Chapter 106 : Chapter 106
Chapter 106. Refugees
A few days had passed since Hyunwoo's party left the High Orc tribe's cave.
The red earth began to show faintly beyond the grey rocky mountain.
This rocky mountain was the last one.
The party was in the middle of descending the mountain.
The old saying that it was hard to traverse the rocky mountains was a thing of the past.
Thanks to Gracia's ‘blessing’, they could ascend and descend the mountain with a much lighter feeling.
Thud—
With the final footsteps of Van, who had lagged behind due to his heavy armor and shield, the entire party was able to leave the grey rocky mountain.
Lucas, who had already stepped onto the red earth and was waiting, opened his mouth.
“You're slow.”
“Hoo…… If you were dressed like me, it would have taken another week.”
“It's an insult to compare this body of a True Ancestor with a mere, weak High Orc.”
Sensing that their friendly banter would drag on, Hyunwoo cut in.
“Stop talking nonsense and both of you, hurry up.”
Hyunwoo was looking around.
The red earth stretched endlessly beyond the horizon.
The unique, damp smell of the mana that hung thickly in the Demon World wafted through the air.
As he was comparing the surrounding landscape with the map to gauge the direction they needed to go, a needle-like prickle jabbed at his nerves around his chest.
“……”
Hyunwoo narrowed his brow and brushed his chest.
The 'pill' that had settled in his heart because of Jude came to mind.
The 'Resonance' curse.
Jude was likely tracking his location by sensing the energy flowing from this pill.
'If I don't retrieve 'Atemoa' from the Kormur Dungeon in time, my heart will explode.'
Hyunwoo let out a sigh, recalling Jude's scenario quest.
⌜Scenario Quest!
You have obtained a clue about the curse engraved on ‘Jude Basterion.’
Retrieve ‘Atemoa’ from the Kormur Dungeon before he goes berserk.
Time Limit: 1 year.⌟
'Now... about 9 months?
I think there are about 8 months left.'
While staying with the High Orc tribe, Hyunwoo had told the party about their final destination, the ‘Kormur Dungeon.’
Even the fact that his heart would explode if he didn't retrieve a certain item from the dungeon.
But.
[That's why you shouldn't carelessly eat things others give you.]
[You can't even digest a single pill? Humans are weak, as expected.]
[…….]
When Hyunwoo explained the 'black pill' lodged in his heart, his companions, contrary to showing worried expressions, reacted as if it were a passing joke.
It was a reaction befitting the Demon World, where death was taken lightly.
He wasn't hurt by his companions' reactions.
It wasn't that big of a concern for Hyunwoo in the first place.
He knew how to remove the pill situated in his heart.
A mad scientist-like figure who created the 'black pill' made from the 'Bompus Berry.'
'Carlos.'
But there was no need to look for him right now.
There was no need to provoke 'Jude' by searching for him, and it would be a problem even if he did find him and remove the 'Resonance' curse.
'After that, a terrifying game of tag with 'Jude Basterion' would begin.'
It was better to solve the 'Kormur Dungeon' and make Jude a definite guardian, as that was the method with the highest survival probability in the current situation.
“Are we going straight to that dungeon now?”
Van, who had approached his side, asked, and Hyunwoo shook his head.
“No.
There's a place to go before that.”
“Where?”
“The Witch's Forest.”
“The Witch's Forest?
Why such a place… Isn't that place forbidden?”
“The shaman said if we go there, we might find a way to conquer the ‘Kormur Dungeon.’”
Hyunwoo was using the shaman Gracia as a cover.
This method was better than revealing the in-game information he alone knew, one piece at a time.
“Do you even know where it is?
I've only heard of it, but I heard its location is kept strictly secret.”
“Of course.
I know it well.”
“...You only pick the forbidden lands of the Demon World to visit.
You won't die a natural death at this rate.”
“Didn't you once say you wanted to die honorably on the battlefield as a warrior?”
“Going to a forbidden land requires the recklessness of a fool rather than the courage of a warrior.”
Van grumbled, but he didn't say he wouldn't go.
The 'forbidden lands' of the Demon World.
The 'Kerno Gorge' was included among the places where one would surely die if they went.
Hyunwoo's party already had a record of passing through that gorge.
The thought that no matter how perilous the place, they would somehow get through it if they were with Hyunwoo, lingered implicitly in the party members' minds.
Thud—
About half a day after leaving the rocky mountain, they found a flat space suitable for sleeping.
