Chapter 310: The Hunted Demons, the Hunting Demon
Chapter 310: The Hunted Demons, the Hunting Demon
I quickly drew on my magic to expand my senses, and the presences became much clearer. There were about ten of them—eleven, to be exact. But something was strange. The eleven individuals were definitely approaching our location, yet their movements were too clumsy to be Vagabonds. Not only were their numbers small, but more importantly, I couldn't feel any killing intent. The way they advanced so cautiously felt as if they were desperately searching for someone.
Could it be…?
“Soohyun. Fifty meters ahead.”
“I know.”
It was Ko Yeonju’s voice. There was no way she wouldn't have sensed what I had. I nodded and calmly steadied my breathing as she continued.
“I can smell a bit of blood. They’re definitely from Mule. Should we prepare for battle?”
“They don’t seem like Vagabonds… but let’s be ready just in case.”
The clan members looked puzzled at first, but a dark shadow soon crossed their faces as they understood. Starting with Ko Yeonju gripping Tyrfing, Kim Hanbyul, Ahn Sol, and the old man each took out their staves and watched the path ahead. As the tension slowly mounted, I activated my senses.
Rustle!
With the sound of footsteps crushing grass, a faint rustle came from the dense thicket. The shaking grew progressively stronger. The presences were already right upon us.
After about ten seconds, just as the clan members were slowly aiming their staves forward, the messy bushes parted to reveal a small gap. At the same time, a small head popped out from the opening.
“…Ugh. Jeez.”
“……”
A moment of silence followed. The face that appeared through the bushes was that of a young girl. She looked like she had just started high school, or maybe even middle school. She had a cute impression, with chubby cheeks that still held their baby fat and soft, round features.
The girl tilted her head, perhaps noticing the staves aimed at her. But after blinking once or twice, she began to calmly study us with clear eyes, as if the staves were of no concern to her.
While my clan members were looking at each other, unsure of what to do, my eyes met hers. The moment they did, her face, which had been scanning the area, froze and fixed its gaze on me.
I decided to speak first.
“Who are you?”
“……”
I asked in a low voice, but there was no reply. By now, the eleven presences had stopped right behind the girl.
Just as a hint of frustration began to bubble up inside me from her silent stare, the girl’s lips slowly parted.
“Huuu.”
She let out a short sigh and turned her head to look behind her. Then, a youthful voice, as if speaking to someone, drifted over.
“Found them.”
*
Prinsica, a common city in the eastern part of the Northern Continent.
It had been exactly five days since Kim Soohyun had visited the Haemil Clan, reunited with his brother, and left Prinsica. During those five days, the Northern Continent was in a fierce uproar, like a poked hornet’s nest.
On the very day Kim Soohyun left Prinsica, the Vagabonds used the cover of darkness to launch a surprise invasion of Mule. The Warp Gate was ultimately destroyed, and as a result, all passage to and from other cities was cut off.
At first, the Users didn’t think much of it. Since passage had been cut off frequently as of late, they were merely annoyed and never imagined that Vagabonds had attacked.
But when one day stretched into two, some Users began to find it strange. The growing discontent started to turn into chaos when they realized that not only the central and western cities, but even two cities in the north had lost contact with Mule.
It wasn't just about travel; all communication was down. Honestly, no matter how bad things got between cities, there should have been at least one User who could make contact. A few suspicious Users tried to communicate with their acquaintances using crystal balls, but they failed every time due to some kind of powerful magic interference.
Only then did the Users begin to panic. The suspicion they had dismissed with a ‘no way’ suddenly reared its head.
But it didn't end there. Two more days passed, and this time, passage to Dorothy (a small city to the northwest) and Bess (a small city to the southwest) was also cut off. This, too, happened almost simultaneously, as if by design.
The moment they confirmed distress calls from Dorothy and Bess, which had been preparing too late, the rumors of an attack that had been circulating in some circles were finally proven to be true.
Faced with a sudden, unannounced assault, every city was thrown into a state of momentary chaos.
Prinsica, despite being far from the conflict zones, was no exception.
“Pant! Pant!”
A man sprinted down the hallway without restraint. It was Lee Junseong, one of the Users who had been present during Kim Soohyun’s previous visit. Whatever his urgent business was, his usually cool face was flushed red, making him look frantic.
