Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Translator: Penny
Chapter 23
The clanging of metal and the screams of people echoed along the long caravan procession.
The situation was dire.
Knights and mercenaries were concentrated at the head of the caravan, where the Caravan Master rode.
Adventurers were scattered sparsely throughout the procession, but many lacked combat skills and offered little assistance.
The only safe spots were those guarded by former mercenaries or wandering swordsmen among the crowd. The rest were easy prey for the bandit horde.
Baek Woon rose from his seat on the cargo wagon, watching the enemies swarm like ravenous beasts.
"Ugh, I'm not exactly skilled in close combat," he muttered.
"Well, what could a little whelp like you possibly do in a fight?" Elena retorted.
"..."
Baek Woon fell silent, his expression sour as if he'd just swallowed something foul.
"Kuh-heh-heh! Captain! There's a real beauty here!"
"Holy shit, you're right! Hey, I'm gonna be the first to taste that one. Bring her here gently!"
"Did you hear that? The Captain wants her. Kuh-heh-heh, if you come with us now, we won't kill you. But you'll be spending the whole night with us—"
"Jacob."
Swish!
Unable to endure the man's crude words any longer, Elena murmured the name. In that instant, a pitch-black figure surged from the shadows and severed the man's head, sending it tumbling to the ground.
The attack had been so swift and unexpected.
"W-what was that...?" one of the bandits stammered.
Swish!
His head split in two, blood gushing as he collapsed.
The suddenly appearing man knelt before Elena, his face rigid as he spoke.
"Orders."
"Kill them all."
"Yes, My Master."
Upon receiving the command, Jacob bared his sharp fangs and swiftly felled the enemies before him.
The bandits' heads tumbled to the ground like ripe fruit, turning the area into a sea of blood.
"A monster...!"
"We weren't told there was someone like this!"
"Fuck, run!!"
The bandits and onlookers alike stared in shock at Jacob's brutal display.
"Well... looks like I'm not really needed here."
"You were never needed in battle, kid. Just take care of yourself."
With those words, Elena kicked off the ground and darted toward the center of the procession.
She wasn't fighting out of concern for innocent lives or a sense of justice.
If I do this, maybe I can reach E-Rank alongside Master?
Her motivation for fighting was utterly trivial, but no one knew it.
"Boss! A pretty woman's running toward us!"
"What? Oh—she looks absolutely delicious...!"
Before the man called "Boss" could finish his sentence, his head was split into dozens of pieces and scattered across the ground.
The bandits, who had been cackling as they slaughtered merchants and looted their goods, fell silent.
They stared at the suddenly appearing woman, blinking in unison.
Instinct screamed at them:
Move, and you die.
"Hmm, the sky is beautiful."
Agron was lost.
He had clearly gone into the forest to gather firewood, but when he regained his senses, he found himself in front of a dilapidated abandoned house.
He glanced around, checking for any signs of life.
It seemed to be genuinely abandoned; no sound came from within.
Agron opened the door and entered, hoping to find a map or compass inside.
"..."
He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing sharply.
Something felt off.
Every object was covered in dust, and cobwebs hung everywhere, yet the door leading to the basement was completely free of both.
Either someone last came out of the basement, or they went in, Agron thought.
Without further hesitation, he opened the basement door.
He was simply a curious man, one who couldn't rest until he satisfied his curiosity.
Fear was a useless emotion for a warrior, and hesitation was the domain of the weak.
I can't see an inch ahead.
Agron wasn't afraid of the darkness. Even in pitch-black darkness, he could hear like a bat, smell like a dog, taste with his tongue like a snake, and sense vibrations through his skin like a shark.
I taste salt.
The moment he detected the salty taste on his tongue, he felt a deliberate current of air brush against his skin. It was unmistakably human sweat.
Without hesitation, Agron swung his leg sideways with brutal force.
The impact against his shin felt exactly like kicking a person.
