Chapter 21
Chapter 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Hundred Ghosts Pill
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crackle, crackle!
Perhaps because not much time had passed.
A pile of logs with embers still glowing faintly caught his eye, casting a subtle light.
They must have figured it wouldn't take long to deal with us, since they were taking their entire force with them.
Swoosh!
Ian, who had arrived at the Red Fang Orc Tribe's village, pointed to the largest log cabin in the center and spoke to his squad members.
"Everyone, start searching there first. I'll check the outermost houses."
"Captain...!!"
The squad members looked at Ian with moved expressions.
By the habits of most monsters, the best loot was always kept in the strongest chieftain's dwelling.
Yet, by telling them to search that spot, he was essentially yielding the spoils to them.
"What are you waiting for? Go find it. If something useful comes up for each other, don't be greedy—trade nicely."
"As you command!!"
Led by Ralph, who dashed off excitedly toward Urk's dwelling, the squad members all rushed away in a group.
In an instant, Ian was left alone.
He watched his squad for a moment before turning toward the log cabin on the farthest outskirts.
"Iron Mask wouldn't have shown up there for no reason. He must have been staying in the Red Fang Orc Tribe's village."
It was just a hunch without evidence, but Ian trusted his instincts.
There was no way it was coincidence that Iron Mask arrived for inspection right when they started fighting the Red Fang Orcs under Golden Heaven's orders.
The Latent Dragon Squad's raid must have been anticipated before they even infiltrated.
When an executive from the upper echelon comes for inspection,
what would a lower branch chief typically do?
First, they'd show off their power.
They had to prove the group they were recruiting wasn't weak.
Second, they'd desperately hide anything they didn't want the upper echelon to see.
Lest it catch their eye and get seized.
'Well, if it's not there, nothing I can do.'
Ian trusted his gut.
'Iron Mask said Urk was overreaching with foolish dreams. That wasn't idle talk—Urk must have had something solid to rely on.'
To Iron Mask, Urk might have seemed like a fool who got wrecked by a novice, but Ian, who had clashed with him directly, knew Urk wasn't that dim-witted.
If Ian himself hadn't been dispatched this time, the Red Fang Orc Tribe would have smoothly been accepted under Golden Heaven's command.
That's why Ian started searching from the quiet outskirts.
Trusting his senses.
Bam!
First house.
Nothing.
Creak!
Second house.
Just as empty.
The third and fourth passed.
...Creeeak!
And when he opened the fifth house,
a smile crept onto Ian's lips.
"...Bingo."
It was the smile of victory, when his hunch proved right.
Orcs were monsters.
No matter how they mimicked human habits or adopted their culture,
that monstrous essence created an uncrossable gap.
It was their scent.
The barbaric stench of chewing living flesh and gulping blood.
A trait no monster could hide.
But in this fifth house Ian entered, amid the beastly musk, a faint fragrance tickled his nose.
Subtle enough to miss if not paying attention, but it couldn't escape Ian's senses.
Creak!
As he shoved aside the orc's crude clutter in the log cabin, a floor with an unusually soft texture emerged, unlike the rest.
As if it had been dug up and covered recently.
Scrape, scrape!
As Ian kicked at the floor, a corner of a small, dirt-covered box peeked out.
"Is this it?"
Thud, thud!
Digging with his hands revealed the small box fully.
Sealed airtight with beeswax, even in the gaps.
Despite the tight seal, lifting it released a burst of fragrance that stung Ian's nose—the same subtle scent filling the cabin.
No doubt.
This must be Urk's ace in the hole.
Crunch!
Shoving his black and white swords into the wax seams tore it open, exposing the contents.
With the seal broken, the intensified aroma overwhelmed even the orcish stink.
Inside was a small spirit pill gleaming dark blue.
"Well, well, how the hell did an orc get something like this?"
Ian marveled, pinching the pill between thumb and forefinger.
With its ghostly face embossed and eerie aura clashing with the sweet scent, it exuded an ominous vibe.
Hundred Ghosts Pill.
A elixir said to be craftable by only a handful of shamans in the Kang Empire of the Eastern Continent.
It greatly boosted one's aura, but its sinister appearance hinted at severe side effects that led to its obsolescence.
It destroyed the user's sanity, turning them into mindless beasts.
From countless experiments, only two types survived unscathed:
Monsters like Urk, who hid the pill,
or martial artists with profound aura cultivation to suppress the side effects and harness only the benefits.
Ian fit the latter perfectly.
Swoosh!
Ian slipped the pill back into its box and tucked it away securely.
A sudden question crossed his mind.
'The Hundred Ghosts Pill is banned even in the Kang Empire due to side effects. How did Urk get something humans there can't easily obtain?'
He could chalk it up to raiding a caravan near the Fire Mountains,
but what merchant caravan near a disaster zone would carry a forbidden imperial elixir?