Just as Lee Junseong reached the fourth floor, Seo Gahui was opening her door to come out. He shouted at her.
“Pant, the door! Pant, open it!”
“Junseong Oppa? What about Yoohyun Oppa…!”
“He heard the news and went to bring him back first!”
Lee Junseong answered in short, breathless bursts. By the time he yelled, “back!” he had already reached the door. Shouting the rest of his unfinished sentence, he kicked the door open and burst in.
Bang! Slam!
“She’s here! Pant! Pant!”
“Jeez! Shit! Hey! You scared the hell out of me, you idiot!”
Inside the room, a woman was sitting up, leaning against her bed. The moment Lee Junseong kicked the door in, she scowled and yelled. Contrary to her cool and mature appearance, her voice was as sharp and piercing as a child’s.
“Hah! Hah! H-Hyoeul! Hah! Hah! B-Big trouble…! N-No, you’re finally awake…! Hah! Hah!”
“Hah, hah? Th-That’s disgusting! Catch your breath, you moron!”
Lee Hyoeul snapped at him and threw a nearby water bottle. Lee Junseong caught it effortlessly and gulped it down. She clicked her tongue with a displeased look and shook her head.
“Damn it. The first man I see after waking up is you… How annoying.”
“Huuu… H-Hyoeul. Well… I-I don’t know where to start… First, congratulations on waking up…”
At Lee Junseong’s words, Lee Hyoeul scoffed and waved her hand dismissively.
“Forget it. You said there’s big trouble. Stop stuttering and speak properly.”
Lee Junseong swallowed hard, then calmly steadied his breathing and looked at Lee Hyoeul. On the bed, she stared back at him with a haughty expression, her legs crossed.
“The cities of the Northern Continent are under attack. The Vagabonds have joined forces with the bastards from the Western Continent!”
“For fuck’s sake.”
“Hyoeul! I’m not lying!”
“Yeah, I get it. Just quiet down a bit.”
Lee Junseong stared at Lee Hyoeul, his face a picture of surprise. This was clearly major news, yet she hadn’t even batted an eye. Considering that most Users couldn’t believe it when they first heard the news, Lee Hyoeul’s reaction was certainly unexpected.
“Hmph. So that bitch Lawrence failed in the end, huh… So, where are they attacking?”
“Mule, Dorothy, and Bess. They hit Mule first, then Dorothy and Bess at the same time.”
“Mule, huh…”
Lee Hyoeul scratched her head with a troubled expression and gave a bitter smile. Then, smacking her lips, she held out her palm to Lee Junseong. He looked at her pale, smooth palm with a puzzled expression before reluctantly opening his mouth.
“Hyoeul. You just woke up… and you’re not well…”
“……”
“Ah, fine. I’ll give it to you.”
As Lee Hyoeul glared sharply at him, Lee Junseong quickly fumbled in his clothes and offered her a cigarette. The moment she put it to her lips, he even demonstrated the courtesy of lighting it for her. With a satisfied look, Lee Hyoeul took a deep drag, then exhaled a long stream of smoke and spoke.
“Hooo~. Now I feel alive. So, that’s the big trouble?”
“What? Well, yes, but… that’s not actually the problem. It’s a good thing you woke up.”
“?”
When Lee Hyoeul tilted her head as if to say, ‘go on,’ Lee Junseong vented his frustration as if he were tattling.
“Right now, the Clan Lord is raising hell, saying he’s going to Mule!”
This seemed to genuinely surprise her. Lee Hyoeul, who had been puffing away at her cigarette, broke into a violent coughing fit.
“Cough, cough! Wh-What?”
“The atmosphere is no joke right now. He says his younger brother is in Mule…!”
“Wait a minute. Younger brother? Kim Yoohyun’s? What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“It’s not nonsense, Lee Hyoeul.”
Just then, from behind Lee Junseong, a cold voice struck the inside of the room like a thunderbolt.
*
Crackle, crackle!
In the center of the campsite, a campfire burned. I sat on a bed of dry leaves, staring blankly at the flames. As I quietly watched the embers spit and crackle, I heard the sound of someone trudging toward me from behind.