The day had grown dark just in time.
It seemed they would have to rest here tonight and move again tomorrow.
Woong—
While resting, Lucas continuously scattered his blood-red mana.
Seeing the blood floating around him without coalescing and his brow deeply furrowed, it didn't look easy.
Hyunwoo watched Lucas train from where he lay, then checked the map.
'How long will it take?'
On the map, the distance from the rocky mountain to the 'Witch's Forest' looked considerable.
It seemed it would be quite a long journey.
* * *
A month passed.
During that time, Hyunwoo's party passed through various places in the Demon World, and attacks from wild demonic beasts were too frequent to even mention.
To raise the proficiency of his newly learned swordsmanships, Hyunwoo personally dealt with most of the wild demonic beasts they encountered.
Thanks to that, he was able to raise the proficiency of both newly learned swordsmanships quite a bit.
⌜Ichtus Swordsmanship (3-Star)―76%⌟
⌜Raketer Swordsmanship (4-Star)―57%⌟
He could now use the 'Parrying' of the 'Ichtus Swordsmanship' with a considerable level of accuracy.
He was also able to clearly grasp the pros and cons of the 'Ichtus Swordsmanship.'
It could defend against stronger attacks than the 'Veluma Swordsmanship,' which could defend a wide area around him.
However, since it was a technique that blocked the opponent's attack with the same force and speed, it had the drawback of having to endure the recoil as well.
In the case of the 'Raketer Swordsmanship,' everything about it was excellent except for the drawback of consuming a large amount of energy, proportional to its destructive power.
Currently, he could launch the slashing attack in two streams.
He had made a lot of progress in a short time, but there were also some disappointments.
⌜Checking the synergy between the mastered swordsmanships, Volones Swordsmanship (4-Star) and Raketer Swordsmanship (4-Star).⌟
⌜Synthesis Synergy: Low ⌟
'Low ... Has my luck finally run out?'
His luck with synergy hadn't been bad while growing his swordsmanship so far, but it seemed he had failed this time, unfortunately.
So, should he synthesize the 4-Star swordsmanships as they were to create a 5-Star?
'No.'
Until now, he had no choice because he was trapped in the Arena, but now that he was outside, there was a way.
'A method to forcibly raise synthesis synergy.'
From 4-Star swordsmanship onwards, the difficulty of obtaining a swordsmanship while considering synergy was not easy.
It seemed he would have to start thinking about a means to raise the synthesis synergy as well.
'One method comes to mind just on the way to the Kormur Dungeon.'
But that was still a long way off.
For now, he just needed to think about getting the Incense Burner of Enchantment.
Hyunwoo organized his thoughts as he gazed in the direction of the Witch's Forest, then gripped his sword.
He had been diligently raising his swordsmanship proficiency all this time.
Not only when hunting demonic beasts, but he also swung his sword ceaselessly while on the move.
Just like now.
Woong—
Cheonbyeondo, which had transformed into a saw-toothed sword, turned black.
When the fierce energy of the Raketer Swordsmanship was contained within the black mana.
Fwoooosh—!
The sword swung through the air made a sound of tearing wind, and two streams of slashing attacks shot out.
Hoo—
Hyunwoo let out a short breath, sheathed his sword, and took a step forward.
Hyunwoo wasn't the only one training while walking.
Thump—!
The earth rumbled with the footsteps of Van, who was wearing armor and a shield with even more added weight.
With that much weight, the act of walking itself was training.
Beside him, Lucas walked with red blood floating gently in the air.
Watching the blood around him coalesce and then scatter again, he narrowed his brow.
It looked better than at first, but it was still far from perfect.
He would probably have to fully recover his mana first before he could even attempt something similar.
Hyunwoo's party continued to advance while training.
A moment later, Hyunwoo's eyes, who was walking at the forefront, lit up.
The environment was beginning to change.
“Something… has changed.”
Van, who sensed the change belatedly, opened his mouth.
Lucas, who had been engrossed in his training, also dispelled his magic, raised his head, and looked around.
Dried thornbushes began to appear sporadically on the land that had only been red earth.
Hyunwoo brought his hand to one of the thornbushes.
Crumble—
The thornbush crumbled like an autumn leaf without ever showing off its characteristic sharpness.
In most lands of the Demon World, no living things could grow.
The fact that something had grown in such a land had a meaning.
Just like the forest near Sylvester that had been full of Lafre.
It was something that could only happen if something special occurred.
Passing the land where the thornbushes grew, and going a little further, another change occurred.
Squelch—
The ground sank under his stepping foot.
“Ugh… The ground is like mud.”
Van, whose feet sank deeper into the ground than the others due to the weight of his armor, grumbled.
A land where life bloomed, but was soft and mushy due to a lack of earth energy (地氣).
Two clearly opposite phenomena that couldn't happen together could be seen in one place.
A being that could cause such a 'bizarre phenomenon.'
'A witch.'
When Hyunwoo thought of that being, there was a reaction from Lucas.
“I smell blood.”
He frowned and stared at one spot.
Hyunwoo followed his gaze, but he couldn't see anything.
“A battle?”
“No.
It's the smell of cold blood.
The kind that comes from a corpse that hasn't been dead for long.”
“Does that mean… there are bodies left?”
“That's right.”
Fights between demonic beasts don't leave corpses.
Because they would have eaten everything.
Demonic beasts were greedy creatures that wouldn't stop eating even if meat was overflowing from their throats.
The fact that they left corpses behind meant that they were at least not demonic beasts.
“Should we check it out?”
“We need to find out who was attacked by what.
I'd rather not have an itch on the back of my neck.”
“I'll lead the way.”
When Hyunwoo shrugged, Lucas stepped forward and began to lead the party.
Before long, a gruesome scene unfolded.
The corpses of countless Demon World residents.
Dozens of bodies were scattered messily on the ground.
“……”
Hyunwoo carefully took one step at a time, examining the bodies.
The bodies were tangled together, stabbed by spears and swords, as if they had resisted until the very last moment.
Unlike the wounds on their bodies, there were no weapons in the hands of the corpses.
Unless the attackers had taken all of their weapons….
Hyunwoo guessed the identity of the corpses.
In the Demon World, most lands outside of those ruled by the demons were excessively dangerous.
The only reason they would be driven out without being armed was if they had lost their land.
In other words, when they became 'refugees.'
“Refugees, perhaps.”
“This is not a battlefield.
These are unarmed refugees.
I don't know who did this, but they are men who know no honor.”
Lucas was uncharacteristically angry.
It wasn't out of pity for the dead, but because of the attackers' dishonorable actions, but still.
Looking at the scattered footprints and the wounds carved into the bodies of the corpses, the number of attackers was roughly twenty or thirty.
Seeing that only clothes were left on the bodies, he could also guess that the attackers' purpose was 'plunder.'
He didn't know the identity of the attackers, but this was enough; he had found out as much as he could.
Hyunwoo nodded and moved his feet.
“Let's go.”
“Aren't you going to deal with the attackers?
They might target us.”
“And how would we know where they are?”
“It hasn't been long since they left this place.
It's possible to track them.”
After a moment of thought, Hyunwoo shook his head.
Chasing after them was a waste of time.
The mere fact that the unarmed refugees could resist was clear proof that the attackers were weak.
“It's enough to deal with guys like that when we meet them.”
“Understood.”
As Lucas nodded, Van was already moving.
Van simply followed, while Lucas considered other alternatives or methods.
Both trusted Hyunwoo's decisions, but their ways were different.
Not long after the party started moving again, they found several more refugee corpses.
No.
the graves of corpses were scattered everywhere.
Corpses were piled up with every step they took.
Van, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth.
“Those with weapons preying on those without… they don't deserve to be called warriors.”
He, too, seemed angered by the series of gruesome scenes.
“The number of refugees is unusual.
Where did they come from?
With numbers like this, it seems even a demon's territory must have fallen…”
“The tracks lead from the north.
What's in the north?”
Hyunwoo also began to ponder Lucas's words.
'The north…'
An incident that would cause such a large-scale refugee crisis.
He recalled the demon territories north of the 'Witch's Forest.'
The 'Argas' he had recently encountered.
A territory that he would have passed on his way to the rocky mountain was in that direction.
It seemed that he was involved in the background of the refugee crisis.
As he examined the traces of the corpses, the day was drawing to a close.
It seemed they would have to spend the night on this mushy, muddy road.
Crackle, crack—
Hyunwoo's party lit a campfire and sat around it.
Lighting a fire at night could attract the attention of wild demonic beasts, but they were no longer at a level to fear such creatures.
Perhaps it was because they had seen so many corpses on the way.
“……”
A quiet silence enveloped Hyunwoo's party.
Only hazy smoke rose from the flickering campfire.
Just then, Lucas broke the silence and opened his mouth.
“Someone is approaching.”