"...Looks like I need to look into this a bit."
Getting the pill was one thing, but letting this slide felt off.
Ignoring small doubts could let them snowball into big problems later.
"Oh, if it isn't the captain."
Ian, having securely resealed the pill and headed to Urk's log cabin,
was greeted by satisfied Latent Dragon Squad members.
Urk's dwelling befitted the chieftain ruling the Fire Mountain orcs.
True to their infamy, plundering countless human caravans had amassed a huge pile of wealth.
Snicker!
Seeing the squad's uncontainable excitement, a chuckle escaped Ian.
Blockheads or not, they were still young boys and girls.
Not only had they completed the mission flawlessly, but scored massive spoils too—of course they were thrilled.
"Not only did we wipe out an orc tribe, but we hit the jackpot on loot. Life really is about that one big score!"
Ralph danced around, his huge frame jiggling absurdly.
"We're way fewer than other squads too. Even splitting six ways, we'd each get plenty of minor elixirs..."
"Sorry to rain on your parade, but that's not ours."
Ian's words doused Ralph's dream like cold water, leaving him crestfallen.
"W-What? Why not? What's our reward for all this hell then?!"
Ralph protested, but Ian's follow-up left him speechless.
"The plundered goods must prioritize aid for victims of the Red Fang Orc Tribe and rebuilding their villages."
"...!!"
"Whatever's left after, I'll make sure you all get your share. So no long faces."
Who could argue?
Protecting Aslan Kingdom's people was the Lichtenauer Martial Clan's sacred duty.
"...When you put it that way, how could we object."
Even wild Ralph couldn't oppose using wealth for villagers' aid.
Clatter!
The others felt the same, gathering the goods from Urk's house.
"Let's head back. We need to report the mission progress to the clan."
Once Ian's group reported successfully subjugating the Fire Mountain orcs, the clan ordered their return in under a week.
Strike teams usually operated for fixed periods at assigned spots, rotating with others when time was up.
But on successful completion like this, they were summoned back early for debrief and next steps.
It wasn't rare— the clan's talents often aced missions spectacularly.
Thus, no one in the Latent Dragon Squad, including Ian, found the recall suspicious.
Their unease was elsewhere.
Scratch, scratch!
"Man, mission over and heading home, but it doesn't feel real. Am I the only one?"
Gazing at the opening clan gates as they arrived, Ralph scratched his head nonstop.
"M-Me too. It's just... the m-mission ended so q-quickly..."
Perhaps growing closer, Helena chimed in to Ralph's mutter.
The others likely felt the same, even if unspoken.
Subjugating an orc tribe.
Easy if easy, hard if hard.
Elite strike teams or units guarding the northern steppes could finish and return in under two hours, half a day at most.
But such powerhouses were deployed for critical ops.
The Southern Continent was vast, with endless spots needing clan or mage tower aid.
Thus, teams sent to lower-threat areas like Fire Mountains weren't top-tier.
Like saplings growing into great trees through rain and wind, juniors needed gradual experience to become steppe-ready warriors.
That's why the Red Fang Orcs had rampaged freely around Fire Mountains till now.
Yet Ian's Latent Dragon Squad deployed, and returned in just a week—
including travel and reporting.
Compared to past teams barely holding or harassing the orcs, it was unprecedented.
Perhaps that's why.
As the gates opened and they stepped inside, countless gazes fixed on Ian and the squad.
-Those blockheads and the Second Young Lord really took down Urk and the Red Fang Orcs?
-No way. Even the Crimson Snake Squad failed and struggled...
-Must be some mistake.
The whispers brimmed with doubt and envy.
Feeling the stares' weight, Helena instinctively ducked her head, but Ian said quietly,
"Don't lower your head."
Bowing heads suited mission failures.
They had succeeded and earned merit.
Be proud—no need to shrink.
"...Yes!"
Helena straightened up at Ian's words.
Ian nodded approvingly.
As they resumed toward the Latent Dragon building,
"Ian and five Latent Dragon Squad members?"
A warrior cloaked head to toe in red blocked their path.
Seeming to materialize from nowhere, with a modulated voice hiding gender, the figure was suspicious.
But as the warrior appeared, the onlookers averted their eyes.
That attire was permitted to only one group in the clan.
The Patriarch's Guard, Crimson Dragon Corps.
They obeyed only Patriarch Paon, sacrificing lives gladly at his word—the clan's elite strike team.
Unfazed by the shifting gazes, as if routine, the Crimson Dragon member continued to Ian's group.
"The Patriarch wishes to hear your achievements directly. Follow me to the audience chamber now."
In the Lichtenauer Martial Clan, Patriarch Paon's orders superseded all laws.
Without objection, Ian and his squad followed the Crimson Dragon member to the Patriarch's palace.