“Mercenary Lord. You must be tired. Shall I take over?”
At the sudden voice, I slowly turned my head. A man with a neat appearance was giving me a simple smile. His name was Jo Seungwoo, one of the Users who had joined us a few days ago.
I calmly shook my head and replied.
“It’s fine. There’s still time before the shift change.”
“Haha. For some reason, I can’t seem to fall asleep tonight.”
Jo Seungwoo chuckled softly and sat down next to me. I shifted over slightly to make room.
Silence fell for a while. Only the crackling of the embers occasionally broke the quiet as they scattered into the air. After some time, Jo Seungwoo, who had been watching the fire, finally spoke in a low voice.
“We are truly grateful for your help.”
“Not at all. I don’t think I’ve done much to help. We’re just moving together…”
“No, it’s not just about joining you. We are truly grateful that you helped us in the plaza, that you opened a path for us, and that you took us in when we had injured people with us.”
“Haha. If I hear that one more time, my ears are going to fall off. It’s really fine, so you can stop now.”
“The Mercenary Lord is truly a humble man. It’s very admirable.”
He’s being so deferential.
No matter what I said, he interpreted it in a positive light, and I couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Jo Seungwoo had been one of the dozens of Users who followed me from the plaza. He was also one of the lucky eleven who had managed to escape the Vagabonds.
What he had just said wasn't entirely wrong, but in my current state of mind, it was almost laughable.
Back in the city, I had acted solely for the sake of myself and my clan members; I hadn't given any thought to others. In fact, while passing through the outskirts, I only looked after my own clan members and paid no mind to the other Users. But Jo Seungwoo, following behind me, had gathered all the Users I had simply passed by. As such, the one who truly deserved praise was him.
Even taking in the injured wasn't an act of pure goodwill. Although they were injured, none of them had leg injuries. They had already received some treatment, and since we had three mages anyway, it wouldn't significantly slow down our march. Besides, if an unforeseen incident were to occur, I could also use them as shields for my clan members.
In other words, in our current situation, it was beneficial to move together, no matter how you looked at it. That was why I had allowed them to join us.
Of course, with more people, food and water could become an issue. But we were currently walking alongside a river, so we could procure them ourselves. If worst came to worst, we could just hunt some edible forest animals.
In any case, there were two things to be wary of right now: monsters and pursuers. We had encountered monsters a few times while passing through the forest, but they weren't very difficult to deal with.
That left only one thing, but the matter of pursuers was also a bit puzzling.
Personally, I thought it was unlikely that the Vagabonds would form a pursuit team. It was partly due to their unique characteristics, but unless their commander was out of their mind, they wouldn't send a team after Users who had already escaped.
Still, I wasn't letting my guard down. I had made my own preparations against pursuit. I had Ko Yeonju erase our tracks as much as possible, and we were strictly maintaining our watch duty.
Honestly, it would be better for everyone if they didn't come. But deep down, a part of me hoped that at least a few dozen would show up. I was quite curious about why they had invaded Mule first, and if a pursuit team came, I could capture a few and dig for information.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Jo Seungwoo’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. He was looking at me intently, his fingers interlaced over his knees.
“Just thinking about this and that.”
“Haha. You had your eyes closed, so I thought you were sleeping. It’s time for the shift change, so you should go get some rest.”
At Jo Seungwoo’s suggestion, I calmly nodded.
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you, then. If you stand watch alone without waking anyone like you did the day before yesterday, you’re off watch duty for the next two days.”
“Oh my. I suppose I’ll have to stay up all night tonight for the sake of the next two nights.”
“I take back what I just said.”
“Haha. I’m just kidding.”
After some idle chatter with Jo Seungwoo, I placed my hands on the ground to push myself up. Still, just in case, I planned to use Sensing one last time before leaving. My right hand still felt the rustling texture of dry leaves, but my left hand felt the soft earth. I slowly gathered my magic and began to stand up. Or rather, I was about to.
It was at that moment.
“Hm? Aren’t you going in?”
“……”
“Mercenary Lord?”
I felt a faint vibration in the magic flowing from the hand that was touching the dirt. It was a tremor so slight I would have missed it if my hand hadn't been pressed deep into the ground.
And that tremor was growing stronger, little by little.