, I still lost to the Green Goblin often. However, the fact that I no longer lost as absurdly as I did when we first clashed was a satisfying achievement. In our most recent fight, I had lasted over fifty exchanges against him even when he used his unique ability, so I felt I had at least passed the minimum standard.
I wasn't the only one who had grown.
Gark and Hark had also continued to grow stronger. It seemed they intended to see their path through as Orcs, as they didn't choose to evolve into another species. Instead of raising their racial stats, they chose to raise their class rank, which naturally led to an increase in their skills.
Gark, in particular, showed explosive growth. He had become so strong it was hard to believe he was missing an arm.
He held no official authority within the clan, but his rank was indisputably second only to mine. It was only natural, as even I trusted Gark more than Chieftain Ragia. The others who had completed their class change to Orc Swordsman also followed Gark well.
‘Half Blade is strong. He is a loyal Orc who has overcome hardship. We must all learn from Half Blade!’
There were even some who said things like that. For some reason, the one-armed concept seemed to resonate with the Orcs. As the story of how he lost his arm while trying to save Blood Dagger began to spread, Gark gained explosive support.
Mev had also evolved. Unfortunately, Mev also didn't change her species. I didn't know if it was because a species she was satisfied with hadn't appeared, or if she thought it was more important to grow stronger right now, but instead of changing her species, she chose a special class.
The class was called Spirit Archer, and though it was clumsy, Mev succeeded in making a pact with spirits. Considering how few humans were renowned as Spirit Masters, Mev's class change to Spirit Archer was a huge achievement.
It wasn't just a simple increase in combat power. For now, she could only handle the spirits of fire and wind, but she would be able to achieve much more as she grew. She seemed to have gained momentum recently and was showing signs of evolving again. I suspected she would probably change her species next time.
In any case, I rode Abar toward the place where the clan members were gathered.
Everyone was waiting for me. I could see Orcs carrying large packs, and others shouldering burdens of various sizes.
“For Blood Dagger!”
As I appeared, Gark, with a flag on his back, was the first to shout. Soon, the other Orcs and Goblins began to shout as well.
“For Blood Dagger!”
Pleased, I rode through them. They parted like the Red Sea, opening a path for me, and at the end of that path, the Green Goblin came into view. From here, it felt disrespectful to remain mounted on Abar, so I dismounted and began to walk slowly.
The gazes of all the Orcs and Goblins poured down on me.
The Goblin Three Sisters, Hakajin, and countless other warriors began to raise their hands to their chests in a salute as I passed.
When I finally reached the spot where the Green Goblin stood, he gave me a slight smile. Then, the Green Goblin spoke.
“Time flies, doesn't it? Kirik.”
“Actually, it felt short. I still have much to learn from you, Green Goblin.”
“Well… Blood Dagger was always that kind of Green Skin. You're going to be great. I'm sure of it. Kirik.”
He was really laying on the praise.
“Even if it's just empty words, thank you, Green Goblin.”
At my words, he just smiled without saying anything. His thoughts seemed to be complex.
He lowered his hand, so I knelt on one knee before him. Even that wasn't enough; I had to bow my head further before his arm could finally reach my face.
He bit his own finger with his fang. He must have bitten down quite hard, as blood trickled from his finger, but he smiled as if it was just the right amount. What he began to draw on my face was the crest of the Great Tribe Leader.
It was a type of ritual given to Green Skins who were qualified to become independent after three years had passed. The moment the Green Goblin touched me, the surroundings were instantly enveloped in silence.
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor.”
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor…”
Interestingly, the act of him drawing something on my forehead reminded me of Najin. He had only drawn on my face twice, but I still remembered him. But unlike Najin, this goblin's hand trembled slightly, as if he were unused to the task. It seemed things weren't going as he'd planned. It looked like he wasn't as good at drawing as he was at handling a dagger.
I gently closed my eyes.
He must have finished drawing the Great Tribe Leader's crest on my forehead, as he began to remove his hand. At the same time, I opened my closed eyes.
“Hmm… w-well, it's not easy to draw with these horns in the way.”
As I thought, it hadn't turned out as he'd wanted. But I smiled.
“Thank you.”
“..............?”
“I am grateful to you for many things, Green Goblin. If I were to stand at that same crossroads again, I would undoubtedly choose you, Green Goblin.”
“That's… very kind of you to say… No… that is the highest praise, Blood Dagger. Strength, Wisdom, and Honor.”
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor.”
It was a side of him I'd never seen before, despite knowing him for so long. He touched his nose as if it were tingling, then spoke to me again.
“My work here is done, Blood Dagger. You are now a proud Green Skin in your own right. Having passed the trial of Strength, Wisdom, and Honor, and having learned three years of patience, you may now plant your glorious banner anywhere on this continent. Y-You… you may… l-leave… now.”
His voice was even choking up as he stuttered. It was the first time I'd ever seen him like this, and it was quite a novel sight. Naturally, I gave him a small smile.
“I'm in your debt.”
As I turned my back, a cheer erupted.
“For the Green Goblin!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger! For the Green Goblin!”
Three years had truly passed. I turned to the wildly cheering crowd and spoke. My voice was firm, the words cliché but filled with sincerity.
“Let's go, my brothers.”