Chapter 26: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastmen, and... (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastmen, and... (4)
‘They haven’t been lying in ambush for long. The ones with Mesa can’t be far, either.’
As Jin ran, sweat poured from his body like rain.
He had been searching, tracking, and fighting for over twenty-four hours straight, and the physical toll was finally starting to weigh on him. His exhaustion was a direct result of the simultaneous casting he’d used for tracking and his secret use of Blade Wind.
There were about fifteen enemies left.
In the worst-case scenario, he would have to face them all at once. If he was lucky, he could continue picking them off two or three at a time, just as he had been doing.
‘It’s frustrating being so young. If I had even a fraction of the combat power from my previous life, I wouldn’t have to worry about numbers against trash like this.’
During the pursuit, Jin had noticed that the Kinzelo attackers were surprisingly sloppy. They were clearly former mercenaries or knights, yet they repeatedly failed to mask their tracks.
‘It’s because they’re looking down on us.’
He was right. Kinzelo was completely dismissing the Runcandel cadets. Even if they were Runcandels, the kidnappers viewed them as mere fledglings with zero real-world experience.
This was evident from the fact that they had left only two men behind to deal with the second squad after kidnapping Mesa. It was the same reason they had only stationed one mage and two warriors in ambush to handle any potential pursuit.
‘Keep underestimating me. I’ll make sure you regret it.’
Their arrogance was his greatest weapon. It was the reason he didn't fear them, even in his exhausted state.
He ran for another hour. This time, he moved cautiously, checking for ambushes, but the footprints remained consistent.
Then, alongside the footprints, carriage wheel ruts began to appear. Jin paused briefly to examine them.
‘The ones who took Mesa met up with another group here. They’ve moved her into a carriage.’
A carriage would actually make them easier to catch. The sleet from last night had left the ground uneven, making it impossible for a carriage to move quickly.
After following the wheel ruts for a while, he came upon an unfamiliar forest path.
It was a trail leading toward the Land of the Beastmen.
Jin took a moment to steady his breathing before entering the woods. The tracks continued along the single path carved deep into the forest.
‘Now then, how should I start this?’
Technically, Jin was on a cadet rescue mission. An unexpected turn of events had shifted his objective from searching to rescuing. Finding the wealthy merchant’s son was no longer a priority.
So, what was the most important factor in a rescue mission?
Needless to say, it was the safety and well-being of the hostage.
‘Ensuring Mesa isn’t harmed is more important than killing them.’
It had been roughly three hours since Mesa was taken.
Three hours. For kidnappers who knew no restraint, it was more than enough time to treat Mesa like a plaything.
However, Jin believed Mesa was still safe. If they had intended to violate her immediately, he would have caught up to them much sooner.
Jin’s knowledge of Kinzelo was limited to what he had read in newsletters before his regression.
An extremist, strictly hierarchical, illegal armed organization. That was how he defined them.
A strict hierarchy.
That was the point Jin was focusing on. He believed Mesa was still unharmed because Kinzelo likely distributed ‘spoils’ according to rank.
‘Their base should be just a bit further in, and Mesa couldn’t have arrived long ago.’
Thirty minutes? An hour?
It was likely around that long. The kidnappers would probably be in the middle of handing Mesa over to their superior right about now.
In other words, this was the last chance to save her. Since every minute counted, a frontal assault was the fastest option.
However, charging straight into their base presented several problems. If the remaining enemies were all gathered, a full-scale battle would be unavoidable. Even if he managed to kill them all, they might use her as a human shield.
After a few seconds of deliberation, Jin nodded.
‘First, I need to make them panic. Panic so much that they can’t even think about Mesa. Fortunately, we’re in a forest.’
Red mana coalesced in Jin’s palms. It was the 4-star fire magic the mage he fought earlier had used: Flame Whip.
‘I’m glad I reached 4-star magic before coming here. With 3-star firepower, it would have been hard to burn a damp forest.’
Whoosh!
Jin began to lash the Flame Whip in every direction. While the spell had great destructive power, its true strength lay in its tenacity; once it latched onto a target, it was incredibly difficult to extinguish.
It was the perfect spell for setting fire to a forest soaked by sleet. Drenched in sweat, Jin cast the spell repeatedly.
Arson via magic was a major international crime.
But for a Runcandel like Jin, such laws didn't apply. Once enough flames had taken hold, Jin stirred his wind mana.
‘Wave Wind.’
This was also a 4-star spell. As the incantation ended, a blue wind infused with mana surged forward, carrying the flames with it. True to its name, it was a massive gust that rolled forward like a tidal wave.
The fire began to consume the forest. At first, the damp wood resisted, but once the blaze grew, it started devouring the trees at a terrifying speed.
Jin advanced through the burning woods, using the resistance he had gained from the Phoenix Heart to hide himself within the inferno.
His mana consumption was extreme due to the rapid-fire 4-star spells, but the plan was a resounding success.
In the distance, Jin spotted people frantically running out of a Kinzelo branch office.
“Fire! There’s a fire in the forest!”