A sharp crack echoed as thick firewood splintered, and flames erupted from all directions, illuminating the surroundings.
A dozen or so figures in pitch-black robes stared down at him.
"Wait... the intruder didn't fall?"
"Kelvin! Kelvin's back is broken!"
"Damn it, kill him!"
"Kill him before our secret is exposed!"
Agron calmly surveyed the scene, his gaze sweeping across the malevolent energy that flared around him like a wildfire.
In an instant, he assessed the number of enemies, the layout of the underground chamber, and how many were armed.
He grabbed the arm of the first attacker and yanked him forward.
With a sharp clap, he snapped the man's elbow joint backward, breaking it, and snatched the torch from his hand.
"A poor weapon, but it will have to do," Agron remarked calmly before plunging into the heart of the enemy ranks, swinging the torch wildly.
With each merciless swing of his torch, bones snapped and blood splattered.
However, the torch's fragility forced Agron to discard broken ones and seize torches or weapons from his opponents.
"Gah...!"
He gripped the last man by the neck and hoisted him into the air.
The man clawed at Agron's grip and forearm, his legs thrashing in agony.
Agron tore the man's tunic open, then pressed the smoldering torch against his abdomen.
"Ugh... Gah...!"
"Answer my question, or I'll carve pain into your body a hundred times worse than this."
The man, his face crimson from suffocation, nodded frantically.
After leaving the abandoned mansion, Agron wandered through the forest path until Elena found him.
"Master! Are you alright?"
"Hmm, I'm fine. Did you get into a fight?" Agron asked, noticing the faint metallic scent of blood emanating from her.
Elena explained everything that had happened in his absence, leaving nothing out.
"I see. I also heard an interesting story on my way back."
"An interesting story?"
Agron decided to explain the details after reuniting with Baek Woon.
"By the way, how did you find me?"
"Didn't you give me your blood, Master? I can smell your blood even from several kilometers away."
"Oh—that's quite an impressive ability."
"Thank you!"
"Then how do we get back to the others? Can you smell the Elder's scent?"
"I can't smell children. Since Jacob has my blood, he'll follow that scent."
No matter how exceptional Agron's physical abilities were, he couldn't locate someone kilometers away.
He rejoined Elena and the caravan procession.
"The cleanup isn't finished yet."
The caravan remained on the mountain path where he had left them.
Corpses and wounded littered the area, while mercenaries and adventurers were gathering the enemy's bodies into a single pile.
"Agron, where have you been?"
"Gathering firewood."
"...Then where's the firewood?"
Agron's hands were empty.
"Isn't there something more important to discuss right now?"
"No, where's the firewood?"
"There's something more urgent we need to talk about."
"Where's the firewo—"
"Hey, shut up, kid! The Master is speaking!"
"..."
Having grown up in the Land of Eastern Etiquette, Baek Woon had a hard time being rude to those older than him. He could only stare at Elena with a disgusted expression.
"I accidentally stumbled into an abandoned house, where I found over a dozen people gathered in the basement, all wearing robes."
"A peculiar group indeed. What were they doing?"
Agron recounted the information he had extracted from interrogating the surviving members.
"Remember those guys who tried to resurrect Jacob in the cave where the Herb Tiger was last time?"
"Ah... those weird cultists?"
"Yes. It seems they're the same ones this time."
He pulled out a golden necklace one of the cultists had been wearing and showed it to them.
The snake's head was biting its tail, forming a circle.
"This... it's the Ouroboros."
"Correct. It's their symbol and the source of their faith, they say."
"Is the organization named Ouroboros?"
"No. Their organization is called 'Ananta.' It means 'infinite,' they said."
Elena asked, "Then what is the purpose of the Ananta organization?"
"The ones we interrogated were all low-ranking members, so we don't know for sure. But they said their goal is to summon their Master."
"If that Master is Jacob... it seems rather underwhelming."
"I agree."
Jacob, who had been silently listening to Elena and Agron's conversation, gave an awkward smile.
