Chapter 25: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastmen, and... (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastmen, and... (3)
Jin never imagined that Kinzelo, a terrorist group he had only read about in newsletters in his past life, would be the culprit. He certainly hadn't expected them to not only attack Runcandel cadets but to go as far as kidnapping one.
"How much time has passed since Mesa was taken?"
"It hasn't been an hour yet."
"Then they must still be on their way to the entrance of the Land of the Beastmen."
Jin pulled the dagger from the head of the dead assailant beside him. He then took two more daggers from his squad members, tucking one into his boot and the other inside his robe.
"Young Master, we should prepare to pursue as well," Gilly said.
"No. I'm the only one going to rescue Mesa. The rest of you will stay here, finish providing first aid, and then rendezvous with the remaining members of Class 1 to request reinforcements from the main house."
"Sir?"
The cadets looked flustered.
"The attackers we fought were all 4-star warriors. If there are twenty more like them, you can't possibly go alone, Young Master!"
"You can't, Young Master! Please, take us with you!"
"Mesa is important, but you are the priority. Honestly, even pursuing them is too dangerous. It would be better if you stayed and requested reinforcements with us..."
The cadets raised their voices in protest.
According to the dying assailant, there were twenty members at their branch. Just as they said, a pursuit and rescue mission was reckless. For Jin to attempt it alone was beyond suicidal.
"And that number might be an understatement! If we all die, including you, the promise you made with that man will be broken. Please, assess the situation carefully!"
"Mesa is a comrade we all cherish, but dying during a mission is a common occurrence. If the main house sends reinforcements immediately, there might still be a chance for a safe rescue..."
"Silence," Jin cut in.
"Yes, Young Master."
"As you said, dying during a mission is common. However, it is unacceptable for a direct descendant of Runcandel to do nothing while a cadet has been captured."
Jin slowly turned his head, meeting the eyes of each cadet.
"I am stronger than you think. So, pull yourselves together and follow my orders. Any further protest will be considered an act of insubordination."
The cadets lowered their heads, their expressions somber. Jin’s firm tone and unwavering gaze left no room for argument.
"In the future, I expect you all to become strong enough to fight alongside me in any situation. I'll be back. Oh, and Vellop."
"Yes."
"With all of Class 2 injured, you're the strongest one left standing. You need to keep a level head. Do you understand what that means? You cannot hesitate."
"I will keep that in mind."
The cadets bowed toward Jin’s retreating back.
*
Jin’s current achievements were 3-star Spirit Energy Release, 3-star swordsmanship, and 4-star mana.
If he told anyone he had achieved all this by the age of fifteen, they wouldn't believe him. Even so, it was still a stretch to face twenty 4-star warriors at once. Furthermore, if the grunts were 4-star, their leader was likely 5-star or higher.
Despite this, Jin confidently set out alone because his enemies knew nothing of his spiritual energy or magic.
Additionally, although his swordsmanship was only at the 3-star level, he had already acquired secret techniques from various martial families. This wasn't a fight with zero chance of victory.
I won't have to fight all twenty at once. They've likely scattered to search the area, so I’ll take them out group by group while I look for Mesa.
Once he judged he was far enough from the cadets, Jin stopped running.
After catching his breath, a fist-sized clump of mana gathered in his right palm. He intended to use magic to track his targets.
Ground Sensing.
Ground Sensing was a 3-star earth magic. As the name suggested, it was a spell used to sense the state of the ground, primarily for detecting disasters like earthquakes. On its own, it was ill-suited for tracking people.
However, magic could be utilized in infinite ways depending on its application and combination—though for ordinary mages, the concepts of application and combination usually required cooperation with others.
Woooong!
As the mana in his right palm began to seep into the ground, another sphere of mana formed in his left. It was a translucent orb possessing the attribute of wind.
Simultaneous Casting.
For the vast majority of mages, this was a realm of power they could only dream of. It was a pinnacle of magic that even a 7-star mage couldn't use without innate talent.
Jin had been able to use Simultaneous Casting since shortly after he became a magic student in his previous life.
Wind Tracking.
As the second incantation ended, a cool breeze gathered around the transparent mana. The wind brushed past Jin’s body for a moment before flowing onward, guided by the minute vibrations detected by Ground Sensing.
The wind was moving based on the terrestrial information the earth magic provided.
It’s a relief they headed toward the plains. If they had taken the forest paths, tracking them would have been difficult even with these two spells combined.
Had the Kinzelo attackers used the forest, the sheer number of trees and other life forms would have made detection nearly impossible.
Jin dispelled the magic.
Simultaneous Casting consumed an extreme amount of mana. Plus, if there happened to be a mage among the enemy, his tracking could be discovered.
They haven't gone too far yet.
After running for about an hour, he began to find traces of the attackers. He spotted broken blades of grass and confirmed their footprints in the dirt.
Just as he was about to move again after examining the tracks, Jin froze.
Looking closely at their direction of travel, he noticed the number of footprints had decreased.
Phut!
An arrow flew from between the tall grass. Jin dodged it with little effort and pointed his sword toward where it had come from.
There was a dugout.
Some of the attackers had dug a hole and were waiting to ambush any pursuing cadets.
"As expected of a Runcandel cadet! His movements are excellent. Now I see why Chaf had such a hard time earlier."
"Clark! The brat dodged the arrow. Hand over one gold coin."
Three masked men chuckled as they crawled out of the dugout. It seemed they had made a bet the moment they spotted Jin from their hiding spot—a bet on whether he could dodge their hidden arrow.
The man called Clark grumbled as he pulled out a gold coin and flipped it to his companion.
"Guess you can thank the damn brat for making you a little richer."
The man who caught the coin smirked and drew his sword. All the while, Jin had been silently observing them.
The group consisted of one mage and two warriors.
The aura and mana I'm sensing aren't that strong. All three are likely around 4-star.
To them, the way Jin calmly assessed their strength looked like he was frozen in fear.
"Don't worry too much, kid. I don't get my kicks from killing people painfully. It’ll be over soon."
"But why is there only one of you? Where'd you ditch the others?"
"They probably all died to Chaf and Greg, kuku."
"Those guys, Chaf and Greg. Is one of them the guy with a scar on his left cheek, and the other the bald one?"
When Jin spoke for the first time, two of the men burst into laughter.
"Kahaha! A scar on the cheek, a bald head?"
"Those guys are gonna get a kick out of that when we tell them later."
One man, however, was not laughing. It was the mage.
"You. How do you know what Chaf and Greg look like?"
"It’s obvious. I saw them after I killed them and pulled off their masks. They were fighting my subordinates."
The laughter vanished from the men's eyes. Jin remained expressionless, his sword still leveled at them.
"Don't bluff. They're 4-star knights. A Runcandel beginner cadet can't handle them."
"Your Kinzelo group recognizes thugs who attack children as knights? Your standards are quite different from Runcandel's."
"Clark, Mills! Check the surroundings! It wasn't just kids here. This brat isn't a cadet. There must be a Guardian Knight nearby!"
The men couldn't believe that Jin had killed Chaf and Greg. Even for a Runcandel, it was unimaginable that a boy who hadn't even finished growing could take down two 4-star knights.
Thus, they immediately prepared for death. Having been mercenaries or knights before joining Kinzelo, they were well aware of the fearsome reputation of Runcandel’s Guardian Knights.
Puhaha...
Jin let out a dry laugh.
"You’re afraid of Runcandel, yet you weren't afraid to attack our cadets? There is no Guardian Knight. I came here alone."
"Bullshit!"
"If my Guardian Knights were here, you wouldn't even be having this conversation with me. Besides, where would they hide on these plains? It would be ridiculous for our knights to hide just to ambush the likes of you."
The extremely tense men caught their breath and scanned the area. Indeed, there was nowhere to hide in the open field, and Jin’s logic was sound.
Soon, the men resumed their aggressive stance, embarrassed for being rattled by a boy who looked twenty years their junior.
"He really did come alone... I thought he was just a brat acting tough because of his family name, but he’s just a fearless pup."
"Is that so? If I were someone who only acted tough by relying on my family..."
While Jin was speaking, Clark lunged forward, aiming for his throat.
"...it would have been quite lucky for you. What a shame."
"Dieeeee!"
Clark closed the distance in an instant, but just as he was about to strike, he screamed and collapsed. Out of nowhere, one of his legs had been cleanly severed.
I’m glad I stalled for time.
What had severed Clark’s leg was Blade Wind, a spell that boasted the highest difficulty among 4-star wind-attribute magic. It was a spell Jin had been secretly preparing while they talked.
"Clark! What kind of magic did a Runcandel—!"
The mage began chanting a spell to counterattack, while Mills, fueled by rage, rushed at Jin and swung his sword.
"You bastard!"
Clang!
Jin was pushed back slightly as he parried Mills’s downward strike. The aura-imbued blow was heavy for his young body to receive. Still, a single 4-star knight was not a problem.
Just as Jin was about to spin around to take Mills’s flank, the mage shouted.
"Mills, get back!"
Fwoosh! A large flame erupted from the mage’s palm. The fire unraveled like a rope and shot toward Jin.
It was Flame Whip, a 4-star fire-attribute spell, and the most powerful magic the Kinzelo mage could cast.
Instead of dodging, Jin let the Flame Whip envelop him. The moment a triumphant smile appeared on the mage’s lips, Jin used the curtain of fire to thrust Bradamante into Mills’s neck.
Stab!
As the blade pierced his throat, Mills died without a sound. The mage could only stumble back, doubting his own eyes, while Clark continued to scream, clutching his severed leg.
Jin grabbed the Flame Whip clinging to his robe and snuffed it out with his bare hand. As the flames died down, the remnants of mana scattered like dust.
Since he had perfectly absorbed the Phoenix Heart, fire-attribute magic of 6-star or lower could not harm him.
"Damn it!"
Realizing Jin possessed fire resistance, the mage hurriedly chanted another spell. Ice Spike. It was the same magic that had struck Jin’s carriage in the past.
"Don't come any closer!"
An ice spike shot from the mage’s hand, but this time, it shattered on its own and fell to the ground before it could even reach Jin.
The Pendant of the Beast Demon King Orgal. The mana from the pendant protected him. It was extremely difficult for magic of 5-star or lower to pierce its defenses.
"H-How...! Argh!"
Bradamante drew a sharp arc and slashed across the mage’s waist. With a single twist of the sword, the mage shuddered and died.
"I happen to have some good sisters," Jin muttered.
After finishing off the trembling Clark, he began to cross the plains once more.
Of course, before he left, he made sure to carve away the wound on Clark's leg, leaving no trace that he had been struck by magic.