“Report to the Captain! Get the mages out here, now!”
“Water! Bring water!”
“How did a fire start so suddenly...?!”
The Kinzelo members screamed as they ran. Since the flames hadn't reached the building yet, they were trying to intercept the fire before it got closer.
‘I don’t know what kind of man their captain is, but surely he isn’t crazy enough to claim his spoils while his forest is burning down.’
Now, he would rescue Mesa while killing them one by one. Jin drew the two daggers strapped to his boots and coated them in spirit energy.
Meanwhile, the Kinzelo members didn't even dream that someone was hunting them. When faced with a sudden disaster, humans tend to lose their capacity for rational thought.
If even one of them had remained calm, they would have realized immediately that this fire was artificial.
Instead, the warriors were busy frantically throwing buckets of water, and the mages were desperately casting ice or water spells.
Hidden by the flames, Jin slipped smoothly between them.
Shuck!
A black dagger flew through the air and buried itself in a mage’s neck. The mage let out a small cry, but it was completely drowned out by the crackling of burning branches.
‘That’s one.’
Jin tossed the corpse into the fire and immediately locked onto his next prey. A warrior running with a bucket met the exact same end.
For 4-star warriors, detecting a black dagger flying through a wall of fire was an impossible task.
He recovered one of the thrown daggers. Counting the ones still hidden in his robe, he had two left.
‘It would be perfect if I could keep this up, but even these idiots are bound to notice soon.’
Jin stayed low and observed the atmosphere. One man, who appeared to be the highest-ranking among them, seemed to have sensed something and began barking orders.
‘I should kill that one first.’
As the man bellowed, the Kinzelo members gathered around him drew their weapons. They began to spread out to secure the perimeter of the building.
‘He’s having two mages and two warriors focus on the fire while the rest guard the building. Not a bad call.’
If only it weren't me he was facing.
Jin lunged toward the man who was now standing alone. He intentionally refrained from drawing Bradamante, as the tell-tale rasp of steel and the sword’s unique glow would ruin the surprise.
Thud, thud, thud!
When Jin suddenly burst from the flames, the man gasped and swung his sword. Jin ducked quickly to avoid the blade, but he couldn't dodge the follow-up kick.
Thwack!
Jin was sent rolling across the ground, and the man immediately pressed his advantage.
“You little rat! You’re the one who set the fire!”
Stab! Stab! The man thrust his sword into the ground where Jin had been, forcing Jin to roll continuously. Finally, the man dropped his sword and lunged, pinning Jin down with his entire body weight.
“You damn brat, I’m going to kill—”
But Jin had let himself be caught on purpose. He had intentionally provoked a brawl instead of drawing his sword.
Pinned under the man, Jin’s body moved with the fluidity of a snake. Before the man could even process what was happening, Jin had twisted into an impossible position and snapped his neck.
Crack!
With the sound of breaking bone, saliva trailed from the man’s mouth.
‘That’s the first time I’ve used Meyer-style Martial Arts. Dammit, that hurts.’
The reason Jin was able to surpass the limits of the human body to snap the man’s neck was thanks to Meyer-style Martial Arts. He had momentarily dislocated his own shoulder to create an opening, then wrapped his legs around the man’s neck to strangle and break it. It was a technique known as ‘Dokkaebi Assassination,’ one of the Meyer family’s secret arts.
The leader was dead.
All that remained were the small fry running aimlessly through the fire and the idiots guarding the building in a state of high tension.
After popping his shoulder back into place, Jin fixed his gaze on the Kinzelo branch office. Inside the old stone building—slightly smaller than a mid-ranking noble’s manor—there likely weren't many enemies left.
‘He has a ring of keys.’
Rummaging through the man’s corpse, Jin found a set of keys and a few gold coins. He tossed the coins into the fire along with the body and walked toward the main entrance.
Creeeeeak...
As he pushed open the rusted iron door, the first thing he saw was candlelight. On the walls were several strange, incomprehensible paintings—all symbols of Kinzelo.
‘Creepy bastards.’
Pressing his back against the wall, Jin moved down the hallway. He soon realized there was no sign of life inside. At least, there was no one on this floor.
He tried the keys on every door until only one remained.
‘Is this for the basement?’
Thanks to the building’s simple layout, Jin quickly found the entrance to the cellar.
The final key fit the lock perfectly. As he descended the stairs, he saw Mesa, chained to the wall.
“Mesa.”
The moment he saw her, Jin felt a wave of relief.
His worst fears hadn't come to pass. She was still wearing her cadet uniform. However, she had clearly been beaten; her face was covered in bruises.
Screee! Clang!
Jin coated Bradamante in aura and sliced through the chains binding her.
“It’s… dangerous. Young Master, why are you here?”
The moment he heard her first words, Jin's jaw tightened.
“Mesa Milkano. Is this really the time to be worrying about me? Can you walk?”
“I don't think I can run.”
“Understood. For now, I’ll support you—”
BOOM!
Both of them flinched and looked up. A sudden, thunderous roar ripped through the air, and the entire building began to shake.