"But what were they doing in that underground place? And why is the monster they want to summon already there?"
"That's not the case. It seems this caravan had a specific purpose."
"Hmm...?"
Baek Woon frowned.
"The caravan? Could it be...?"
"Yes, they were the ones who hired the bandits."
"Heh... No wonder the timing and tactics of the bandit attack seemed unusually precise for mere bandits."
"Master, what purpose did 'Ananta' have with the caravan?"
"I don't know the details. It seems they simply instructed the bandits to seize all the caravan's goods indiscriminately."
I wanted to investigate further, but it was clear even these men didn't know the exact reason.
They seemed to only know something along the lines of, "There's something the organization needs among the caravan's cargo. We must retrieve it."
Just then, a mounted knight approached them from the front of the procession.
"Are you the Adventurers who eliminated the bandits just now?" the knight asked, his gaze sweeping over Elena and Jacob.
Before Elena could respond, Jacob spoke up first.
"That's correct, Sir."
"Hmph, the Caravan Master wishes to see you. Follow me."
He spat out his orders curtly, then spurred his horse forward without waiting for a reply.
Elena glared at Jacob, who stammered defensively, "M-Master would have spoken rudely to him, wouldn't she? But even the lowest-ranking knight is still nobility. I thought it best to intervene to avoid trouble. Please forgive me."
"...Hmph, I understand."
Elena stubbornly clung to her principles. She seemed determined to never show respect to anyone but Agron, no matter the circumstances.
Baek Woon said, "Why don't you tell him to make some changes?" But Agron replied, "A true warrior never compromises their beliefs," effectively supporting her stubbornness.
Agron and his group entered the makeshift tent where the Caravan Master resided.
"Oh, welcome, welcome!"
A plump, middle-aged man was waiting for them inside.
"Greetings," Baek Woon said, stepping into the tent first and returning the man's greeting.
The Caravan Master wasn't a noble, just a wealthy merchant. But Baek Woon couldn't speak casually to his employer, so he took the lead in the conversation, leaving Agron and Elena behind.
"Your attire is quite unique. Are you a mage from the East?"
"Indeed, Caravan Master. Your insight is truly profound."
"I've simply wandered far and wide, seeing and hearing much. It's a pleasure to meet you young friends as well."
"Thank you for inviting us, Caravan Master," Jacob replied quickly, sensing the need to take the lead.
As a Vampir, he found it distasteful to bow to a human, but he couldn't ask Elena or Agron to do it either.
As the Caravan Master greeted them with a smile, his eyes suddenly locked onto Elena. A flicker of desire ignited in his gaze.
"Ah, a flower blooming even in this dusty place. Not just beautiful—a beauty that would turn heads even in the grandest cities."
"..."
Elena offered only a slight nod in response.
This was the best she could offer.
"What do you say? If you work as my bodyguard, I'll pay you double... no, triple what you're earning now. Wouldn't it be better to travel the continent, eat luxurious meals, and live comfortably instead of struggling as an adventurer?"
"Heh, I'm afraid that's impossible, Caravan Master. These two are engaged," Baek Woon said, pointing at Agron and Elena, noticing the unusual expression on Elena's face.
"Engaged? Hmm."
His gaze swept Agron up and down, clearly displeased.
Slightly taller than me, a bit better-looking... and his physique is quite impressive. But wouldn't someone like me, with more money, be a better match?
He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
For now, I'll back down.
Opportunities are made, not found.
"To be frank, the city's dignitaries and merchants are planning a banquet upon our arrival. As a token of gratitude for protecting our caravan, we'd like to invite you."
Baek Woon, Jacob, and Elena naturally turned their gazes toward Agron.
They would follow Agron's decision without question.
"Thank you for the invitation. We will attend," Agron replied with a faint smile, his eyes lingering on the Caravan Master's thick wrist.
There, a small, glinting Ouroboros symbol caught his attention.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny