백작가의 망나니가 되었다

유려한
Choi Han gently responded.

“Yes, Cale-nim, he will think that it is me.”

Choi Han was a swordsman who had suddenly appeared in this world and looked
similar to Choi Jung Gun, the first Dragon Slayer, Nelan Barrow.
The decently intelligent White Star would not think that it was someone like Cale or
the others with solid roots. He would definitely suspect Choi Han, whose past was a
mystery.

“But Cale-nim.”

However, the person who wrote the note was Cale and not Choi Han.

“What is it?”

“What did you write on the paper?”

Cale looked at Choi Han’s back as he asked.

“Ah, you didn't see it?”

"No, I didn't."

The paper that Cale had purposely placed on the fake ancient text created by Marquis
Taylor Stan. Choi Han had been busy and unable to see what he had written.

Smirk.

Choi Han could see Raon suddenly removing his invisibility and appearing in front of
him with a smile. He then heard Cale's stoic voice behind him.

“I wrote whatever Raon told me to write.”

‘Raon?’

Choi Han looked confused. He didn’t think that it would be normal based on how Raon
was smiling. Choi Han cautiously asked Raon the question.

“Raon, what did you tell him to write?”

He could then see the six years old Dragon puff up his chubby belly and shout with
confidence. The small Dragon sounded excited.

“White Star, you stupid idiot!”

“Ah.”

Choi Han let out a gasp. Raon continued to speak.

“You most disrespectful moron in the world! Hey idiot, you were tricked! You can’t
read this, right? I, the great and mighty Raon Miru, will soon learn Korean and be able
to read and write it! You idiot!”

“…You told him to write that?”

“That’s right! Strong Choi Han!”

Choi Han started to chuckle. The White Star would definitely come looking for him
with that paper, asking if he could read Korean and demanding that he read it and
decipher it for him.
Choi Han felt an odd sense of elation thinking about reading that paper to him at that
time. It was at that moment.

“Young master-nim……?”

The northern ocean was quiet now that the White Star's subordinates had all teleported
away. People were heading toward Choi Han, Raon, and Cale.

“Why-”

Witira looked toward Cale with a shocked expression before looking at Choi Han as
she continued to speak.
 “Young master-nim, wasn’t your role to stay hiding and crouching? So why are you
here on his back? Did you get hurt?”

“Ah, that.”

The six years old Dragon cut Choi Han off and answered with excitement!

“Hey Whale! The weak human's legs went numb after crouching for too long! That’s
why he asked Choi Han to carry him! The weak human is super weak!”

“Ah.”

Raon turned invisible the moment he saw the gasping Witira’s expression and Cale
was left to feel an odd sense of iffiness that was hard to describe. Witira was looking
at him as if he was a wet piece of paper that could rip at any moment.

"Choi Han, let me down.”

Cale tried to get off Choi Han’s back to move away from that iffiness.

“Young master-nim, please don't push yourself too hard.”

 That’s right! Human, don't overdo it! Just stay there!

Witira and Raon stopped Cale from getting off. This made Cale feel even worse and
made him get off Choi Han’s back even quicker. Witira, whose battle outfit was
wrinkled in many places after fighting in the battle just now, looked toward Cale with
concern. She seemed to be confirming whether he could stand properly.
Cale sighed and started to speak.

“I'm fine. I'm o-”

“Cale-nim.”

‘Aigoo.’

Cale turned around after being shocked by the sudden whisper coming from behind
him. Clopeh was standing there with a reverent smile on his face.

“I have completed my mission. This play has now come to an end.”

 His excited gaze was focused on Cale.

“It was fun.”

“…Okay.”

Cale could only nod his head after becoming at a loss for words at Clopeh's expression.

 Human, you really should not play with that crazy Clopeh. Human, you got that?

He ignored Raon's comment and looked around. Whales, whales, marine animals and
members of the Wyvern Knights Brigade were quickly taking care of the remaining
issues.

“They left the crew behind as expected.”

The crew members who steered the White Star’s ships to the glacier were looking
around in fear while being escorted by the Whales.

“He's always been that way.”

Choi Han had a bitter smile as he watched the sight while standing next to Cale. The
White Star had only taken Sayeru, the black mages, the knights and others who would
be useful to his future battles with him. He did not feel good while looking at the scared
crew members even though this sight was the same as usual. Those crew members
were enemies, but he still felt bad for them.
However, there was someone who was cold, unlike Choi Han.

“I will verify if there are any spies or suspicious individuals among them and keep
them imprisoned in the Paerun Castle until everything is finished.”

That person was Clopeh. Choi Han looked toward Clopeh who had a calm expression
and coldly calculated what needed to be done with an odd gaze. This person made it
hard to tell if he was sane and if he was on their side or if he was the enemy.
Choi Han made eye contact with Clopeh at that moment.

Smile.

Clopeh smiled aloofly before starting to speak to Cale who was standing next to Choi
Han.
“Cale-nim.”

“What is it?”

Cale was looking at Clopeh with a stoic expression.

“I will spread the rumor that we defeated the devil, that we got rid of the disaster on
this land.”

But he slowly started to frown after hearing what Clopeh said next. This smartly crazy
bastard continued to speak regardless of the changes to Cale’s expression.

“It should create a wonderful picture once we add this part to the rumors that we’ve
already spread. The legendary Wyvern Knights Brigade of the North reappeared in the
world to fight alongside the Whales to defeat the devil named the White Star who tried
to persecute the ocean this time.”

‘Persecute? Fight alongside the Whales?’

Witira looked toward Clopeh with a shocked expression on her face.

This was completely different than the truth. In fact, Clopeh was the one who fell into
the water without being able to fight at all after losing his wyvern.
She was flabbergasted but kept her mouth shut as she watched Clopeh continue to
speak with a thoughtful gaze.

“Witira-nim, then the people of the North will consider the White Star to be the evil
one, an extremely strong but still defeatable evil being. They will also think that the
North and the Whale tribe have a good relationship with each other, considering the
Whale tribe to be a strong and reliable existence.”

“…Just do as you please.”

Witira did not wish to mix words with him any longer.
It sounded as if it would be beneficial to the Whale tribe as well, however, this human
had a way of making everything sound so odd.

“Cale-nim, I was able to write the legend of the North thanks to you.”

“Ho.”
Witira could only gasp after hearing Clopeh finish off by thanking Cale.

‘It must be difficult for young master Cale to handle such a person as well.’

She felt pity for someone like Cale who had an extremely weak body who had to deal
with a bastard like Clopeh. Cale happened to respond to Clopeh as she thought that.

“Guardian Knight Sir Clopeh was at the center of this legend. Congratulations. You
managed to write a legend.”

“Hoo, it was no big deal.”

‘…I guess it's actually just a gathering of similar people.’

Witira decided not to think about this any further after witnessing Cale and Clopeh's
interaction. She chose to focus on her father Shickler and Paseton who were taking
care of the aftermath before asking a question.

“Young master-nim, will the White Star move according to your plans?”

Cale answered without an ounce of hesitation.

“Yes, he will. He will have no choice but to do so.”

The fake ancient text he had asked Taylor to create. Other than Korean, that text had a
lot of things written in the Eastern continent’s language as well.

The text pointed to the land of the Whale tribe, the Caro Kingdom, and the Roan
Kingdom. This was something the White Star already knew, however, Cale had added
one more line to it.

<… I plan on heading to the Caro Kingdom after confirming the land of the Whale tribe.
I plan on stopping by the east as well, however, I must visit the desert, a place
overflowing with the presence of earth, before returning to the Eastern continent.>

The desert that was overflowing with the presence of earth.

The White Star will be seduced by that sentence and would wish to move in the same
order as the text. That would be because the text mentioned that the writer only
planned on stopping by the east but that he must visit the Caro Kingdom.
In addition…
“I will show myself there. He would probably come out of curiosity.”

To see Choi Han and him. Cale slowly started to smile.

The White Star was probably in a chaotic state because of the piece of paper with
Korean written on it, finding a need to assess the current situation.

He would check to see if the ancient text was real, try to authenticate what is written
on it, and question everything. However, he would need to check all the things written
on it at least once.

A bastard like him who has waited 1,000 years would choose to act stealthily and
carefully, focusing on the Caro Kingdom and Cale’s whereabouts.

And if Cale happened to appear somewhere in the Caro Kingdom at that time?

‘He’ll fall for it.’

Curiosity and the trap. Everything would lead the White Star to the desert. Of course,
he might make the unexpected decision of stopping by the Roan Kingdom first. There
was something he requested to Marquis Taylor and Cage for such a situation, so he'll
just move according to them if need be.

“Then I'll be heading out now. I leave the cleanup to you.”

Witira and Clopeh prepared to say goodbye.

Ooooooong-

Raon immediately activated a teleportation magic circle. They needed to hurry

because there were many things they had to set up in advance.

The light from the teleportation magic circle started to surround Choi Han, Cale, and
Raon.

Beeeeeep- Beeeeeeep-

A sharp noise reached Cale’s ears at that moment.

Ooooooooong.
 The teleportation was halted.

“Human!”

Cale could see a video communication device that appeared in the air. The video
communication device was glowing red. There was only one person that it would glow
red for other than an emergency call.

‘The crown prince?’

Crown prince Alberu Crossman had contacted him for the first time in a while. Cale
motioned for the group to halt for a moment before moving to a quiet place in a corner
of the glacier and pointing to the video communication device.

 I'm connecting him!

Raon immediately connected the call and Cale could see the image that appeared on
top of the ice. Alberu Crossman was standing there, and Cale's expression soon turned
odd.

“…Your highness, did something happen?”

Smile.

Alberu Crossman who had a bright smile on his face was waving at Cale.

 Young master Cale, have you been well?

“What the hell?”

‘Oops.’

Cale had subconsciously said what was on his mind.

“My apologies, I subconsciously blurted out my true feelings. I apologize for showing
such a profane demeanor.”

 No worries. It's understandable.

“…Something seems very weird.”

 Cale looked deeply confused. He paid close attention to what he saw on the screen
again. It was Alberu's usual office. He was in his formal attire as if he had just come
from a meeting and nothing seemed to be out of space.
Everything seemed the same as always.

‘But why is he acting like this?’

Alberu started to speak as Cale slowly started to frown.

 We plan on proceeding with the punishment for the prisoners we captured during the
battle.

“I see.”

This call was to inform him that Syrem and the other enemies would officially face
their punishments.
Cale was thinking that it had taken quite long to get to this point. However, it had not
even been a year since the war happened, so it made sense considering that they
probably wanted to restore anything that was destroyed first.

 We plan on having an award ceremony as well.

“I see.”

It was normal for there to be an award ceremony to reward people for their merits
during the war.

‘Mm!’

Cale suddenly had an ominous feeling.

‘That cheesy smile on his face!

Is something about to happen to me?’

Cale Henituse would be the first on the list when it came to merits during the war!
Cale quickly started to speak with a look of urgency on his face.

“Your highness! I absolutely do not need any fame or power! I would prefer lemonades
to them!”
 Alberu was quiet for a moment.

 Don't worry.

He then continued to speak with a gentle smile on his face.

 We will remove the commander title given to you and we will not give you any further
public posts or nobility rank.

“Oh!”

Cale was honestly full of admiration as he responded.

“Your highness, you will keep our promise! That is correct! I do not need anything
other than golden plaques or money!”

 Yes, yes.

“Your highness, you truly have what it takes to be the moon over the Roan Kingdom
and the Western continent’s night sky and the sun during the day!”

 Yes, yes. It looks like the Henituse household will become at least a Marquis and at
maximum a Duke household.

‘Ah?’

Cale’s body suddenly stopped as if he was a malfunctioning machine. Alberu didn't

care as he smiled brightly and continued to speak.

 It wasn’t my intention either, but the citizens keep saying that the guardian who
protected the Roan Kingdom was the Henituse household. There’s a Marquis or Duke
in the Roan Kingdom’s central region, the Northwest region, The Southwest region,
and the Southeast region, so why! They kept saying the Henituse household has a lot
of merits from the war and begged for me to raise the Count’s title to a higher one.

“…Your highness, isn’t it difficult for a Count to become a Marquis or a Duke? Unless
they have such meritorious achievements such as saving the kingdom or the continent”

‘…Ah.’
 Cale shut up in the middle of his sentence. The achievements of Cale and others who
were associated with the Henituse household were similar to what he had just described.
They had fought off the Indomitable Alliance, prevented the naval battle without many
casualties, and achieved many other things that made others see the Roan Kingdom
as a strong kingdom.
Cale's shoulders slowly started to fall.

 There’s also a rumor going around right now. They say that there is this evil bastard
named the White Star who was the backing for the Empire’s Alchemists’ Tower and
was the culprit behind the war with the North and that Young master Silver Light was
gathering heroes to protect the Western continent. The citizens were saying we needed
to protect our young master.

‘Aigoo, aigoo.’

Cale wanted to cry.

 Congratulations. It looks like you can end up becoming the slacker firstborn of Duke
Henituse's household.

The smiling Alberu seemed to be making fun of Cale.

 By the way, who will become the next lord of your household? Why has a decision not
been made yet?

‘My younger brother Basen… ’

The talented and cool Basen existed in the Henituse territory. Alberu continued to
speak in a bright voice the moment Cale's eyes sparkled.

 Your family should contact you regarding a title awarding ceremony for Count Deruth.
See you then, since the whole family needs to come to the palace for such an affair.

Cale could see the smiling Clopeh who had noticed that the conversation was coming
to an end and had walked over.

“We put in a lot of effort to spread those rumors.”

‘Ah, this crazy bastard.’

 Cale was angry at Clopeh who had done so well and achieved much more than he had
expected Clopeh to do.

‘How the hell did he spread the rumors through the north and all the way to the Roan
Kingdom in such a short amount of time?’

Crown prince Alberu smiled at Cale who seemed shocked as he continued to speak.

 Our great hero, Young master Silver Light. See you at the palace soon.

‘Damn it!
He’s clearly making fun of me!’

The call ended as Cale frowned again. Cale’s shoulders slouched forward quite a bit.
Cale looked solemn. It was because his mind was complicated more than ever before.

‘…If the Henituse household really becomes a Marquis……!

No, if it becomes a Duke's household!’

They were rich, had the strongest influence in the naval forces, and would have the
title of Duke or Marquis? Just thinking about that made Cale feel as if his slacker life
was turning into an illusion and waving goodbye to him.

‘Nah, no way.’

The Roan Kingdom's nobles would have to be crazy to let one household have money,
power, and honor. Furthermore, how smart was crown prince Alberu Crossman? No
matter how much that person trusts Cale, would he push power for his family as well?

“Young master-nim, are you okay?”

Cale turned to see Witira looking at him with an odd expression on her face. She
debated it for a moment before starting to speak.

“…Young master-nim, why are you rejecting all those things?”

She found someone like Cale Henituse who rejected a respected position, title, and
honor to be weird.

“Why else?”

Cale grumbled with a frown on his face.

“Things like that are annoying. I already have plenty of things to do.”

He had a lot of things to do after getting rid of that White Star bastard. He already
needed to farm even as a slacker because of the promise he made with team leader
Lee Soo Hyuk.

Farming was not an easy task. Kim Rok Soo was someone who had lived in cities his
whole life. He was more accustomed to a job like being a server in the Eastern continent’s
‘Hope and Adventure Loving Inn’ than farming.

‘I need to read up on farming too.’

He couldn’t do a bad job at it if he was going to create a field and start farming. He
needed to at least have basic knowledge about farming.

‘The children will be watching me.’

The children averaging nine-years-old would be by Cale’s side watching him farm. If
Cale half-assed the farming with them watching? If he threw the seeds and didn’t care
about the field at all?
Cale may not care about helping with the children’s education, but even he wouldn’t
do something like that.

He needed to play, eat, rest, sleep, and now farm once he became a slacker. He was
already concerned that he wouldn't have time to rest because of the farm, so who cares
about a respected position? Title? He didn’t need any of those things.
Witira seemed to be sighing as she started to speak toward Cale who seemed to be
thinking deeply about something.

“…Young master-nim, taking care of the White Star really is difficult, but you should
still take the things you're supposed to take.”

‘Hmm?’

Cale felt something from Witira’s actions. She seemed to have misunderstood him and
was looking at him with a gaze that seemed to be thinking that he was a person who
wanted to sacrifice himself. Cale started to speak in order to change that gaze.

“I'm not talking about the White Star. I'm not talking about the present, I'm talking
about the future.”

“The future?”

“Yes. I need to farm in the future.”

‘Mm, yes indeed, it will be a small field to start and I'm going to plant crops that are
easy to grow.’

“…Farm?”

“Yes. What else is there for me to do after getting rid of the White Star? I'm just going
to return to the Forest of Darkness and live a quiet life.”

Just thinking about it was making Cale happy. The villa in Harris Village, the Super
Rock Villa in the Forest of Darkness, Sheritt and Raon's castle. Isn’t living quietly in
such dazzling places the slacker life of his dreams?

“…Living quietly in the Forest of Darkness?”

“Yes. What do you think? Doesn’t it sound great?”

Cale started to smile while thinking about this happy future. He then looked out
toward the edge of the northern ocean.

‘I'll treat the profits from the Eastern continent’s inn as my pension and live a
comfortable life. It sounds so wonderful!’

Cale looked relaxed. However, Witira started to frown while looking at him. She
couldn't figure out what to say.

The Forest of Darkness. What kind of place was that forest?

It was the place on the Western continent with the oddest and strongest monsters,
making it so that he would need to stay alert even with a Dragon by his side.
Wasn’t that the reason the Henituse territory created a large stone wall to divide the
Forest of Darkness from the rest of the territory?

Furthermore, the Henituse household had been known as the guardians who
protected the Roan Kingdom from the Forest of Darkness for generations. The world
after defeating the White Star. That world would be peaceful as Cale mentioned,
besides from war between kingdoms or different Beast people tribes.

‘But in such a world, young master Cale…

He wants to throw away all titles and positions and stay in the dangerous Forest of
Darkness to protect the world and let it be at peace?’
No. That was not all either.

‘He wants to farm in that dangerous Forest of Darkness? Is he saying that he wants to
turn that place into an abundant land that would benefit the world? He also wants to
do it quietly without other people knowing, not wanting any wealth or honor in
return?’

Witira felt frustrated. She then heard someone quietly mumble next to her.

“…It was real.”

The quiet but passionate voice made her look toward the speaker. Witira could see
Clopeh looking at Cale with an odd expression.

Clopeh clenched his fists.

‘Finally!’

Clopeh had finally understood a bit about Cale Henituse.

Clopeh had not been able to tell until now whether Cale was stupid or smart.
Sometimes Cale acted like an emotional idiot while other times he coldly treated
Clopeh like a puppet.
However, Clopeh now realized why he had not been able to tell whether Cale was
stupid or smart.

‘He’s different than me.

Cale Henituse, this man, has no greed.’

Cale always claimed to be a greedy person, however, the objects of his greed were not
wealth, honor, or power.

It was a much greater greed. He was greedy for something Clopeh did not dare to
imagine.

‘…His greed is to create a peaceful world!’

Clopeh was able to realize Cale Henituse’s lofty greed after hearing about how he
wanted to throw everything aside and farm in the Forest of Darkness.
‘That person is choosing to live in seclusion because he doesn’t want himself to become
a faction that threatens the world either!’

A world without the White Star. What would be the strongest faction in such a world?
Who would be the leader of that faction?
Who would be the person who has the greatest influence on both the Eastern and
Western continents?

It would be Cale Henituse. Would the wise Cale Henituse not know that?

‘I'm sure he knows about it too well.’

That was why Cale Henituse, for the sake of world peace, was going to live in seclusion
to prevent any further chaos in the world.

‘However, if another White Star, or a faction similar to the Indomitable Alliance that I
started appears again-!’

Cale Henituse would return to the outside world again. He would return to fulfill this
unattainable desire for world peace. This greed was so grand that Clopeh could only
say that Cale Henituse had no greed. It was not something that could be properly
described by the word greed.

‘…He will truly become a legend.’

An odd sense of passion enveloped Clopeh’s whole body. Only a single thought filled
Clopeh's mind as his questions disappeared and everything seemed to fall into place.

‘Cale Henituse is an extremely scary person.’

Clopeh Sekka dreamt of becoming a legend as well. However, that dream was for himself.
But if someone was willing to erase themselves as they walked…

‘He’s the real deal.’

His gaze then moved from Cale to the others. He could see Choi Han. Choi Han was
chuckling and looking at Cale with a, ‘nothing I can do about you,’ type of expression.

‘…Cale Henituse has extremely strong allies who would go into seclusion with him and
travel to the ends of the world beside him if need be.
That’s scary. That’s very scary.’

Clopeh felt both fear and pleasure at the same time.

‘I'm also on Cale Henituse’s side.’

The corners of his lips curled up as high as possible. He then looked toward another
strong individual who had been moved by Cale.

“Young master-nim, your dream, I truly hope that it comes true.”

Witira suppressed her frustration and tried her best to smile as she commented. Cale
tried to smile back at her but failed to do so.

“I will pray that the fertile and wide field you create in the Forest of Darkness would
be full of crops every year.”

Cale started to frown.

‘What the hell is this Whale saying?! Wide field?! Who said anything about a wide field?!’

Cale opened his mouth to report. It was at that moment.

Pfft.

He heard someone chuckle.

“It is just small-scale farming. It is not a wide field.”

Choi Han had a pure smile on his face as he answered Witira and turned toward Cale
to ask a question.

“Isn’t that right, Cale-nim?”

Cale could see Choi Han asking while looking at him with a pitying gaze. It was the
same pitiful gaze Kim Rok Soo’s peers had given him whenever he spoke nonsense.
It made him feel iffy, but Cale nodded his head and confirmed.

“Exactly. Small-scale farming indeed.”

 Human! Are we farming? What are we going to grow? I will water the field with magic!
Human, Choi Han said we need chili peppers and beans to make gochujang and
doenjang! Let’s grow those first!

Cale’s expression turned stoic as he continued to listen to the excited Raon. However,
Witira and Clopeh who could not hear Raon started to think different things after
seeing Cale’s expression change while Choi Han was working hard to prevent himself
from laughing.

Choi Han had seen through Choi Jung Soo's memories. It had happened when the 25
years old Choi Jung Soo had met with the guild leader of Korea’s largest guild
responsible for Seoul's Section A with his colleague and same-aged friend Kim Rok
Soo.
The guild leader had made an offer to Kim Rok Soo at that time.

‘Kim Rok Soo, why don’t you enter our guild? I think very highly of your abilities. We
will give you the best treatment.”

‘But I don't want to.’

‘…Can I ask why?’

‘I plan on working in this company until I can be a slacker.’

‘What? You're going to keep working in that company that pays you a rat’s tail of a
salary and gives you no fame whatsoever?’

‘They'll at least take care of me in retirement.’

‘…Ho, you're going to silently work there until you retire?’

‘Probably not silently, but pretty much, yes?’

‘Ho!’

That guild leader had shaken his head while sighing and mumbling to himself.

‘…What an amazing mindset.’

 Kim Rok Soo had looked at that guild leader as if he was the odd one. Choi Han
remembered Choi Jung Soo's feelings as he looked at Kim Rok Soo at that time.

‘Kim Rok Soo, this bastard, is like this again. And that guild leader should have
understood when he said that he wanted to become a slacker, so why is he mentioning
the rest of this nonsense? The team leader and Kim Rok Soo, they're both so similar,
sigh.’

That had been Choi Jung Soo’s feelings. Choi Han understood Choi Jung Soo’s feelings
as he looked at Cale, Witira, and Clopeh right now.

Pat, pat.

His hand patted Cale's shoulder.

“What do you want?”

Cale looked at him with a grumbling expression and Choi Han responded with a pure
smile on his face.

“I will help you farm.”

‘…This bastard, no, why is this person, Choi Han, acting like this?’

Cale was baffled as he started to speak.

“Let’s go see Mary for now.”

Cale, Raon, and Choi Han soon left a frowning Witira and a passionate Clopeh behind
as they headed toward the Land of Death, one of the Western continent’s forbidden
regions.

Three days later, Cale stepped onto the teleportation magic circle as Rosalyn watched
him leave.

 Human! I will be right behind you! See you in 1 minute!

“Congratulations, young master-nim! Choi Han and Mary will come soon too!”
“…Okay."

Cale weakly responded and the bright light from the teleportation magic circle soon
covered his sight. He heard Rosalyn's bright voice as that happened.

“I don't know if it will be a Duke or a Marquis, but I hope it is a Duke!”

‘Damn it!’

Cale closed his eyes and let the teleportation take him to the Henituse residence at the
Roan Kingdom's capital. He had received a call from Count Deruth while working at
the Land of Death's Underground City to come up with a plan to deal with the White
Star.
Count Deruth was smiling brightly as he mentioned the issue the crown prince
mentioned last time.

‘Cale, let’s see each other again for the first time in a long while at the capital. Can you
make it?’

Cale said that he would definitely be there.

‘…Who knows what would happen to me without my being there?’

He needed to make sure nothing happened. The whole ceremony had to pass without
Cale Henituse receiving anything. Cale made up his mind to personally make sure that
happened.

Paaaat!

He firmed his resolve once more as he was blinded by the bright light. He would
definitely do something that would allow him to be one step closer to the life of a slacker.

“Hyung-nim.”

He opened his eyes in a familiar location after the light from the teleportation
disappeared.
 Human! I'm here!

He listened to Raon's voice in his head as he looked around at the Henituse family's
capital residence's underground training ground that had not changed much in the
past two years.

“Welcome, hyung-nim.”

Even Basen who came to greet him had not changed.

“Thanks, Basen. Long time no see.”

Basen was the only one who came to greet Cale. There was nobody else present. This
was odd since he had heard that Lily, his father, and his mother were all already at the
capital.

‘Are they all busy?’

In the short moment that Cale had thought about that…

“Hyung-nim.”

Cale and Basen made eye contact.

“I've been waiting for you for a very long time.”

The boy who looked weak but stubborn was looking at Cale with a passionate gaze.

‘What’s up with him?’

Cale thought that Basen was acting weird. However, he soon calmed himself. He thought
it was better that nobody other than Basen was here in this underground training
ground.

“Basen.”

Basen looked directly at Cale after hearing his name. He had heard about everything
Cale had done, as well as the rumors spreading about him right now.

Basen suddenly recalled the young Cale Henituse who had looked at him with a pitiful
expression about a month after he had come to live in this residence.

‘You are part of the Henituse household. Remember that. No matter where you go,
your last name is Henituse, you got that? Don’t you remember what father said? Listen
to me unless you are an idiot. Tell people that the Henituse blood flows through you,
no matter what.’

‘How can I… ’

‘Shut up and do as I say. Otherwise, you won't be able to live in this house. Do you think
the cousins and the others would leave you alone? Are you going to act like an idiot?’

His hyung-nim had never raised his fist toward him even when he was living his life as
trash, just treating him as an outsider. Basen knew that that was the best Cale could
do to help him.

‘You need to protect your mother. At least you…… ’

Basen still had no idea why the young Cale had such a sad expression on his face at
that time. The young Cale and Cale’s mother. Nobody was willing to say anything about
Cale’s mother.
Basen started to speak while looking at his hyung-nim.

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

Cale slowly started to speak while looking back. The main reason that he had come to
the capital. This was the first step to making that happen.
The underground training ground was quiet. A voice slowly started to speak to break
the silence. Actually, it was not just one voice.

“Hyung-nim, I wish for you to become the territory lord.”

“What do you think about becoming the territory lord?”

They both spoke at the same time. Basen and Cale.

“Me as the territory lord?”

“You want me to be the territory Lord? Why?”

Both of their pupils were shaking as they looked at each other.

 Hmm? Neither of you want to be the territory lord? Then let’s ask little Lily if she wants
to do it! She'll destroy all enemies with her greatsword! She seems like she’ll become
stronger than Basen and you, weak human! She’s reliable!

Raon excitedly shouted into Cale's mind.

Clunk.

They heard the door to the training ground open and Cale made eye contact with Lily
who showed up at the right time. He heard Raon's voice at that moment as well.

 Oh! Human! It’s the future strong girl, Lily! She became stronger again!

Maybe it was because Raon was blabbing on so loudly… Cale subconsciously asked Lily
a question while he was still slightly shocked.

“Do you want to be the territory lord?”

Lily’s jaws dropped in shock. She seemed shocked as she started to talk to herself
without greeting either Cale nor Basen.

"What is going on?”

Lily’s thoughts were clearly visible, and this was the thought going through everyone
in the room other than Raon.
Cale, Lily, and Basen. None of the three could easily say anything.

Cale couldn't speak because he knew he had spoken nonsense to Lily, Basen couldn't
speak because he was thinking about what Cale had said, and finally, Lily was remaining
quiet because of her, ‘what is going on?’ comment that she had subconsciously made.

However, that silence was soon broken, and Lily was the first to speak.

“I'm not going to be the territory lord; I'm going to be a knight!”

She didn't know why that unexpected question had suddenly been directed at her, but
she tried her best to share her intentions with Cale. She tightly clenched her fists.
Of course, Cale flinched as he watched Lily suddenly clench her fists, however, Lily did
not manage to see that.

“I wish to become a strong knight who will protect the territory and the kingdom!”

“Okay, do that.”

"Huh?"

Lily, who was planning on sharing more of her aspirations with Cale, flinched in shock
after hearing Cale immediately accept it. Cale didn't care and said what he wanted to say.

“Work hard, but don’t work too hard. Children need to play.”

‘She’s not even a teenager yet, so she should play. Shouldn’t she?’

Cale nodded at his own question. He then made eye contact with someone who was
looking directly at him.
Basen's eyes seemed more concerned than ever as he quietly looked toward Cale.

Cale scratched his head after seeing the complicated gaze.

‘This kind of atmosphere doesn’t suit me well.’

Cale debated for a moment before starting to speak again.

"Basen, is there something you want to do like Lily does?”

Basen’s pupils started to shake.

What he wanted to do was taking care of the internal administrative and financial
needs under Cale’s leadership as the territory lord. That was because Cale was famous,
not just in the kingdom, but throughout the entire continent and had lots of things to
do. He wanted to help his brother, who would be busy with external affairs, lead the
territory in a safe and innovative way.

“You’re probably interested in looking after the territory and helping it grow, right?”

He was right. His hyung-nim was right, but Basen did not respond. He didn't look like
he was trying to be rude. In fact, he looked to be deep in thought about what to say.

"Mm."

Cale thought for a moment before starting to speak again.

“You guys are still young, but I will tell you the truth since you are both intelligent but
more so because you are my younger siblings.”

‘My younger siblings.’

Those words made Basen’s shoulders shake. He then noticed Cale calmly looking at
him.

It made him recall the younger version of his brother who was blunt and almost rude
as he spoke but always looked at him with a pitying but calm gaze.

“I do not wish to be the territory lord.”

Cale decided to be honest. It might make him seem like an eldest son with no sense of
responsibility, however, it didn't matter since they all thought that he was originally
trash, right?

“To be honest with you guys, I wish to rest after finishing what I am doing right now.”
Basen’s eyes opened wide.

“I want to live over by Harris Village and live a quiet and peaceful life.”

“Ah.”

Basen let out a quiet gasp but could not think about what to say as he looked at Cale
scratch his cheeks while saying these things in a slightly awkward and embarrassed tone.

‘Yes, the things hyung-nim is doing right now-’

Everything that the Cale who suddenly changed two years ago started to do caused a
lot of noise in the kingdom. Everything he did raised the fame of the Henituse
household and their territory, especially his achievements during the battle between
the Indomitable Alliance and the Henituse territory. Cale also accomplished a lot in
the kingdom and the rest of the Western continent after that, making the fame that he
had thought had reached its apex to continue to rise.

His actions made people stop talking about making Basen the successor and the talks
of making Cale the successor were rampant in the territory now.

However.

‘How hard must it have been for hyung-nim this whole time?’

This was the reason Basen had been at a loss for words after hearing Cale say he wanted
to rest. It was because he remembered that while Cale’s fame and the household’s
fame went up, Cale himself had to fight with his life on the line many times.

The person who turned pale, coughed up blood, and fainted time after time was saying
he wanted to rest after this was over.

Furthermore, he mentioned that he had hesitated to tell the truth because Basen was
young but that he decided to tell them because they were his younger siblings. Anybody
would be able to tell that Cale was being honest. However, his hyung-nim who was
saying he was young was only 20 years old and had been 18 when he started to fight
two years ago.

His hyung-nim was also still young.

Basen’s thoughts were so complicated that his mind wanted to blow. Many different
emotions and thoughts filled his mind. He heard Cale's voice at that moment.

“Of course, you don’t have to do something you don't want to do if you don't want to
do it.”

Cale could see Basen finally start to open his mouth.

“Hyung-nim, you…”

A calmer than expected voice was coming out of Basen’s mouth. Cale looked into Basen’s
eyes that were looking at him.

“Then hyung-nim, are you doing what you want to do right now?”

Cale answered that question without any hesitation.

“Mm, half and half?”

The things he started because he didn't want Choi Han to beat him to a pulp had ended
up becoming this big and causing major headaches.

“Anyway, it is true that I am doing things right now because I want to do them.”

Getting rid of the White Star. He was originally doing it because he thought that he and
his friends were the only ones who could do that properly, but now he wanted to
quickly smack that guy from behind.
He then wanted to be a slacker and play all day once the world became peaceful.

“I see.”

Basen barely managed to smile as he nodded his head.

‘I'm sure hyung-nim is being honest when he says half and half.’

Something he wants to do and something he does not want to do at the same time.
Who would want to cough up blood and fight such difficult battles? It was normal to
not want to do those things. But the part where he says he wants to do it…

Basen started to think about what he wanted to do.

He was not talented in the sword like the people of the Henituse family. He was only
slightly better than average, which was why he only trained in the basics.
He chose a different direction instead.

He chose a direction where he could help the territory, his household, the residents,
and his family. Administration, finance, and politics. He had studied a lot of things.

That was what he wanted to do.

“Hyung-nim.”

“Yes?”

“…Do you think I will be able to do a good job?”

Basen could see Cale tilting his head to the side in confusion after hearing his question.

“Lily.”

He then called for their youngest sister Lily.

"Yes, sir!"

Lily who had been nervously and carefully listening to her two oppas’ conversations
responded energetically as Cale asked with a confused expression still on his face.

“Isn't Basen smart?”

“He’s very smart!”

“Right? Don't people compliment his administrative and finance skills?”

"They do it quite often!"

Basen blankly looked toward Lily and Cale. Cale then turned toward him and continued
to speak.

“Is there anything that people are good at when they first start? Things will work out
as you keep doing it. What is most important is if you want to do it. Lily, would you not
be a knight if you were terrible with the sword?”
“No! I would be a knight even if I sucked with the sword and would keep working hard
until I became good at it!”

Lily sounded energetic as she responded to Cale in the way she would respond to her
master. Basen blankly watched this as Cale scratched his cheek and observed Basen’s
expression as he started to speak again.

“Mm, if it feels that burdensome…”

Cale debated for a moment before deciding to help Basen who wanted to be the
territory lord but could not make up his mind because he worried that he would not
do a good job.

“I’ll take care of dealing with his highness or the rest of the kingdom, things like
dealing with the nobles and the external affairs.”

‘Who in the Roan Kingdom would dare to touch the Henituse household after we get
rid of the White Star?’

Cale said this thinking there would probably not be many external affairs issues for
him to handle and Lily chimed in right after him.

“I will lead the Knights Brigade and the troops! My master is teaching me tactics and
military arts right now!”

Basen quietly closed his eyes after seeing Lily confidently step up while saying to leave
the troops to her and Cale giving Lily a thumbs up with a look of admiration.

‘…Yes. I'm not doing everything on my own.’

He was already planning on taking care of the internal affairs because Cale seemed as
if he would be traveling quite a bit.

‘Hyung-nim, Lily, and I.’

Wouldn’t it be fine if these three people became the three pillars of the Henituse
territory?

‘Would the burden on hyung-nim go down if the three of us split up the work?’
This was planning for the far future as both his father and mother were still young and
healthy, but Basen started to imagine the future with the three siblings in power.

It looked exciting. It made his heart beat wildly.

‘Hyung-nim would take care of things outside the territory, I would take care of thing
inside the territory, and my little dongsaeng would take care of the city walls and
protect the territory.’

Basen slowly started to smile.

“Hyung-nim.”

"What is it?”

“Do you not need the title of nobility?”

“Ah, I’ll tell you everything since I decided to be honest. I am not interested in a title or
a government position at all.”

Basen could not help but laugh after seeing the honest expression on Cale’s face.

“Haha, Haha-”

What was going on?

Basen oddly felt himself calming down. He slightly smiled toward Cale who was
looking at him as he started to speak.

“Hyung-nim.”

“What is it?”

“I will think about the territory's successor position.”

“Hmm?”

‘…What the heck?’

Basen was saying that he would think about it, but Cale was getting an odd feeling.
Basen’s faint smile made Cale think of someone else.
 Human! Good boy Basen is smiling like shrewd crown prince Alberu! This is weird!
He’s not smiling cheekily like the crown prince, but it feels similar! This is bad! Basen
cannot grow up like the crown prince! Human, you won't be able to rest if that
happens!

‘Nah, no way. This honest to a fault brother of mine becoming like the crown prince?
That makes no sense.’

Cale erased such an unbelievable thought from his mind. Basen continued to speak
with a mischievous expression.

“I’ll think about it and let you know if I want to do it.”

‘Mm, that’s right. He should only do it if he wants to do it.’

Cale nodded his head at Basen’s statement but received an oddly weird sensation.
Basen didn't care as he started to walk toward the training ground entrance before
stopping again.

“Ah, also-”

He looked toward Cale and Lily as he continued to speak. His voice was light and
slightly bright.

“You know that father and mother must agree on the successor, right? None of our
discussions matter if we do not have the two of their permissions. Then, I will head up
first.”

Tap, tap.

Basen disappeared from the underground training ground with light footsteps. Cale
was silent for a moment before he turned toward Lily and asked.

“Was Basen's personality always like this?”

“I don’t think so?”

“…He seemed happy, right?”

“Yes, I think he wanted to be the territory lord.”

 Was that the case?
Cale didn’t think Lily was right, but just nodded his head and started to speak to Lily
again because he had no way of knowing what was making Basen happy.

“I will cheer you on to achieve your dream of becoming a knight to protect the territory.”

“Thank you!”

Cale smiled while looking at the smile on Lily's face.

‘Heh, Basen will be the territory lord and with Lily taking control of the troops, it looks
like I’ll just have to travel every so often to meet with his highness.’

It was a satisfying future for all three of them.

 Mm. Human, I feel like all three of you are misunderstanding something!

That was why he easily ignored Raon's ramblings.

However, something soon happened to get rid of that refreshed smile and make Cale
start to frown again.

“Then I will head up first.”

“Sure…”

Cale bowed toward Count Deruth and Countess Violan as he got up from the table.
Countess Violan’ sharp gaze checked how much Cale ate while Count Deruth noticed
Cale’s skinnier than before wrist and stealthily motioned with his gaze to the butler of
the capital residence, but Cale who had no way of knowing this felt relaxed and full for
the first time in a long while as he headed to his bedroom.

“Let’s talk about the details tomorrow. I'm sure you are tired so get some rest.”

“Yes, mother.”

The original plan was to have tea-time after dinner, but Cale was tired, and his family
was understanding and told him to go rest.
Cale happily accepted the offer and slowly started to walk toward his room.
 Heading to his bedroom with a full stomach… This was a wonderful schedule.

‘Hmm?’

He then happened to make eye contact with two employees who were walking down
the hall.
They seemed to be new as Cale had never met them before, and they jumped up in
shock before bowing toward Cale and quickly walking past him.

‘…This reminds me of the past.’

He recalled how the employees had avoided him when he first opened his eyes as Cale.
Cale, who didn't mind such a situation, just smiled as the two whispered to each other
as they walked past him because he was happy from being full and headed toward his
room.

“…Silver light……”

“Like the rumors… hero……”

Their conversation did not manage to reach Cale’s ears. Instead, as Cale walked a bit
farther down the empty hallway and stopped in front of his bedroom…

 Human, you're here?

Raon who should be in his room started to speak in his mind. But something was off.

 Human, Mmph! Human, hold on, ugh!

‘What the hell?’

He recalled how Raon had not even eaten dinner as he wanted to sneak out with Cale
to eat the skewers and other junk food from the street vendors.
That was why Cale purposely had nobody come into nor near his bedroom. He wanted
Raon to be able to relax without being invisible.
However, the way Raon was speaking urgently inside the bedroom was weird. He was
clearly sending the message with magic, however…

 Human! W, wait a moment, mmph!

 His voice sounded stuffed and urgent. Cale's pupils started to shake. His hand quickly
headed toward the doorknob.

 You look ready for a fight.

The Super Rock noticed Cale's current emotional state and the ancient powers got
ready for battle.

Ooooooooong.

The ancient powers inside Cale’s body quietly started to roar. Cale then slammed the
door open.

Bang!

The door opened with a loud noise.

"Ra-”

Cale who was about to shout, ‘Raon!’ instantly started to frown.

“Mmph. Cough!”

Raon was quickly trying to swallow the piece of cake in his mouth without managing
to clean the chocolate cream and crumbs around his mouth.

“Oh my. Please eat slowly.”

There was a person gently patting Raon's back and wiping the chocolate cream off
Raon's mouth.

That person looked toward Cale before taking off his hood. That person, no, that
quarter Dark Elf, soon started to smile brightly.

“Hiya.”

Raon seemed to have opened it for him, and his smile matched the dark night sky
outside the now open terrace. The table Raon was on was full of cake and cookies. It
was even more dazzling than the ones they ate in the palace last time.
"Haaaaa."

Cale let out a sigh.

“Human!”

Raon urgently wiped his mouth as he started to speak.

“I wasn’t trying to eat the whole cake on my own! I was planning on eating it with you!
But I ended up eating it all before I knew it! I still have enough room in my tummy to
eat skewers with you! I really want to eat chicken skewers! You can’t say I can’t have
it because I ate this!”

He then pushed the empty cake stand over toward the crown prince. The crown prince
then smiled brightly as he started to speak.

“Cale, do you want some?”

There was a cookie in his hand.

‘What the hell?

Why did this guy sneak in here? Why is he in his quarter Dark Elf form?’

The sound of Alberu crunching on the cookie became louder the more Cale started to
frown.

‘Delicious.’

Alberu smiled brightly and commented on the taste as Cale closed the door.

Bang!

The door slammed shut and Cale approached Alberu before asking in a disgruntled
but respectful manner.

“Why are you here?”

Smirk.
The quarter Dark Elf’s eyes were full of mischief.

“I need to borrow Choi Han and you.”

‘What nonsense is he saying now?’

 Alberu started to speak as soon as he saw Cale’s expression.

“You were probably just thinking, 'what nonsense is he saying now,’ weren't you?”

“No, your highness.”

Cale picked up a cookie from the box in front of Alberu with a calm expression on his
face.

Crunch.

Cale took a bite of the cookie before continuing to speak.

“I don’t think that's possible.”

“…You're saying no without even hearing the details?”

“Yes, it’s not possible. We are busy, your highness.”

 Human! Your tone sounds like Mary's right now!

Cale ignored Raon’s comment and observed Alberu. Alberu slowly crossed his arms
and leaned on the couch. He was also looking right at Cale as he started to speak.

“You… Who do you think are the three most popular people in the kingdom right now?”

‘What kind of random question is this?’

Cale’s face and gaze quickly turned sour. But he soon felt that something was off. The
person who would usually say something after seeing his sour face was looking at Cale
with a serious expression.

That meant that he was seriously asking this question.

Cale's expression turned as odd as possible. He debated it for a moment before
responding with a stoic expression.

“…First place is his highness the crown prince, second place is Alberu Crossman, and
third place is the Roan Kingdom’s rising sun. Is this right?”

Raon put the cookie in his hand down and Alberu’s expression looked as if he had
eaten a young persimmon as Cale announced the first, second, and third place as if he
was trying to tell Alberu to have his moment and stop the nonsense.

“Hey, crown prince! Are you that popular? Amazing! I guess you are handsome, crown
prince! At least your face is normal!”

Raon was patting Alberu's shoulders as if he was proud of him as Alberu brushed his
face with both hands. He then started to speak.

“First place is Choi Han, second place is Cale Henituse, third place is Mary.”

'Hmm?’

“…Excuse me?”

Raon and Cale’s eyes opened wide. The quarter Dark Elf looked toward the stiff young
Dragon and the human as he continued to speak.

“I'm probably in fourth place.”

"Oh."

Cale let out a quiet gasp.

“Choi Han is so popular?”

“Mary is very popular too! Human, the only shocking part is that you were in second
place! I didn't think you'd place at all! Of course, you are eternally zero place in my
book!”

Cale continued to go, 'wow,' while Raon fluttered his wings in excitement. The crown
prince who was watching their relaxed discussion finally ended up speaking.
“…Choi Han is known to be born amongst the common people in the Henituse territory.
It’s the same for Mary.”

Tap. Tap.

Alberu's fingers tapped on the couch’s armrest. The reason he came out here while
avoiding the gazes of the people…

“That is why the citizens of the Kingdom are excited about the achievements of their
fellow commoners and want to be like them, hoping that they remain as the heroes of
the Roan Kingdom. And the nobles…”

Nobles.
That word made Cale look toward Alberu.

“The nobles want to tie Choi Han and Mary down as the Roan Kingdom's heroes as well.
However…”

The finger tapping on the couch pointed toward Cale.

“They want them separated from you.”

Bang!

Raon’s two front paws slammed on the table.

“No! Mary and Choi Han are part of our family! Crown prince, which nobles are they?
I will destroy their houses!”

Cale who had been deep in thought started to speak at that moment. The method for
the nobles to tie Choi Han and Mary down to the Roan Kingdom while separating them
from Cale…

“Are they talking about giving titles and territories to the two of them?”

“Yes.”

If Choi Han and Mary each received titles and their own territories, the two of them
would leave the Henituse territory. Most importantly, they would not be able to freely
move around with Cale as they have been doing until now.
“It’s the suggestion those idiots who only know how to maintain their power and
increase their wealth managed to conjure up together.”

The corners of Alberu’s lips twisted up.

“They were especially adamant during the Nobles Meeting about giving Choi Han a
title and his own territory.”

“Crown prince, why only Choi Han? What about Mary?”

Alberu smiled instead of responding as he looked into Raon's innocent eyes. However,
he could not hide the bitterness in his gaze as he made eye contact with Cale.

Cale instantly realized the reason.

“It’s because she is a necromancer.”

“…Yes.”

The reason they wanted to draw Choi Han into the noble society no matter what but
were hesitant about Mary… That was because Mary was a necromancer.

Mary’s popularity was quite high in the entire Roan Kingdom. However, there were
still many people who scorned and feared the darkness attribute, especially the
necromancer occupation that uses bones to fight.
The nobles who wanted their titles to remain safe were all thinking that a necromancer
rising to a high title meant that the quality of their title would fall.

“A portion of them have become afraid after seeing what happened in the Mogoru
Empire.”

After seeing what the black mages did to the Mogoru royal family, the nobles, and the
entire Empire, they were afraid to draw in a necromancer, who shared the darkness
attribute into their world.

“There have been talks of slowly limiting the Dark Elves coming into the palace as
well.”

Cale started to frown while looking at the bitter smile on Alberu’s face. How much help
had Mary and the Dark Elves been? The bastards who had stayed hidden in their
residences caring only about their own safety wanted to forget about their help and
only care about their own greed and prestige?

“Those rotten bastards.”

Alberu did not say anything about Cale’s comment. Cale looked at him as he continued
to speak.

“I’m sure the nobles wouldn’t be satisfied with just giving Choi Han a title and territory,
no?”

Giving a title and territory was not a certain way to completely separate Choi Han from
Cale and the Henituse household. Cale knew the strongest way they could get this
done.

"Which household says that they want to bring Choi Han into their family?”

Blood ties, hometown ties, and school ties.

The strongest of those ties were blood ties, so the strongest and most certain way to
split Choi Han away from the Henituse household while getting him on their side
would be to marry their daughter to Choi Han and become a part of his family.

Unfortunately, this was still a society where such a thing worked.

Alberu flinched as he was about to answer Cale’s question. It was because he saw the
gazes of the human and the Dragon staring at him. Seeing the gazes the red eyes of the
human and black Dragon were giving him, Alberu said something else rather than
what he had originally planned to say.

“Why?”

Baaaaang!

Raon’s two front paws slammed on the table.

“Crown prince, what do you mean why?! Aren’t you saying that they want to use Choi
Han and prevent him from being a part of our family by dragging him into their
family?! I will destroy them even harder than I plan on destroying the White Star!”

Raon's eyes seemed to be boiling. Alberu could also see Cale sit down across from him
and cross his legs with a relaxed expression.

"Well, I think it is only right to give Choi Han a title and territory if that is what he
wants. Shouldn't we let him do as he wants? The same with Mary.”

Unlike the boiling Raon, Cale was relaxed.

“But you see, your highness.”

Crunch.

Alberu crunched on a cookie and motioned with his chin for Cale to speak.

“Why did you ask to borrow Choi Han and me?”

The corners of the lips crunching on the cookie started to rise.

“I thought you were going to let me be a slacker.”

The corners of Cale’s lips started to rise as well.

“Cale.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you know about the position without a noble title that the present me, even me as
the future king, as well as the nobles, cannot easily touch? It is even one that requires
you to do no work.”

“Is there such a position in the world?”

A status that the king and the nobles did not dare to offend while having no title nor
work attached to it. Cale had a questioning gaze on his face. He had not looked deeply
into the positions of the Roan Kingdom since he was transported to this world.

He had read and recorded the information about the different noble families and their
children that Count Deruth had gathered for him, but what was the point of knowing
about the positions when he did not plan to work?
He would purposely choose not to look at those things. It would get complicated if
people started to talk about how he was looking for that information. But there was
such an odd position in the kingdom?

“Yes. There is one in the Roan Kingdom.”

“…What is it?”

Cale focused as he asked. Alberu smiled majestically as he responded.

“My instructor.”

Silence filled the room.

The crown prince's instructor and the person who would be the king's instructor in
the future. It was not a public office post because the person did not receive a stipend
from the kingdom, and the person's title was not important at all. Furthermore, it was
a position that was respected by all and the king could not easily give an order to his
instructor.

However, the person who became the king's instructor could never hold any official
positions. It was a check and balance to separate the king's instructor from power.

Alberu broke the silence.

Crunch.

He ate a cookie.

“I was pretty much neglected growing up. So, unlike the second and third princes, I
never had an instructor when I was younger. Everybody thinks I studied everything
on my own. Of course, Aunt Tasha helped me a lot.”

The young Alberu had studied his ass off. He couldn't take on an instructor like the
others in the royal family and had to learn everything, including imperial knowledge,
administration, and politics from the basics.

“The instructor for the future king needs to be someone that everyone accepts as the
best in their respective category.”

He smiled brightly as he looked toward Cale and Raon.

“The position of my instructor is vacant.”

Cale started to speak at that moment.

“…Instructor-”

“Yes, yes. The position of my instructor.”

Alberu warmly nodded his head and chatted along with Cale. He then saw Cale start
to frown.

“…Me? Why?”

Alberu started to frown as well.

“Why are you my instructor?”

“Excuse me?”

“Not you.”

“Ah.”

‘I was shocked.’

Cale had gotten the chills thinking about becoming Alberu’s instructor. He then
thought about Choi Han.

Choi Han was visibly younger than Alberu, but his skills were the greatest on the Western
continent, so nobody should be able to complain nor oppose Choi Han becoming
Alberu’s instructor.
Anybody would be able to see that Alberu was putting Choi Han in a position that
would keep him out of the nobles’ reach instead of actually taking him as an instructor.

‘If you think about it, Choi Han is the oldest person in the Roan Kingdom.’

Alberu was looking at the thinking Cale before he offered Cale a cookie. Cale took the
cookie as Alberu started to speak.

“Everything I am saying today is a suggestion, a proposal. Anyway, you’ll be my

dongsaeng.”

“Ah, yes sir, a suggestion. I will ask Choi Han- excuse me?”

Cale stiffened.
Alberu didn’t’ care as he continued to speak in a relaxed manner.

“You think the other nobles want to leave you alone? I thought you wanted to be a
slacker. Then wouldn’t it be easier for you to not have a position or a title? But imagine
if you didn't have a position or a title. Do you really think the other nobles won't try
provoking you? Huh? Raon-nim, don't you agree?”

“Mm! Hey crown prince, I think they would do that as you said! We are going to be
busy farming, so we won't have time to deal with them!”

"Farming? Well, anyway.”

Alberu handed Raon a piece of cake and a fork as he continued to speak to Cale.

“I've been reading a lot of children’s books about heroes and legends these days. I've
also been reading novels and stories where the main characters meeting a fortuitous
encounter during their teenage years to go on to become a hero which are popular
right now.”

He had been looking into the world's view of Choi Han, Cale, Mary and the others who
were the focus of the Western continent right now and ended up reading a couple of
popular novels in the process.

“I got an idea after reading one of those stories.”

It was a story of a powerless prince who had no other family and was neglected by the
king and a swordsman who was ignored because he was weak until he met a fortuitous
encounter and ended up becoming strong. It was a story about the two of their
friendship and their growth.

The neglected prince who snuck out of the palace because he was curious about the
outside world and the swordsman who was getting stronger because of the fortuitous
encounter but still weak. They were both in their early teens and just happened to run
into each other in a back alley while escaping from some thugs and ended up becoming
close friends.
That story started to flow out of Alberu’s mouth.

“…In the end, the two people chose to become sworn siblings.”

The neglected prince ended up with the backing of a strong swordsman while the
swordsman with no backing ended up with a reliable backer.

“They became each other’s supporting pillar, and everybody is said to have been in
awe of their friendship.”

He looked toward Cale and asked.

“What do you think? Doesn’t an idea pop right into your mind?”

A way for Cale to not have any title or position in the Roan Kingdom and be a slacker
without the other nobles being able to provoke him.

It would not happen just because Cale was strong and a hero of the kingdom.
Unfortunately, people cared more about the person's current position than their
abilities or what they achieved.

But Cale would be the king's sworn brother? Who would dare to touch him? Even
without his own title, being the king’s one and only sworn younger brother with a
family that was headed by a Duke or a Marquis would be someone the nobles could
not easily approach.

Of course, the nobles would charge at Cale if he had a title and a position.

‘I would be a threat to them.’

A hero of the people, the sworn brother of the king, who also had a position and title?
All power would be focused on him to the point that the nobles and even Alberu would
have to fear Cale.

‘That's why Cale Henituse should not have any position or title.’

The chances for Cale Henituse to be a slacker would finally appear once the nobles
start to have such thoughts. This was in line with Cale’s wishes that Alberu knew about.
Furthermore, this was also what Alberu wanted and what was rationally beneficial for
him as well. It was something that met both the citizens’ desires for Alberu to take
care of the kingdom’s hero as well as Alberu’s desire to keep Cale as one of his people.
This would satisfy everyone.

‘It’ll also let Cale Henituse suffer less and keep my promise with him.’

Alberu had a satisfied smile on his face as he started to speak again.

“You be my dongsaeng. Doesn’t that sound great?”

Cale was still frowning.

“Me? Why?”

“You don’t want to be my dongsaeng?”

Cale was at a loss for words.

Two days later, at the center of Huiss, the capital of the Roan Kingdom. The Roan
Kingdom's nobles gathered for the award ceremony and the celebration that was
scheduled to follow.
Due to its long history, the Roan Kingdom had a lot of palaces.

“It’s been a while since so many nobles have gathered together.”

One of the palaces that were only used when there were significant issues that impacted
the whole kingdom was currently decorated luxuriously and welcoming people in.

People were busy chatting in this hall that was the size of most small outdoor plazas.

“…I didn't expect that the awards ceremony and the celebration would happen together.”

Most of the people gathered here were nobles. The people wearing luxurious yet
dapper clothes could not easily blend in with the atmosphere inside this dazzling hall.

“I agree. I also heard that the entire awards ceremony would be broadcasted to the
plaza via a video communication device?”

“Yes, his highness the crown prince said he wanted to share this joyful and glorious
day with the citizens.”

The awards ceremony after the war. It was something that the Roan Kingdom of last
year which had been at peace for a long time could not have imagined. Furthermore,
nobody expected the stuffy awards ceremony to end up being more relaxed by having
the celebration along with it.

All of this was strongly pushed by crown prince Alberu Crossman.

“…I heard that the plaza was decorated like they do for a festival as well.”

“That is correct. I heard the crown opened up its reserves to pay for it.”

The crown prince had not just this hall but the plaza where people could view the awards
ceremony decorated luxuriously for the occasion. There were also tents handing out
free food throughout the plaza, letting the citizens enjoy as if it was indeed a festival.

“…F*ck!”

However, most of the nobles did not look happy.

“Father.”

“I know. I'm aware.”

The Viscount who swore sighed at his son's comment before calming himself. His eyes
scanned around the hall.

‘…There's a lot of people here.’

The crown prince had asked for as many nobles as possible to attend. That was the
reason most nobles came to the capital with their families. Of course, they could have
declined to participate.

‘But who would do that?!’

Any patriarch of a household, well, any noble with a brain would choose to attend.

“…Huuuu.”

Many nobles were sighing around the hall. They were trying their best to smile, but
many of them were smiling with their mouths while sharply scanning the hall with their
eyes.

“It's going to be quite a headache now.”

The Viscount quickly bowed after hearing a voice.

“Count-nim.”

“No need for such greetings.”

The Count who declined the Viscount's respectful greeting stood next to him and
started to whisper.
“Most of the Northeast region's nobles are here?”

The Viscount nodded his head with a stiff expression on his face.

“Yes sir, most of them are here.”

The Count and the Viscount. The two of them were part of the central nobles faction
centered around the Roan Kingdom's capital that was led by Duke Orsena.

The northwest region’s Marquis Stan. The southeast region's Marquis Ailan. The
central region’s Duke Orsena. The southwest region's Duke Gyerre.

These were the four factions that had led the Roan Kingdom's nobles’ society until
now. They were here to witness the creation of another faction, a very strong new faction.

“…The Ubarr household is here.”

The Count could see the matriarch, Viscountess Ubarr of the Ubarr territory, the location
of the Roan Kingdom's largest naval base. The matriarch who was with her husband
and her successor, Amiru Ubarr, was calmly chatting with other northeast region’s
nobles.

‘Viscount Chetter and Count Wheelsman.’

Viscountess Ubarr, Viscount Chetter, and Count Wheelsman were the core of the
northeast region’s nobles.

“…They are not here yet.”

The Count nodded at the Viscount's whisper.

‘Yes, the most important people aren’t here yet.’

Marquis Stan, Marquis Ailan, Duke Gyerre, and Duke Orsena. The leaders of the four
factions and the only Dukes and Marquis of the Roan Kingdom were here, but most
nobles were still waiting for someone. Even the Dukes and Marquises were waiting for
someone. That was the reason they were all here earlier than the expected time.

“…Is it something like the main characters show up late?”

The Count sighed before he heard the voice of the servant guarding the door.

“Count Henituse and his family, now entering.”

The servant shouted the same way he had done for every noble who entered. The
music that played when the nobles entered was the same and none of the royal knights
standing guard gave any special gestures. The other nobles were still gathered in
groups of threes or fives as well.

However, all of the nobles were looking toward Count Henituse and his family who
were entering through the door. Then all of their eyes opened wide.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Count Deruth Henituse. Next to him was Countess Violan.

There were specific rules and etiquettes about the order family members entered as
well.

The family head and their spouse were in the front. Behind them would be the future
family head, or the individual with the most potential to be the future family head. The
ones behind them would enter in order of succession hierarchy as well. This meant
that others were able to easily determine the family's current situation and their
future based on the entry order.

“…Why?”

One of the nobles who were watching started to ask a question.

“…Why is that person in the way back?”

Count Deruth and Countess Violan.

Behind them were Basen, then Lily, and at the end… Cale Henituse leisurely walked in
as the last one in the group.

“…Was that rumor true?”

The nobles who were visiting the capital for the celebration had heard a rumor once
they arrived.

<Cale Henituse does not want any title nor position.>

The nobles had not believed this baseless rumor that had quickly spread.

It had appeared all of a sudden and it was unbelievable.

People were bound to desire fame and power. But for some reason, the Henituse
household had not responded to this rumor that had spread like wildfire.

“…Something is weird.”

The nobles felt that something was off.

It was especially weird that the leaders of each faction were silently standing there
without saying anything.

What is Cale Henituse being awarded? Will young master Cale retain his title of
Commander? He’s not being given full control over the troops, is he?

The leaders replied that they could not answer any of those questions as they continued
to meet behind closed doors with the highest administrators and the crown prince.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Everyone, men and women, old and young were focused on the Henituse household.
Then they realized something.

‘Why are they not here?’

Cale Henituse's subordinates/friends. Specifically, they did not see Choi Han nor Mary
with them.

‘Shouldn't they have come together to emphasize their influence?’

They had a bad feeling about this.

“Count-nim, do you think it is true that he rejected a government position as well?”

The Count heard the Viscount's question but shook his head to say he didn’t know.
The other rumor.
<Cale Henituse, Choi Han, and Mary have all declined government positions.>

That rumor was quickly spreading through the capital as well.

“Isn’t it a good thing if it is true?”

The Count did not respond to the Viscount’s excited question.

It was definitely a good thing. It was beneficial for the other nobles if those three
individuals did not take any positions. Of course, it would be a sad thing for the
northeast region's nobles.

That was why they felt that something was off.

‘Why did they decline those positions?’

Why were there rumors that they had declined such great rewards? This was the
reason that all of the nobles were nervous.

It was at that moment.

Screeeech-

The door opened and the servant shouted again.

“Necromancer Mary, Tasha, the leader of the Dark Elf warriors, and Sesaine, the Captain
of the Mage Brigade, now entering!”

A woman in a black robe, a dark woman, and a white-haired old man in a magic robe
entered the hall. These people were the Roan Kingdom's new powers.

The rumblings that had started with the entrance of the Henituse household was
slowly getting louder.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

However, those rumblings soon disappeared once they heard the beating of the drums.
One noble started to mumble.

“…His highness the crown prince is overseeing this now too.”

He then bowed toward the entrance. Zed Crossman was in a villa outside the capital
after claiming that he was not feeling well. Then there was only one person who could
oversee this ceremony.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The servant shouted through the beating drums.

“His highness, the crown prince Alberu Crossman, is now entering!”

All nobles slightly bowed. And then they saw it.

‘Huh?’

‘Why are there two people?’

Alberu Crossman was walking down the red carpet that cut through the hall as he
headed for the chair on top of the highest platform inside the hall. Then there was
someone following behind him.

“You may all raise your heads.”

They raised their heads after getting Alberu’s permission and saw the person standing
behind the crown prince.

"Ho!"

One of the nobles gasped.

The Roan Kingdom's new strongest and most popular individual. Choi Han, the youngest
sword master.

The person who was usually standing behind Cale was behind Alberu today.

Choi Han’s black hair and black eyes in addition to his fancy black uniform made him
look like Alberu Crossman’s shadow that was guarding him.

“How is that person-”

“A commoner dares to-!”

“What the hell!”

The servant shouted again as they all started to shout in shock.

“The awards ceremony will now begin, and the feed has been connected to the plaza!”

Boom!

The door closed at that moment. The nobles thought about the citizens who were now
watching and swallowed their astonishment. They all tried their best to return to their
noble and majestic demeanors.

It was at that moment.

“Today.”

Alberu Crossman looked at the nobles while standing at the bottom of the highest
platform with the chair as he started to speak.

“Today is a joyful occasion. It is a happy day.”

The way Alberu, the one who represented the king, treated the nobles was gentle but
firm. That gentle smile headed toward the person who followed behind him.

“It is an even better day because I am with my instructor. Isn't that the case, instructor-
nim?”

The nobles felt as if a cold spell had hit them.

‘Instructor?’

‘…What is he talking about?’

The nobles looked toward the leaders of their respective factions or those with high
government positions.

“…Shit.”

They could see their leaders and peers remaining silent. They then heard sword master
Choi Han calmly respond.

“Your highness, please speak normally.”

“How can I do that to my instructor?”

“That is easier for me, your highness.”

Instructor.

It was a position that made it impossible for someone to have a position nor enter the
political sector. Some of the more intelligent nobles had gazes of relief.

‘Yes. He can't touch my bowl if he is the crown prince's instructor!’

‘He can't favor the Henituse household of the northeast region's regions if he is the
instructor! Doing that would make him lose face and make the crown prince lose face!’

‘Good! Now the Henituse household can’t treat Choi Han as their subordinate!’

Alberu gently started to speak to Choi Han again as they were quickly thinking.

“Okay then, I should do whatever is most comfortable for my instructor-nim.”

Alberu then looked toward the others and continued to speak.

“I did not have an instructor until now, but I am very happy that I can serve the
continent’s greatest swordsman as my instructor starting this glorious day.”

The southeast region's Marquis Ailan and central region's Duke Orsena clenched their
eyes before opening them again.

‘The crown prince and Choi Han’s popularities are going to soar again.’

Some nobles felt as if they could already hear the citizens cheering for Choi Han and
the crown prince.

The person who would be king was taking a young swordsman of common birth as
his instructor. He was doing this based on abilities alone. That swordsman was also
one of the heroes who saved this kingdom.
The citizens knew as well.

They knew that becoming the instructor of someone in the royal family meant that
they would be far from power and that they could only spend the rest of their lives
being the person's instructor.
That was why the people of the Roan Kingdom always respected the king’s instructor.
Furthermore, the citizens would admire how such a young swordsman would choose
such a position of integrity.

In addition, it wasn't as if the nobles could oppose Choi Han becoming Alberu’s instructor.
Everything that was said was being broadcasted live, and it was better to put Choi Han
in a place where nobody could touch him if they could not pull him over to their side.

“Alright then. Let's all relax and enjoy this wonderful day.”

The crown prince leisurely spoke with a relaxed expression. He didn't seem like
someone who had just dropped a bomb on them.

"The people here and the people watching this in the plaza, I'm sure everybody was
shocked at my sudden introduction of my instructor. However!”

He then continued in a serious tone.

“There will only be happy things and no shocking things from here on, so I hope
everybody can enjoy this moment. We successfully overcame a trial and today is the
day we show our gratitude to those who took the lead in helping us overcome that
trial.”

The nobles were relieved. Crown prince Alberu headed up to the chair on the platform
as if nothing happened while Choi Han stealthily moved to the corner of the hall.

‘Hooo, it looks like his highness wanted to separate Choi Han and Cale as well.’

Some of the nobles started to smile after watching Choi Han seclude himself in the
corner. One of the administrators handed Alberu a document wrapped in a luxurious
cloth once he sat down.

Alberu took the document. The paper inside should have details about the awards
ceremony.
“Hmm?”

Alberu immediately pulled the string that tied the cloth.

Prrrrrrrrrr-

The clothe unraveled to reveal the paper inside. The administrator who was watching
this immediately started to speak.

"We will now commence the awards ceremony for the individuals who accomplished
great victories at the Battle of the Henituse territory, the Battle at the Northeastern
Shores, as well as the battles at the Caro Kingdom and the Gorge of Death-”

“Hold on.”

The administrator looked toward the person who cut him off.

Screeeech.

Alberu Crossman stopped the administrator before standing up from his chair. The
details of the awards ceremony were in his hand.
The nobles looked toward him after seeing his unexpected action while Alberu looked
toward the nobles and the video communication device that was connected with the
plaza as he started to speak.

“I had to make a decision that I personally could not accept this time.”

Cale who was acting relaxed looked toward the platform.

Cale made eye contact with Alberu at that moment.

Smile.

Alberu gave a short smile toward Cale.

‘…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?’

Cale slowly started to feel nervous. They had planned for today.

‘Cale, I will set the mood and then introduce you. So, just play along with me.’
 ‘Your highness, you won't make a big deal out of it, right?’

‘Yeah, I won't. I'll even tell you what to say. Then you just need to say that, so it’ll be
simple, right?’

‘You won't make me say anything weird, will you?’

‘Ho! I'll tell you what it is right now, and you don’t have to say it if you think it is weird.
Is that fine?’

‘…I suppose?’

‘Good. Also discuss with Count Deruth and the Countess before giving me an answer
for my suggestion.’

He wasn't too worried because Alberu had already promised him, however…

 Human! The crown prince is smiling weirdly!

‘Ah, whatever.’

Cael decided to stop thinking about it. Alberu had continued to speak while Cale was
thinking.

“The person whose name should be at the top of this list. I removed his name from it.”

‘What?’

The nobles started to whisper to each other. Some of them looked toward Cale. The
person whose name should be at the top of the list. It was obvious who that was talking
about.

“Cale Henituse, I decided not to give you any positions or titles.”

Alberu could hear the whispers of the nobles and felt as if he could feel the shock from
the citizens in the plaza. He felt the changing atmosphere as he headed down from the
platform.

He then walked between the splitting masses as he approached a person.

“Cale Henituse, what do you think? Are you satisfied with this?”

Cale looked toward Alberu who was smiling in front of him. He then said what they
had previously discussed. It wasn’t very long and fit this situation well.

“Your highness, I am satisfied. I hope that this honor could be shared with the many
soldiers and others who suffered more than I did during the battles. I am satisfied with
the fact that we safely made it past those difficult days. I do not need anything for it.”

“Ah.”

Small gasps could be heard around the hall.

The rumor was true. Cale Henituse would truly not receive any positions or titles.
That was what he himself wanted.

Furthermore, he wanted his rewards to be shared with others.

‘Is he being serious? He’s not shrewdly planning something in secret, is he?’

‘…If he means what he is saying, then he’s amazing.’

‘He really is a hero.’

Many different thoughts filled the hall. Cale then said something that answered all of
those questions.

“I just pray for peace and prosperity for the Roan Kingdom.”

Cale looked around and felt the atmosphere in the room before looking back toward
Alberu. He then added something they had not discussed in advance.

“Your highness, I am just a small person who wishes to live a quiet life in a peaceful
world.”

‘This should be enough for nobody to mention giving me a title, right?’

Cale didn’t notice the gazes that looked at him as some sage who separated himself
from the material world as he processed his thoughts while looking at the silent nobles.
It was at that moment.
 Grab.

‘Hmm?’

Alberu suddenly grabbed Cale’s hand.

‘What the hell? What is he doing?

Shouldn’t he go back to the others on the list since my part is done?’

As Cale became nervous dealing with this situation they had not discussed in advance…

Alberu had a look of admiration and put on a bright yet heartrending smile as he
started to speak.

“Cale, I am truly, very proud of you.”

The crown prince was using such a relaxed tone toward Cale in an official setting, but
nobody had the time to notice that.

“I am very happy to have such a precious younger brother like you.”

‘Younger brother? A precious younger brother at that?’

The nobles silently gasped after hearing Alberu's comment while the Dukes, Marquises,
and the highest-ranking officials showed their resignation at what they each knew…

‘I thought he wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it? Isn't this going too overboard?’

Cale was also gasping silently as he looked toward Alberu, but Alberu just stood there
looking deeply moved.

“There’s probably nobody in the world who is upright and has no greed like my
younger brother.”

‘What nonsense is this? Who is he talking about?

Me? He’s saying I'm like that?’

 The crown prince may be crazy, but at least he knows that you are a good person,
human! The crown prince is a good person too! I'm not only saying that just because
he gave me a lot of cookies!
“Ho.”

Cale was shocked.

He kept his mouth shut while looking at the deeply moved Alberu's satisfied expression
as well as his father Deruth and mother Violan who were nodding their heads.

Twitch.

He could also see a rare smile on Choi Han’s face.

“Younger brother. I wish to hear your voice in this deeply moving moment. Won’t you
call me hyung out loud?”

Cale started to think as he looked at Alberu who went beyond going overboard and
now seemed to be acting out a play where two brothers had been reunited after being
apart for about one hundred years.

‘Ah.
This is driving me nuts.’
 Human… Why is the crown prince acting like this? He’s being weird.

‘Right? Raon, you think he’s being weird too, right?’

Cale agreed with Raon’s statement and started to sigh internally.

He had to play along with this exaggerated act the crown prince was putting on.

Cale turned away from Alberu who was looking at him with a touched expression but
a mischievous gaze and looked around.

Some nobles were as shocked as Cale. They were not the only ones who were shocked.
The musicians had stopped playing their instruments and were looking at Cale and
Alberu while the knights standing guard, as well as the servants moving about the hall,
were looking at them with shocked expressions as well.

Of course, Marquis Taylor Stan and Duke Gyerre, the respective heads of their
households, were looking on with big smiles on their faces. Marquis Ailan and Duke
Orsena, on the other hand, looked grim.

‘…This is not good.’

Cale's face filled with awkwardness after looking around the hall and stopping
somewhere.

Ooooooong-

It was the video communication device that was vibrating and sparkling.

Everything that was going on here was currently being broadcasted live in the Roan
Kingdom’s capital's plaza. The foreigners who were mixed in with the citizens and
watching would have seen this as well.
The news about what just happened would soon spread through the entire Western
continent.

‘Damn it.’

Cale put on an awkward smile as he responded to Alberu. Of course, he tried to pull

away from the hand that Alberu was grabbing.

“Your highness, it looks like everybody is shocked.”

“Ah.”

Alberu, who put on a shocked expression as if he just realized it, looked around before
starting to speak.

“A few days ago, Cale Henituse and I decided to become sworn brothers. I may be part
of the royal family and Cale Henituse is part of a Count's household, so we are not
brothers by blood, however, I was touched by Cale caring only about the kingdom and
peace that I asked him to be my sworn brother.”

These words flew out of Alberu's mouth without any hesitation. It was fitting for his
glib tongue. The nobles watching could not hide their chaotic thoughts.

‘Who would believe that?!’

Nobody believed Alberu’s statement about how he asked Cale to be his sworn sibling
because he was touched.

‘Ha! As if the crown prince is that kind of person!’

Alberu Crossman might be laughing right now, but he was the most thorough person
they knew. Such a person feeling touched? Peace? Those words were not funny nor
were they fitting for him.
The nobles’ minds started to get complicated.

‘…Cale Henituse is the future king’s sworn younger brother!’

‘We were too hasty to be happy that we got Choi Han out of the way! The crown prince
doesn’t have any maternal relatives. But if the quickly rising Henituse household and
the northeast region's nobles became the crown prince’s backing?!’
Crown prince Alberu already had power and troops that even the king could not easily
desire, so the nobles were all crouching in fear. This was especially the case for the
nobles from the central and southeast factions who were not on good terms with the
crown prince.
However, there was something they were relying on.

A king could not survive on his own.

Alberu who would become king in the future had no blood relatives, hometown ties,
nor school ties. That was why the nobles were bowing down now while expecting that
their own powers would eventually grow in the future.

But now, Alberu Crossman had the youngest sword master in his school ties and Cale
Henituse as his sworn brother.

‘…What a scary human.’

Some of the nobles who were faster at processing things looked toward Alberu with
fear. They were afraid of the crown prince's ability to tie the heroes of not just the Roan
Kingdom but the entire Western continent to his side. They were also afraid of how he
was able to coldly calculate and give those two heroes positions that were just for
show and held no actual power.

One noble could only watch Alberu Crossman and this situation with fear in his eyes.

He could see it. He could see Alberu Crossman's power and influence that had gotten
even stronger.

He then looked toward Cale and Choi Han with pity. As a quick thinker, he had a
different mindset about the two people who were now the future king’s sworn brother
and instructor than the other nobles who were looking at them with admiration and
envy.

‘They fell for the crown prince’s sweet talk.’

Instructor and sworn sibling. Status that came with no power whatsoever.
The noble could see the crown prince who must have swayed them by saying that
these were honorable positions and the two inexperienced young men who fell for
that scam.
‘I guess they were drunk on this hero play because they are still young and ended up
falling for these positions that are only important in name!’

The noble looked toward Cale and Choi Han with pity while thinking that the crown
prince was scary. He also confirmed something in his mind.

‘We don’t need to worry about Choi Han anymore. But this is just the beginning for
Cale Henituse.
We can't let that bastard get a government position!’

He would always do things to support the crown prince. The noble was thinking that
no position nor title could go to Cale, no matter what achievements he had in the future.

This was something most of the nobles were thinking about as well.

‘…We need to do our best to make sure Cale Henituse has as little power as possible.’

They needed to make it so that he could gain no power in this political arena, in this
battle for power. If they could not hinder Count Henituse’s family, then they needed to
at least block Cale.

This determination started to spread through the nobles.

One person calmly started to speak as if he did not notice the atmosphere at all.

“Cale, I was extremely disappointed to remove you from this list, but I am very happy
to continue as sworn siblings from here on. Don’t you agree?”

There was only one thought on Cale’s mind as he listened to Alberu.

‘How long is he going to drag this on?’

Unfortunately, Cale had to play along. A smile appeared on his face for the first time
today. That smile looked quite innocent, unlike his tired face. A bright voice modestly
answered as if he was honored.

“I am happy as well. Hyung-nim.”

That modest and slightly innocent-looking attitude made the nobles start to think.
‘He’s really an innocent hero…… ’

‘He's being used by the crown prince!’

‘…It looks like Cale Henituse is someone who truly wishes to be a hero, unlike what I
originally thought.’

‘The political field is going to flow in an odd direction from now on.’

Cale slowly took a step back and pulled his hand away as he said that.

Shhhh.

Alberu let his hand go without any objections and Cale could finally smile in relief.

‘I'm free.’

His role was now finished.

Cale was thinking that he could now relax and enjoy the celebration. Cale felt even
more relaxed after looking around and seeing that the nobles were calmer than before.

“Hyung-nim.”

He heard Basen’s whisper at that moment. Cale turned his head after hearing the quiet
voice.

“You meant it when you said you want to live a quiet life, right?”

“Hmm? Yes?”

“…I see.”

Basen, who had been doing his best to study politics, realized that his brother was an
innocent soul. He was smart, but sacrificial and innocent. Basen found another reason
that he needed to protect his brother.

‘Maybe he can dream of world peace and living a quiet life away from politics and
power because he is such an innocent person.’

Basen quietly looked toward Cale with a gentle gaze as Cale slowly rubbed his stomach
 with his palm.

 Human! T, there’s chocolate flowing out of that cake over there! What kind of amazing
cake is that?!

‘I know, right?’

He was hungry.

After being shocked by crown prince Alberu, Cale was now left with hunger. He hoped
the awards ceremony would end quickly as he stood there with a blank expression on
his face.

‘…His expression shows no greed at all. I wonder if it is real.’

The nobles continued to look toward him, but Cale who was annoyed didn't care at all.

“Then we will resume the awards ceremony!”

Alberu had returned to his seat and the administrator peeked toward him before
resuming the awards ceremony.

“We will share each person's merits as well as their rewards! The merits and the
recipient will be announced by me while his highness the crown prince will personally
hand the reward to each individual.”

The administrator started to announce each recipient based on the weight of their
merits.

“For their merits in the Battle at the Gorge of Death as the Roan Kingdom's
representatives. General members of the Mage Brigade, Kepai, Rabbit, Mewoo-”

People went up to the platform one by one and Alberu shook each of their hands as he
handed them their rewards.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all! Your highness, I just did what I needed to do!”

Everybody responded energetically to Alberu who tightly grabbed their hands and
thanked them and it was a satisfying sight for all to see. That satisfaction continued to
rise as the ceremony continued.

Woooooooooooooooo-

Although the hall's door was closed, they felt as if they could hear the cheering of the
citizens from the distant plaza.

However, the nobles were nervous. Their hearts slowly started to beat faster and
faster. The administrator started to speak at that moment.

For participating as the Roan Kingdom's representatives in the Caro Kingdom's naval
battle, defeating the enemy’s berserk warriors and having the greatest impact in clearing
the dead mana!”

It was finally starting. The new forces were starting to come out.

“The Dark Elf warriors with Tasha as their representative!”

The woman who reminded people of a black pearl headed toward the platform where
the crown prince was standing. Alberu looked down at his Aunt Tasha from one of the
steps. The two people smiled in a way that only the other would understand. Alberu
started to speak.

“Tasha, the representative for the Dark Elves who will become one of the Roan
Kingdom's new strength. I bestow the title of Viscountess upon you.”

"Gasp."

Some of the nobles gasped. This was the first title that was bestowed today.

‘The crown prince is really trying to draw the Dark Elves into the Kingdom!’

‘Did he not see what happened to the Mogoru Empire?’

‘That vulgar race is a noble?!’

The nobles’ complaints started to slowly appear on their faces. Alberu had a bitter
smile on his face as he continued to speak to Tasha.
“However, this title is a nonhereditary title and no territory will be bestowed.”

A nonhereditary title. A Viscountess without any territory. The growing complaints on

the nobles’ faces slightly stalled. They then realized why the leaders of their respective
factions were remaining quiet.

‘It’s just for show.’

They realized that Alberu drew in the Dark Elves with a just-for-show title as well.

However, Alberu's inner thoughts were different. He looked into the eyes of his Aunt
who had raised him like her own child and made a firm resolution that he could not
openly share with the nobles and the citizens.

‘This is just the beginning. Next time, I will definitely make it so that the Dark Elves
have land that they can freely live under the sun.’

He would prepare a hereditary title with a great territory.

Tasha gently smiled as if she understood what her nephew was thinking.

“Thank you very much. Your highness, we pray for peace in the Roan Kingdom.”

The Dark Elf gave a short response before stepping away. However, the nobles could
not remain calm after hearing the following proclamations.
One group of nobles had started to move.

“Viscount Chetter’s territory will not need to pay any taxes for 3 years and young
patriarch Gilbert Chetter is bestowed the position of Captain of the Naval Procurements
Department for his achievements.”

The reward for the northeast region’s Viscount Chetter’s household and the new
position for the young patriarch.

"Amiru Ubarr and Eric Wheelsman will receive the highest positions among the naval
base's Chief advisors as Advisor of the Left and Advisor of the Right.”

The northeast region's Wheelsman household’s young patriarch and Ubarr household's
young matriarch Amiru were given positions among the naval base’s chief advisors.
“The territory of Viscountess Ubarr will henceforth be known as the territory of
Countess Ubarr.”

Viscountess Ubarr who ruled the territory with the largest naval base became
Countess Ubarr.

The other nobles from the northeast region who participated in the war received all
sorts of rewards and positions as well.

There was an especially large number of government positions.

It was at a similar level to the four other factions that have dominated the nobles’
society and the government positions. Anybody would be able to see that a new faction
was being created.

‘…The head.’

The Roan kingdom would have a new strong faction if there was a leader to lead those
northeastern nobles. It might even be the strongest faction in the current Roan Kingdom.

Nobody dared to open their mouths.

“I will take over from here.”

However, the crown prince did not give them a moment to get their minds straight.

“There are three people who contributed the most to the two battles within the Roan
Kingdom at the Henituse territory and at the Northeastern shores.”

Three people. The nobles gasped. The eyes of the citizens in the plaza filled with
anticipation. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for.

“They also went as representatives of the Roan Kingdom to record the greatest
achievements in the battle at the Caro Kingdom and the battle at the Breck Kingdom’s
Gorge of Death, being the core of the Roan Kingdom to save the Western continent
from the Indomitable Alliance. Furthermore, they are currently defending against
wars and other dangers throughout the Western continent, heroes who only wish for
peace and prosperity of the world.”

These were all major achievements.

Such meritorious achievements had not been seen for almost 100 years.

“These three people are Mary, Choi Han, and Cale Henituse.”

Clench.

The nobles clenched their eyes shut.

“They are geniuses and heroes whom we would have been lucky to have just one of
them appear at a time. These heroes are the only ones throughout the history of the
Roan Kingdom who have achieved such accomplishments.”

Both the heat of passion and a cold air filled the hall.

“They have all rejected titles and government positions.”

The rumors had been true. The nobles nodded their heads after hearing the Mary had
rejected them as well.

Alberu looked down at them. He had not used the word, 'reward.’

‘Your highness, both Mary and Choi Han said that they have something that they would
like.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Yes sir, please grant them their requests.’

‘Fine. What about you?’

‘A golden plaque please.’

‘You're driving me crazy.’

Although Choi Han and Mary did not want titles nor positions, there was something
that they each wanted. Alberu happily agreed to their requests.

“I decided to listen to their requests.”

The nobles let out sighs of relief after hearing Alberu’s calm statement.
“Huuuuuu.”

‘All three of them would not be able to desire what is ours.’

As they had that thought…

“However, I concluded that this would set a terrible precedent for the future.”

‘Hmm?’

‘A terrible precedent?’

The nobles’ eyes opened wide.

“They are people who sacrificed their bodies and minds for all of us. But giving them
only a verbal thank you without giving them anything else? I, Alberu Crossman, do not
wish for such a thing.”

These were his honest feelings.

“I value and cherish the lives of every person who works for the benefit of our Roan
Kingdom, as well as the citizens who are watching through the video communication
device right now. That is why I wish to reward them.”

‘Reward them when they rejected it? I thought he understood what they wanted?’

Alberu stood up and continued to speak as the nobles started to fall into a state of chaos.

“And those three people accepted my desire.”

His gaze headed toward a spot in the hall.

“The household that all three of them are associated with right now.”

“Ah.”

Someone let out a sound that was either a gasp of appreciation or a sigh.

“The household that represented the Roan Kingdom in battle and achieved an
overwhelming victory against the Indomitable Alliance, the household who volunteered
a significant amount of troops for the battle at the Northeastern shores and also
achieved an overwhelming victory.”

Alberu’s voice slowly started to become louder.

“The household that we could easily say that they protected the Roan Kingdom on
their own!”

One person made eye contact with Alberu.

“Deruth Henituse!”

Count Deruth slowly bowed his head.

“Yes, your highness.”

As he slowly raised his head and made eye contact with Alberu… The moment the other
nobles gasped and nervously waited for what was to come…

Alberu started to speak.

“The Roan Kingdom has another Duke’s household as of today.”

Gasps could be heard throughout the hall. They wondered if it would happen, but he
had truly bestowed the title of Duke and not a Marquis! The nobles looked astonished.
Alberu calmly continued to speak toward Deruth regardless of their reactions.

“What do you think?”

However, his eyes were looking at the nobles inside the hall. The nobles avoided his
cold and vicious gaze. Some of them thought that this was wrong. They wanted to say
that out loud.

Screeeech.

The servants opened the door and windows of the hall at that moment.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah- Waaaaaaaaaah-

They could clearly hear the cheering of the citizens from the distant plaza. They were
 cheering in joy and happiness.

‘…This must be why he broadcasted the ceremony to the plaza!’

‘He used Choi Han, Mary, and Cale Henituse as bait to turn the Henituse household
into a Duke’s household!’

Despair filled the faces of most nobles. On the other hand, the expressions on the faces
of the northeast region's nobles and those who had positive relationships with them
were bright.

‘He got us good……!’

‘…The crown prince turned the Henituse household into his backing!’

The nobles peeked around with their heads down.

Woooooooooooooooo-

The happy cheers continued to flow into the hall.

Today was the day the future king of the Roan Kingdom had earned an instructor and
a sworn brother.

It was also the day that a new Duke’s household was born in the Roan Kingdom. It was
Duke Henituse's household.

This news quickly spread to the nearby kingdoms. It also reached the White Star’s ears.

 Human, I'm hungry!

Cale was rubbing his stomach and thinking to himself even during this time.

‘Can I live as the trash of a Duke's family, no, the slacker of a Duke's family now? That
sounds great.’

It was the greatest job in the world.

“We will now end the awards ceremony.”

The band started to play after Alberu Crossman motioned to the administrator. The
crown prince looked toward the video communication device and the nobles as he
continued to speak.

“Today is a joyous day, I hope that the people in the plaza and the people in this hall
all truly enjoy this moment.”

The nobles who had their heads bowed avoided Alberu’s gaze as if they were at a loss
for words.

‘Enjoy? Truly enjoy? Do you think that is possible?’

‘…This is bad.’

A joyous and upbeat song was playing, but the atmosphere inside the hall was oddly
calm.

“I'm sure none of you will be able to fully enjoy yourselves if I am here, so I will make
my leave.”

The crown prince told the nobles to relax as he headed toward the hall's entrance.
Everyone tried to focus on him and walk him out but Alberu rejected all these offers.

However, the nobles could not relax. There was one person who stuck behind Alberu
as he left. The person who moved like a shadow as if it was natural started to walk
next to the crown prince after seeing Alberu motion him forward.

If the crown prince would allow him to walk next to him, then that meant that the two
of them were very close and that the crown prince respected him.

“…Choi Han is that person.”

One noble started to frown after looking toward the crown prince and Choi Han next
to him.

The crown prince was standing close to and chatting with Choi Han, who would
henceforth be known as his instructor. However, the nobles could not hear their
conversation as the music continued even after the crown prince left.

Marquis Ailan, the leader of the Roan Kingdom's southeast region's nobles faction. He
was also looking at the crown prince and Choi Han. One of the Counts in his faction
walked over and asked in a serious tone.

“…Those two sirs look very close.”

Choi Han had now reached a status where the nobles were addressing him as, 'sir.’
Marquis Ailan could see Alberu’s relaxed smile and Choi Han’s calm yet faint smile.

They truly seemed close.

“Marquis-nim, is it really okay to let things be like this?”

The Marquis slowly blinked after hearing the Count’s question. It was not okay. How
could it be okay when Marquis Ailan had not received anything from the results of this
war?

‘…But I do not have the justification to oppose it.’

The southeast region’s Marquis Ailan and the central region's Duke Orsena were going
to do everything in their powers to prevent the Henituse household from rising from
a Count’s household to a Duke's household.

‘…Marquis Stan and Duke Gyerre were already on Count Henituse's side.’

It was not a fight between the crown prince and the Dukes and Marquis; it was
realistically a 3 on 2 battle.

‘No. It could even be called a conflict between the Henituse household and the Ailan
and Orsena households.’

And they had lost. Marquis Ailan peeked toward Duke Orsena who could not hide his
disappointment as he recalled what crown prince Alberu had stealthily told him.
‘Marquis Ailan. Do you want to miss out on something larger because you wanted to
protect your power in this puny Roan Kingdom?’

The person who would become the next king had called power inside the Roan Kingdom
to be puny.

‘You are aware of the news spreading through the Indomitable Alliance, the Mogoru
Empire, Caro Kingdom, Breck Kingdom, and the Eastern continent, right? Are you not?’

Marquis Ailan had heard about the stories spreading through the Western continent.

There was a hidden puppet master behind everything that had happened this year on
the Western continent, and that person was trying to throw the Western continent
into chaos while Cale Henituse was moving around to stop him.

‘Do you have your eyes closed, your ears shut, and live without any thoughts?’

Marquis Ailan recalled the cold gaze that had looked down on him. Those eyes had
told him something. Think straight.

‘Cale Henituse is not alone. He already has his own faction that neither you nor I can
have.
Come to grips with reality. Does the Henituse household, no, does Cale Henituse look
like just the young master of a Count’s household?
If you want to put everything on the line to protect this puny power, then stay quiet.
Aren’t you a smart person?’

Marquis Ailan whom the crown prince had called smart realized that Cale Henituse
was now someone whom he could not do anything about with his powers. Of course,
it would be possible if all nobles worked together to suppress Cale Henituse.

But that might make Cale Henituse go elsewhere.

“…We can’t lose him.”

They couldn't let that happen.

“Marquis-nim?”

“It’s nothing.”
 He shook his head while saying that it’s nothing to the Count while looking at Choi
Han and Alberu’s friendly conversation.

There were many people looking at them. One of them was Cale.

“When did they get so close?”

Choi Han and Alberu seemed close no matter how many times he looked.

 Human! Choi Han does not seem to be acting! It’s unbearable when Choi Han acts!

‘Exactly.’

Cale decided the two of them would figure things out and turned away. Choi Han and
Alberu were quietly chatting at that moment.

“Instructor-nim, shouldn't you enjoy the celebration as well?”

“Shouldn't I at least walk my student out?”

Alberu smiled gently and a faint smile was on Choi Han's stoic face.

“Mm, instructor?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“I heard that my instructor-nim was a terrible actor.”

"That seems to be the case.”

Alberu smiled in silence before asking Choi Han a question.

"Are you really thinking about taking me as a student?”

“…Please take this.”

Choi Han took a small pile of papers out of his uniform and handed it to Alberu.

“What the…?”
Alberu looked toward Choi Han in confusion as Choi Han erased the faint smile from
his face and responded with a stoic expression.

“I am great at teaching sword arts.”

The smile disappeared from Alberu’s face and was replaced with disbelief. He
nonchalantly looked through the pile of papers. There were images of the basics for
multiple simple sword arts. Choi Han seemed to have personally drawn these images.

‘He’s really going to teach me?’

Was he really planning on being his sword art instructor?

Alberu was someone who had never had an instructor in his life. The closest he had
was Tasha, but she was family.

Alberu heard a stiff voice by his ear.

“Shouldn’t you at least know how to protect yourself?”

Alberu looked up from the paper and stared at Choi Han. Alberu was thoroughly
observing Choi Han to see the true intentions hidden behind those words.
Alberu observed for a while before starting to chuckle.

“Instructor-nim, I'm actually pretty good with the sword.”

“You're not as good as me, your highness.”

“That’s why you are asking me to learn?”

“It’s great to learn. Living a long life without getting hurt is best.”

Alberu started to laugh out loud. The nobles at a distance focused even more on Alberu,
but he didn't care as he looked toward Choi Han.

“Looks like similar people move around in a group.”

He put the papers into the inner pocket of his outfit.

“Okay then, instructor-nim, stay back and enjoy yourself with my dongsaeng.”
 Choi Han slightly bowed.

“…The message you asked me to deliver. I will make sure to deliver all of it.”

“Yes, yes. Instructor-nim, teach me some sword arts later.”

Choi Han and Alberu made eye contact. Alberu had a bright smile as he started to speak.

“For real.”

“Of course, student-nim.”

Choi Han smiled and Alberu said, ‘you're surprisingly like us,’ before heading out of
the banquet hall alone. The knights and servants stationed outside started to follow
him.

Choi Han watched them leave before turning around. He could see the gazes of the
nobles looking at him.

‘Toy? No. Is he a treasure?’

Choi Han's expression did not change at all while seeing these greedy gazes that
looked as if they were staring at a new treasure. He greeted Mary, Tasha, and the Mage
Brigade Captain with his eyes before looking for someone.
He noticed the person quickly walking through with plates full of desserts on both hands.

Choi Han quietly followed behind him.

 Human! I can eat all of these? They’re mine, right?

‘Yes, yes.’

Cale nodded his head and headed to a terrace at the corner of the second floor.

“…Umm-”

Cale turned his head after hearing a voice. The noble who was reaching his hand toward
Cale shut up at that moment.
 ‘Why is he like this?’

He subconsciously curled up in fear after seeing the way Cale was looking at him. Cale
was giving off an aura that made it difficult to approach him, making the noble think
that this was how it would feel to look into the cold eyes of a Dragon.

‘…He looked like a slacker as I was approaching!’

But looking into Cale's eyes after approaching him made the noble feel like he deserved
the titles of, ‘Young master Silver Light,’ and, ‘Silver Light Hero.’

‘What can I do for you?”

“…Ah, never mind.”

The noble quickly pulled his hand back and stepped back after hearing Cale's cold
voice that sounded as if Cale was pointing a dagger at his neck.

Cale looked away and continued on his way.

 Human! You look slightly strong today too!

Cale slowly continued to walk while listening to Raon’s comment and having the
Dominating Aura surrounding his body.

The noble finally realized that his fingertips were shaking once Cale left before finally
managing to let out a relaxed breath. One of his friends came over and consoled him
while patting his shoulder.

“A hero is really different up close.”

“I know, right? Such presence… It was like-”

Like a ruler.
However, his pride would not let him say such words. The other noble pointed
elsewhere as if to lift the mood.

“Let’s not worry about things out of our control and choose the sides we can approach.”

His friend was pointing toward Count Henituse, no, Duke Henituse and his family, as
well as the northeast region’s nobles.

“I'm saying that we should pursue other avenues rather than trying to win the hero-
nim over and facing his wrath. What do you think?”

"Sounds good.”

The two nobles headed toward the northeast region's nobles who were the center of
attention.

The other nobles were busy doing the same thing such that none of them noticed Mary
and Tasha slowly exiting out of the hall. Only the people watching the feed from the
plaza noticed.

Most of them were disappointed that Mary and Tasha were leaving so early, but they
didn't pay much attention to it.

“Let’s eat and play all we want today!”

“That’s right! His highness the crown prince gave us all this food for free!”

“Kahahaha! This is a great day! Who knew such a day would come?”

They were all too busy enjoying the moment. However, there were some people
stealthily leaving the plaza that was the center of this celebration.

The two people who were covering their faces with hoods pushed through the crowd
and headed out.

"Barrow.”

One of the people whispered to the other.

“What do you think?”

Bear King Sayeru’s eyes underneath the hood headed toward the White Star whose
face was also covered by his hood.

“I'm not sure.”

“Aren’t you debating between the Roan Kingdom's Northwest region and the Caro
Kingdom right now?”

The White Star did not respond and Sayeru started to think as if he didn’t need a
response.

They had quickly rushed over to the Roan Kingdom’s capital after hearing about how
the awards ceremony would be broadcasted in the plaza. Of course, it was easy for
them to avoid the attention of the Roan Kingdom's soldiers.

Sayeru organized his thoughts and mumbled to himself.

“Mm, someone like Cale Henituse should know that we would do whatever we could
to see this feed. But he made it obviously visible that he's in the Roan Kingdom?”

Something was weird.

“…It feels like he did this on purpose so that we would turn our attention toward the
Roan Kingdom.”

Sayeru made eye contact with the White Star at that moment. The White Star started
to speak.

“The Land of Death. You sent the illusionist to the entrance of the desert, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then we will head there as well.”

Sayeru smirked as he asked.

“Why?”

“Didn't you see it?”

The White Star looked toward the video screen as he continued to speak.

"Choi Han, the Dark Elf, the Necromancer, and even Cale. All of them left the hall. After
tricking us to come to the Roan Kingdom-"
 “They’ll probably use the opening to head to the Caro Kingdom and take the power for
themselves?”

Sayeru and the White Star soon disappeared from the capital.

At the second floor of the palace where the celebration was taking place… In a corner
not visible in the video communication device…

Clang.

 Hmm? Human! It sounds like someone is trying to enter!

Raon quickly wiped the chocolate cream around his mouth with Cale’s handkerchief
as Cale opened the terrace curtains and unlocked the door.

Chhhhhhhhh.

Choi Han entered through the door as the curtains opened.

“Cale-nim.”

He looked toward Cale and asked.

“Will the White Star come to the Land of Death?”

Crunch, crunch.

Cale crunched on a cookie as he nodded his head.

“Yes.”

“Then are we going as well?”

Screech.

Cale stood up from the chair. There were other things on the table in the terrace other
than the plates of dessert he brought.
There was a map of the Roan Kingdom's Northwest region, files on the Northwest
region's nobles and finally… A letter from the Dark Elf Mayor that Tasha had handed
him with a look of urgency this morning.
<Urgent news!>

<That time will arrive in the Land of Death two days from now for four days.>

<We only noticed it today as well. I am sending the message through Tasha as it is
urgent!>

That time.

The reason that the Dark Elves built their homes underneath the Land of Death. Dead
mana rose up as smoke twice a year at irregular times in this desert covered in black
sand.

The Land of Death would be covered in dead mana smoke two days from now.

<We have evacuated all residents and finished the preparations as discussed, but will
the plan still proceed as discussed?>

Cale put the letter in his pocket after reading the last sentence from the Dark Elf Mayor.

<As you already know, people without the darkness attribute cannot even breathe
properly in the desert during that time.>

<Young master-nim, will you be able to fight?>

Cale gently smiled toward Choi Han before starting to speak.

“Shall we go cut off the White Star’s right arm?”

“Human! Are we teleporting?”

Raon asked as he stuffed the fancy desserts made by the Roan Kingdom's greatest
patissier into his spatial dimension. Raon’s spatial dimension was pretty much a
refrigerator at this point. The six years old Dragon was at his growing phase in Dragon
years.

‘…I don’t think I saw any vegetables.’

Cale started to worry about this Dragon's imbalanced diet after not seeing any
vegetables in the piles of food inside Raon's spatial dimension.

“Human, why are you looking at me? Do you want some? I don't mind sharing with you!”

“It’s fine.”

“Ah!”

Raon hit his two front paws together as if he was clapping.

“Human, you probably want to eat green onion pancakes, gochujang, and doenjang!
Don’t worry! Beacrox will definitely make it!”

Cale’s vicious gaze turned toward Choi Han. Choi Han just let that gaze pass by like a
breeze, making Cale sigh and lower his head as he started to clean the mess on the
table.

‘…I guess the senior might have wanted to eat some Korean food.’

Cale was trying his best to understand Choi Han’s feelings. It was at that moment.

“Cale-nim.”
“What is it? Are you craving gochujang?”

Cale looked at Choi Han with an awkward expression after hearing Choi Han sigh. He
could see the concerned look on Choi Han's face. He looked as if he was hesitant about
something. Cale’s expression turned odd as he looked at it.

‘This person, why does he-’

Click. Click.

‘Why is he clicking his scabbard with a concerned expression? I keep seeing his sword
come out of the scabbard!’

Choi Han was clicking his scabbard with a concerned expression, revealing the cold
blade of the sword every time it clicked. Cale opened up his curling shoulders as he
confidently looked toward Choi Han.

‘…I can't understand Cale-nim’s thoughts at all.’

Choi Han held back a sigh and started to speak after seeing the calm gaze looking at
him.

“Cale-nim, I heard that the White Star needs dead mana to the point that he ordered it
as a tribute.”

The Mogoru’s former Imperial Prince Adin and the black mages delivered dead mana
to the White Star as tribute. This meant that the White Star needed dead mana or it
benefited him in some way.

Choi Han was reminding Cale about this. Naturally, Cale knew that as well.
He recalled the conversation he had with the ancient powers when he was on Wind
Island.

‘The person with the sky attribute periodically absorbed dead mana. This Wind
Island’s dead mana storage facility was a tribute for that bastard as well.’

‘Why does the person with the sky attribute need dead mana?’

‘I do not know. I tried to find out a few times, but I failed.’

He heard Choi Han’s voice again.

“Furthermore, the White Star still has the black mages and the Lion King.”

He was calmly telling Cale the truth.

“Their powers will be immense in the Land of Death during that time.”

The time when the dead mana smoke rose from the ground. People with the darkness
attribute would be stronger than ever during that time.

“On the other hand, Cale-nim, people like you and me who do not have the darkness
attribute will face a difficult battle.”

There would be only a few on their side who could fight properly, especially if the Lion
King brought out that black wall like the last battle at the Northern Alchemists’ Tower.

“Cale-nim, don't you know this situation better than anyone else? So-”

Choi Han stopped talking for a moment before continuing in a calm voice.

“I heard that is the reason why Beacrox, Mr. Ron, Rosalyn, and Eruhaben-nim will all
not take part. On and Hong as well. Oh, and naturally the Mercenary King too.”

Choi Han saw Cale ordering the others not to enter the Land of Death this morning
prior to the awards ceremony and celebration.

It was after Tasha delivered the Mayor’s letter.

“You said that you were going to go cut off the White Star’s right arm…”

The White Star’s right arm was probably talking about the Bear King or the Lion King
Dorph. Getting rid of one of them would make their future battles against the White
Star much easier.
However, Choi Han was thinking that the White Star’s right arm wasn’t the problem
right now.

“We would pretty much be fighting without an arm and leg. Are we still going to fight?”

Even with Mary and the Dark Elves on their side, the people on their side would be
fighting at less than half strength in the desert.

‘Cale-nim cannot fight properly this time either.’

Cale had fought in the front in the last battle at the Northern Alchemists’ Tower under
Dorph's black wall. He was the only one who was able to fight properly.

‘But Cale-nim is still human.’

The dead mana smoke. Cale had to avoid that dead mana that would spread through
the air.

“No matter how I look at it, I think it is best to fight in the Land of Death after this time
is over as the Mayor mentioned. There is no reason to fight when we will end up
sacrificing a lot of our allies.”

It was at that moment.

“Raon, did you not deliver the message to Choi Han?”

‘Hmm?’

Choi Han could see Cale calmly asking Raon a question. Raon stopped stuffing dessert
into his spatial dimension and looked toward Choi Han with shaking pupils.

“S, smart Choi Han! I forgot to tell you!”

“Forgot?”

“Choi Han.”

Choi Han asked Raon a question before turning toward Cale who called his name.

“Didn’t you go to meet his highness while I was video chatting this morning?”

“I did.”

Choi Han had gone over to the crown prince's palace as he would be entering the hall
separately from Cale.
“Is there some important information I missed?”

“Mm, you see…”

Cale looked as if he was debating something for a moment before starting to speak
again.

“Do you remember the Dragon half-blood?”

The Dragon half-blood.

The bastard they fought against in the Breck Kingdom's Gorge of Death who was
currently quietly living in the Eastern continent's inn.

“Yes, I do.”

It was a sudden discussion topic but Choi Han continued to listen because he knew
Cale would answer his question. Cale calmly continued to speak.

“That bastard doesn't have much life left.”

Cale’s eyes then headed toward Raon. His clear round eyes were looking at Cale.

Cale recalled one of the things the Dragon half-blood told him.

‘However, reaching the second growth phase in 900 years was my limit because I was
a created being. I ate a total of four Dragon hearts until I reached my second growth
phase. If you count the original Dragon's heart within my heart, I was made with the
lives of five Dragons.’

The lives and hearts of five Dragons. The Dragon half-blood was someone who was
living because of these existences.

‘…I smell a lord. That power from earlier was definitely a lord. I know it was. I've
smelled it before.’

He was also a bastard who knew the scent of a Dragon Lord who had disappeared
9,000 years ago when he had only lived for 900 years. Cale started to frown.

‘Raon had a red egg sibling.’

Cale had too many things to ask the Dragon half-blood. The day to ask those questions
was not far now. He looked toward Choi Han and continued to speak.

“Summer is coming to an end. It is fall soon.”

Choi Han started to frown. The six months given to the Dragon half-blood were almost
over. It wouldn't be weird if his life ended any day now.

“I made a promise with that bastard.”

Of course, Cale had not used the word ‘promise’ with the Dragon half-blood. But it was
still definitely a promise.

Cale had said the following to the Dragon half-blood.

‘Rest a bit and then we will go attack Arm when I call you again.’

He had asked the Dragon half-blood if he remembered this statement when he saw
him doing the dishes in the backyard of the Eastern continent's inn. The Dragon half-
blood had answered that he remembered. He recalled the conversation they had that
time.

‘I know.’

The Dragon half-blood answered that way before adding on.

‘…I think it is a good place to fight one last time with everything on the line.’

‘Are you talking about yourself?’

‘Yes.’

It was the moment a silent promise was created between Cale and the Dragon half-
blood. Cale said the promise he made with him out loud.

“The bastard promised to destroy Arm’s secret base with me before he died.”

Destroying Arm’s secret base on the Eastern continent. Choi Han's eyes clouded over.

He finally realized what Cale meant by the White Star’s right arm. Cale continued to
speak as Choi Han focused his gaze on him.

“The moment the White Star enters the Land of Death…”

When that bastard, his subordinates, and the Bear King or Lion King or whoever it
may be, while a good portion of their strong individuals are stuck in the desert…

“Arm will disappear from this world that day.”

The White Star would lose his right arm. Choi Han started to speak.

“Then the reason Beacrox, Eruhaben-nim, and the others can't come to the desert-”

“What you are thinking is probably right.”

“…They are going to stay in the Eastern continent to destroy Arm's secret base.”

“Yes.”

Choi Han finally realized the plan in Cale’s mind.

Cale was sending Ron and the others to the Eastern continent instead of the desert.
They were probably gathering the forces he had created in the Eastern continent with
Ron, the patriarch of the Molan household, in charge.

They would be planning for Arm's destruction.

“Choi Han, the White Star would lose his foundation on the Eastern continent if Arm
disappears.”

The White Star, the Bear King, and the Lion King. They were all strong. However, if
strong individuals ruled the world, then this world would already have been ruled by
a select few. However, there were times when a large gathering of weaklings were
stronger than a small gathering of strong individuals. Cale was planning on the White
Star's organization first.

"And, you mentioned something about fighting?”

“Cale-nim.”
“Choi Han, you said we are going to fight against the White Star?”

Cale started to smile.

“No.”

Why would they waste their strength on someone they knew they couldn’t kill right
now?

"We are not fighting with the White Star this time.”

The Dark Elves were already waiting for them with the preparations completed.

"We are just tying them down.”

“Human! Didn't you say we are going to toy with them earlier?”

Cale pretended not to hear Raon. He took something out of his pocket instead and put
it on the table.

Tap.

It was an item that sounded like it was made of solid gold. Choi Han started to speak
after realizing what it was.

“…A golden plaque?”

“Yes, it's a special golden plaque.”

As Cale mentioned, this golden plaque was different than the one Choi Han had seen
before. It shined a bit more and the crest at the center looked exquisite yet somber.
Cale touched the outside of the golden plaque with his finger.

“The meaning of this golden plaque is simple. It means that everything I am saying
right now is equivalent to the crown prince’s words.”

“…Then the golden plaque you received this time is…?”

“Yes, this is it.”

Cale put the golden plaque in his pocket and Raon immediately started to activate a
teleportation magic circle.
They could hear the music and laughter coming from the celebration, but that wasn’t
for Cale to enjoy.

He stepped into the teleportation magic circle as he started to speak.

"We are going to go meet crown prince Valentino.”

They were going to go meet the Caro Kingdom's crown prince Valentino.

“He doesn’t know that there is an underground city beneath the desert. He thinks that
the Dark Elves and Mary are all from the Roan Kingdom. He thinks they are his
highness, crown prince Alberu’s secret forces.”

The Dark Elves who suddenly crossed across the Land of Death and arrived at the Caro
Kingdom's naval battle. Crown prince Valentino and the others believed that they were
the Roan Kingdom’s forces who had come across a secret passage starting from the
Roan Kingdom.
It was because of how Cale introduced the Dark Elves to Valentino when they first
appeared.

‘The Roan Kingdom's forces are finally all here.’

The Dark Elves had become part of the Roan Kingdom's forces from that moment. Cale,
the Dark Elves, and Alberu all planned to leave that misunderstanding alone.

This was something that the Dark Elves had decided. Cale, who knew the reason
behind this decision, was happy to do as they wished.

“There will be explosions and whatnot happening on the Land of Death when we fight
there, so shouldn't we get permission to use the area?”

Choi Han asked as he stepped onto the teleportation magic circle.

“Don’t you mean warning them not to unnecessarily get involved?”

“Ah, really.”

Cale smiled and responded to that question.

 “How do you know my thoughts so well?”

Choi Han, Cale, and Raon disappeared from the terrace once he said that.

They then appeared in one of the Western continent’s western cities, far from the East
where the Roan Kingdom was located.

 I've turned invisible!

Cale opened his eyes after hearing Raon's comment and bowed toward the person in
front of him.

“It's been a while, your highness.”

“Yes, good to see you again!”

Crown prince Valentino welcomed Cale and Choi Han with a bright smile. Cale heard
Raon's voice in his mind at that moment.

 Human! Grandpa Ron contacted us! He said the preparations are complete!

Cale’s smile became thicker.

“This is quite a cozy and quiet location.”

Cale looked around as he said that.

They had teleported to a small reception room. The room was decorated with the Caro
Kingdom's unique exotic and vintage decorations, but it was too small to be one of the
crown prince’s rooms.

“Isn't a stealthy place best to have such secret conversations?”

Crown prince Valentino responded in a friendly manner before taking a teacup from
the guard knight. Only Cale’s group and Valentino's close confidants were in this small
reception room.

"Alright, let’s sit down and chat. We made it so we cannot hear anything from the
outside either.”

The door was closed shut and the large window on the west side of the reception room
was closed as well. Valentino sat on the couch as he started to speak to Cale.

“Do you know how quietly I came to this city from the palace to see you?”

Cale recalled when he had a meal alone with crown prince Valentino. The Mogoru
Empire. The crown prince who said that he would only feel refreshed after seeing the
fall of Imperial Prince Adin who betrayed him seemed to have matured a bit.

“I didn’t know you thought so highly of me. I am touched.”

Cale responded as he sat across from Valentino.

“It is nothing compared to what our Caro Kingdom has received from you and the Roan
Kingdom.”
Tap.

Valentino heard a dull noise at that moment. His gaze headed toward the table.

“…It’s a golden plaque.”

It was crown prince Alberu’s special golden plaque. The smile disappeared from
Valentino's face.

“I heard the gist of what is going on. The person responsible for everything, this White
Star, is coming to the Caro Kingdom?”

The smile disappeared and was slowly replaced with quiet anger.

“How shocking. Do you know how shocked I was after hearing about everything from
crown prince Alberu? We thought that only the Empire was involved with the
Indomitable Alliance that threw our Caro Kingdom into chaos.”

Crown prince Valentino's fingers were slightly shaking as he held the teacup. In some
ways, Cale thought Valentino was the most human of all future kings.

“But there is someone worse than the two of them? This person is the White Star?”

He had heard the rumors that had spread across the Western continent about Cale and
the White Star. He had then heard the detailed explanation from Alberu.

The night Valentino heard about the White Star and everything he had been involved
with from Alberu… There was a secret meeting in the Caro Kingdom’s central palace.
Most citizens, nobles, and administrators had no idea that this secret meeting
happened. It was because Valentino listened to Alberu’s warning.

‘I wish to keep the information that the White Star is heading to the Caro Kingdom as
quiet as possible. This is someone who had installed his people inside the Mogoru
Empire. That is why I am keeping everything about this person under wraps in the
Roan Kingdom as well.’

Valentino started to share the results of that meeting.

“The Caro Kingdom with me, Valentino, as its representative has chosen to accept
crown prince Alberu Crossman and our savior, young master Cale's request.”
 The thing that Alberu and Cale had asked for.

“We will overlook your battle against the White Star in the Land of Death. Also-”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing to speak.

"We will not involve ourselves in it either. We will not enter the battlefield on our own
accord.”

This was a battle that was happening in the Caro Kingdom's territory. In addition, the
White Star was their bitter enemy. That was why Alberu and Cale's request for the
Caro Kingdom to not get involved in the battle in any way was hurtful to their pride
and a big embarrassment.

This was because telling them not to get involved was saying…

‘…It means our kingdom's forces are not helpful at all in their fight against this White
Star.’

Valentino felt bitter that the Caro Kingdom's strength was this useless.

“Furthermore, we will approve of the Dark Elves and the Roan Kingdom’s forces
coming and going through the Caro Kingdom for this battle.”

The position of a ruler who had to allow foreign forces to come and go for a battle
happening in his own territory… Valentino could not smile at all.

“Your highness.”

He forced himself to smile after hearing Cale calling out to him and quickly added on.

“Thank you. I heard that this White Star is very strong. I heard about the black mages
who follow him as well, so I want to thank you on behalf of our entire kingdom for
stepping up to fight against them.”

Cale quietly listened to Valentino's words and observed his expression.

 Mm, human! Isn’t the truth that we called the White Star to the Land of Death?

He heard Raon's voice in his mind.

As Raon mentioned, Cale was the one who led the White Star to the Land of Death. He
naturally hid that fact from the Caro Kingdom.

Otherwise, the Caro Kingdom would not cooperate with Cale and the Roan Kingdom
and would instead point their blades toward them.

‘Of course, the White Star would eventually stop by the Caro Kingdom even if I didn't
lead him here.’

The White Star believed the final earth attribute ancient power was located in the Caro
Kingdom's southern region, the land of the Whale tribe, or the Roan Kingdom's western
region.

Cale felt a bit sorry for Valentino who was trying his hardest to smile but could not
hide his bitterness. However, there was nothing he could do about it. He suddenly
recalled what Alberu had said about this operation.

‘Why are you thinking about the Caro Kingdom’s feelings? If you think about it, we are
the ones who are suffering. Well, you guys, not me. You guys, my aunt, and the Dark
Elves.’

Alberu was certain about something.

‘Crown prince Valentino and the crown might be upset. However, their pride is not
more important than the lives of the Caro Kingdom's citizens. I'm sure he'll thank you.’

Valentino was thanking Cale as Alberu had suspected.

He meant it. That was why Cale was honest back.

“Your highness, thank you for granting our request.”

Valentino smiled in a slightly more relaxed way with Cale thanking him as Cale Henituse
and not as the crown prince's representative.

"No. You are truly a hero for what you are doing.”

Cale’s expression shook for a moment but Valentino continued to share his honest
sentiments.

“Honestly speaking, what wealth or fame do you have to gain by fighting in the Caro
Kingdom? It’s just trouble for you and your peers.”

Valentino's gaze was full of warmth as he looked toward Choi Han and Cale. At the
same time, he felt bitter that his kingdom had nobody who could help out these heroes.
It was at that moment.

“If you think this is difficult…”

Valentino looked toward Cale who was speaking.

“Please help us next time. I believe it will be much better if the Caro Kingdom fights
with us.”

“…Help you next time?”

“Yes, your highness, is it an unreasonable request?”

Valentino slowly started to smile while looking into Cale’s calm and confident gaze.
That forced smile had disappeared.

“Absolutely not. It is not unreasonable at all. The Caro Kingdom will fight beside you
next time.”

“Thank you. I will trust that to be the case.”

A hero, a person who was becoming a hero, requested for them to fight by his side next
time.
That fact alone was enough for Valentino to draw out the Caro Kingdom's future. It
was because Cale’s voice and gaze were full of confidence that he would fight alongside
the Caro Kingdom next time.

‘That means he believes that our kingdom will become stronger.’

Valentino who had been feeling bitter and upset that they had to continue to receive
help from others since the battle against the Indomitable Alliance now had a strong
determination in his mind. He opened his shoulders up slightly wider than earlier as
he continued to speak.

“Ahem, anyway, I will grant you everything you wished for, but we cannot sit around
and do nothing.”
 “Of course. I understand.”

Valentino raised his hand once Cale accepted. One of the knights walked over to the
only window in the reception room.

The large window was soon opened.

Clang.

Once the window opened…

“This is the top floor of the tallest building in this city.”

Cale's gaze headed out the window.

 Human! Isn’t that the Land of Death in the distance? It’s good girl Mary's neighborhood!

They could faintly see the forest covered in red sand in the distance.

“I plan on staying here in Young-en with the Caro Kingdom's Royal Knights Brigade
and the Royal Mages.”

Young-en.
It was a city slightly away from the Dubori territory that touched the Land of Death,
and the most developed city in the area.

“Should the White Star and his subordinates damage the Dubori territory or injure the
Caro Kingdom's citizens…!”

Valentino raised his voice.

“I will take the Knights Brigade and the mages and immediately start to fight against
the White Star.”

He would fight if the White Star bothered the citizens. Cale nodded his head at that
statement.

“That is completely understandable, your highness.”

 “Good.”

Silence filled the room for a moment.

This short silence had naturally happened because they had just made a large decision.
Valentino soon broke the silence.

“I hope that you return safely without getting injured. I cannot forget the powerful
image of the Dark Elves cutting through the Land of Death. It was amazing.”

Valentino was saying things to cheer Cale on and Cale bowed to thank him.

 Human! The Dark Elves are originally from the Land of Death! I feel bad for the crown
prince who knows nothing!

Cale ignored Raon’s comments as he started to speak.

“Your highness, I must be on my way now.”

“Sure.”

He looked toward Valentino who was getting up and recalled a conversation he had
with him in the past. Cale had talked to Valentino about the Land of Death during the
battle at Caro Kingdom.

“Your highness, do you know the story of people running away into the Land of Death?”

Cale had shared the truth with the clueless Valentino.

‘They choose to head into the desert because it is difficult to survive in the territory
due to the high tax rates. They run away to this desert that nobody is said to return
from.’

‘What? To the Land of Death? And did you say the citizens are running away because
of high tax rates?’

Crown prince Valentino had been shocked to learn about this. He seemed to have been
angry after hearing about it.

Peace then returned to the Caro Kingdom after the war.

Cale recalled what Tasha told him this morning.
‘The taxes? It's the same as before. There are still people climbing the walls and
escaping to the desert. They said the taxes keep going up. They said that they could
not survive in the Dubori territory.’

Crown prince Valentino was a very humane person. That made him a good person, but
it also made him a bad crown prince at times.

‘The Dubori lord's cousin is extremely influential in the central politics. Apparently, he
is one of crown prince Valentino's strongest supporters. That’s probably why it is
difficult for crown prince Valentino to say anything to the Dubori lord about the taxes.’

Tasha had smiled as she said that.

‘Young master-nim, do you know what would happen if the Caro Kingdom finds out
about the Underground City? The fact that they would say the Dark Elves are part of
their forces is not an issue.’

The Dark Elves strongly emphasized that the Caro Kingdom could not find out about
the Underground City during this battle.

‘Do you know what the biggest problem would be? If the Caro Kingdom's people found
the citizens who ran away because they could not pay the taxes… They would be
severely punished following the laws of the kingdom. Then they would have to return
to their original territory.’

The Caro Kingdom handed severe punishments to people who ran away to not pay
taxes. Those people would also need to pay the taxes in addition to extra penalty
amounts.

‘Well, crown prince Valentino might leave the people who ran away alone, but I don't
know. I can't be sure about that. I can't tell whether that crown prince is a good person
or a bad person.’

‘Young master-nim, our Underground City is not something the Caro Kingdom created.
It is our land that our residents created.’

A city where Dark Elves and humans lived in harmony. Those people did not want their
home to ever be revealed to the outside world.

“Young master Cale.”

 “Yes, your highness.”

Valentino reached his hand out.

“You will be victorious. The Roan Kingdom has that formidable necromancer, the
youngest sword master next to you, and you, young master Cale, so what would it fear?”

Cale grabbed his hand.

 That's not true! Mary’s hometown is here!

‘I know, right?’

That formidable necromancer had stepped onto the Land of Death and even managed
to overcome death. Cale thought about the numerous people like Mary who ran across
the desert without being able to look back as well as this crown prince who brought
the Knights Brigade and mages to protect his citizens before starting to speak.

“Yes sir, there is nothing for us to fear.”

Cale let go of the hand first.

“None of the citizens will get hurt.”

‘We just need to do what we can do.’

That was the method Cale, someone who was selfish and had a pretty bad personality,
came up with for ‘us’ to protect ‘us.’

“Then I will be on my way now.”

“Of course. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help-”

Valentino could not finish his sentence.

Boooom!

The reception room’s floor started to shake.

 “Your highness!”

The knight supported the stumbling Valentino and surrounded him to protect him.

 Human!

He could hear Raon's shocked voice. Choi Han supported the stumbling Cale.

“Cale-nim.”

“…This motherf*cking…”

Some rough choice of words came out of Cale’s mouth. He had unintentionally said
those things. However, there was nobody who was throwing a fit for Cale saying such
things in front of the crown prince.

"What was that?”

Valentino's gaze was focused outside the large window without moving.

The large desert in the southwest region of the Caro Kingdom. The place called the
Land of Death. The vast and depressing land that appeared once someone left Young-
en and passed through the Dubori territory…

Boom!

The reception room, no, the ground shook violently once more. Valentino continued
to look outside the window toward the desert as he started to speak.

“…Isn’t that fire?”

The land that was covered in red sand during the day and black sand during the night…
There was a large fire shooting up from that area.

 Human! We got a call from the gentle Tasha!

Cale sighed. He was certain that that bastard had caused the fire.

“…They struck first.”

 The White Star struck first. There was still about a day and a half remaining before the
dead mana smoke would appear in the desert.

“I will be heading out first.”

“R, right! Hurry over!”

Cale urgently rushed out of the reception room. He could not have Raon teleport them
in front of Valentino and the others. He confirmed nobody was in the hallway before
quickly giving Raon the order.

"Raon, the video communication device please.”

 Alright!

Cale didn’t need to worry about being seen by anyone as Valentino had emptied out
the top floor for his meeting with Cale.

Ooooooooong.

The video communication device appeared in the air and landed in Cale’s hand as it
connected.

Boom! Boom!

The ground continued to shake.

“Such rumbling.”

Cale couldn't even respond to Choi Han's statement. How big of an issue must be going
on in the desert for the rumbling to be felt all the way here?

 Young master-nim.

Cale quickly started to speak after hearing Tasha’s voice.

“Is the city okay? What is up with this sudden fire?”

Cale was thinking that it was good that the residents of the Underground City had
already evacuated because of the dead mana as he asked.
 “The rumbling is so strong, the city shouldn't crumble, right?”

 What are you talking about?

“Huh?”

His quick steps stopped moving.

 What do you mean by fire or rumbling? It is quiet over here.

“…What?”

Cale could see the confused Tasha on the other side of the screen. He raised his head
and saw Choi Han looking just as confused.

 I contacted you to see when you would be heading over. I was going to go to meet you
outside.

Cale listened to Tasha's calm voice before asking Choi Han a question.

“…Hey, you see that fire outside, right?”

“…Yes, Cale-nim.”

“What is that? What is that fire?”

What was this fire that was covering the desert?

Cale started to frown.
 Are you saying that you can see fire above the desert right now?

Choi Han responded instead of Cale to Tasha who asked after somewhat realizing what
was going on.

“Yes. We see a fire that is covering the desert. Any time now-”

Choi Han stopped for a moment before continuing.

“This large fire looks like it would pass the desert, the Dubori territory, and even cover
Young-en city any time now.”

“…Something is weird.”

Choi Han looked toward Cale. Cale handed the video communication device to Choi
Han before giving Raon an order.

“Flight magic please. I need to see what is going on outside.”

Cale quickly moved toward the window at the end of the hallway.

Click.

The window was opened wide and Cale immediately jumped out the window.
Choi Han followed behind him.

Ooooooong-

Choi Han and Cale’s bodies did not fall to the ground. They floated up instead.

 I really am great and mighty!

The two people who were floating up with Raon’s flight magic could properly see the
entire Young-en city now.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing- Wiiiiiiiiiiiiing-

The alarm ringing through the city pierced Cale’s ears.

“What a mess.”

The entire city was in chaos as Choi Han mentioned. People were busy running around
with chaos in their eyes.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“Is it an earthquake?”

Boooom!

The ground shook once more.

“Ahhh! All my fruits spilled!”

“Grab the display stand!”

The merchants were busy holding onto their goods while the people who were
running stopped and curled their bodies forward as they looked around.

“The desert! There’s a large fire covering the Land of Death! Is that fire the reason for
the ground shaking?”

“Is that fire going to reach our city too?”

Cale quickly took a robe out and covered himself from head to toe before heading
down. He landed in a spot with fewer people as he looked around. The golden top's
whip was in his hand.

Boom.

Once the ground shook again…

“Go look into it.”

 ‘Okay! Just wait, I’ll be back soon!’

‘…Rumbling, chaos, destruction. Will find out. And you must go meet with World Tree-
nim. Baby Fire Elemental also waiting for you.’

Two Wind Elementals left Cale’s side.

“Cale-nim!”

Cale, who turned his gaze after hearing Choi Han’s voice, saw Choi Han with his hand
on the ground and eyes closed. He soon opened his eyes and looked toward Cale.

“The rumbling is coming from the west.”

The west. That was where the Land of Death desert was located.

 …Young master-nim, it really is fine here.

They could see the image Tasha was showing them through the video communication
device in Choi Han's hand at that moment.

It was the sight of a calm desert. The sand was red because it was day time, but forget
a fire, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

“It’s not the desert.”

If it was not the desert but the fire was coming from the West, then there was only one
explanation.

“It’s the Dubori territory.”

The White Star must be doing something there.

 Human! There’s an urgent call from crown prince Valentino!

Crown prince Valentino whom they had just said goodbye to was calling them.

“Tasha, don’t act rashly but stealthily go to the Dubori territory and see what’s going
on.”
 The Dubori territory?

“Yes. Be careful. Don't go near if it looks dangerous. It's possible…”

Cale stopped for a moment before continuing.

“It’s possible that the White Star may be in the Dubori territory.”

 I understand.

The call with Tasha ended and Cale moved to an alley with even fewer people and
looked into the video communication device in a shaded area. The video communication
device now had crown prince Valentino’s stiff face on it.

 Young master Cale.

His eyes were full of anger.

 I cannot contact the Dubori lord.

Something had happened in the Dubori territory and not the desert as he had expected.

 It looks like that White Star bastard has done something to the Dubori territory. In
that case, I cannot keep my promise anymore.

“Are you planning on sending the Knights Brigade and the mages to the Dubori territory?”

 Yes. I plan on moving with them as well.

“I understand. I will send our forces to the Land of Death for now as well.”

 I understand.

The call ended quickly.

“Cale-nim.”

“…I can’t understand what these bastards are thinking.”

Cale looked at Choi Han as he continued to speak.

 "Why? Why is the White Star dragging the Caro Kingdom into this?”

The picture in his head was the White Star, Cale, and their respective factions fighting
in the Land of Death. However, the White Star went against Cale's expectations and
made the Caro Kingdom make a move.

“Why is he expanding the playing field?”

An unknown sense of ominous feeling overwhelmed Cale. The White Star was not
someone who would make a move for no reason. So why was he doing this? He was
actually on the smarter side.

 Human! The rumbling has stopped!

The rumbling had stopped while Cale was thinking. They could no longer feel the
rumblings that were coming from the west. However, they could still see the fire in the
distance that was the size of a tall mountain.
Cale had an odd sense of dejavu as he looked at the fire. It was at that moment.

 Human! That fire reminds me of the fire in the Jungle!

“Ah.”

‘Yes, it does seem like that fire.’

It was shooting up in a similar shape to the fire that had covered Section 1 of the
Jungle. All fires might look similar, but for some odd reason, it gave off a similar feeling
to that fire.

 It feels like that fire from the Jungle has moved over to the desert!

‘Exactly.’

The Wind Elementals returned while Cale’s gaze was focused on the distant fire.

‘Cale! Cale! Big news! I learned something big!’

One Elemental quickly continued to speak in an excited voice.

‘I met this neighborhood’s Fire Elemental while I was moving around. It gave me some
 news!’

‘That fire, fake. Scam.’

‘Oh, come on! You can’t tell him the information I found out!’

I was also there. Anyway, that fire, fake.’

‘What?’

“Cale-nim, did you think of something? Your expression does not look good-”

“…That fire is fake?”

“Excuse me?”

Cale looked at Choi Han’s face which was as chaotic as his own as he focused on the
Wind Elementals’ voices.

‘The Fire Elemental said that isn’t a real fire! It’s fake! It doesn’t feel any presence of
fire coming from it! It was even laughing at the humans who were running away in
shock! That Elemental’s personality was quite odd. Right?’

‘Agreed, odd, necessary to determine fake fire’s true identity.’

Cale opened his mouth to speak.

“Let’s move right away.”

"Are we going to Tasha-nim?”

“No.”

 Then where are we going?

"Dubori.”

The Dubori territory.

“I think we need to go there. We need to go see what the White Star is doing.”
He had a bad feeling about this.
Cale felt that they would make a big mistake if they did not determine the true identity
of that fire right now.

Ooooooong-

The light covering Cale, Choi Han, and Raon flashed in the shaded alley before they
were surrounded by the teleportation magic circle. Cale looked at the light surrounding
him as he organized his thoughts.

‘First, we will go to the Dubori territory and figure out what is going-’

However, he could not finish his thoughts. The moment they were surrounded in a
bright light and were about to teleport…

“Ugh!”

Cale suddenly felt as if he could not breathe.

“What the hell!”

His body felt as if he had rammed into a large wall. The bright light twisted in an instant
and Cale felt as if his world was flipping over.

“Ugh!”

Cale covered his eyes and fell to the ground.

“Mm!”

He heard Choi Han groan next to him. Cale looked down at his body. Forget a wall, his
outfit looked fine as if nothing had happened, but he could see his body slightly shaking.

Chhhhhh-

The light from the teleportation magic circle instantly disappeared.

“Ugh!”

Cale urgently reached his hands out after hearing a child’s groan.
“Raon!”

Raon was no longer invisible and his floating body started to fall. Cale quickly grabbed
Raon but staggered from the weight.

"Are you okay?”

Thankfully, Choi Han grabbed both Cale and Raon so that nobody fell. Cale observed
Raon's body without being able to respond to Choi Han’s question.
His small yet chubby front paws were shaking and the black mana surrounding Raon
was rumbling like sand falling through someone's hands. His inner eyelids were also
shaking as if he had received a shock.

“Raon?”

“…Human.”

Raon slowly opened his eyes and started to speak after hearing Cale's voice.

“I can't teleport to the Dubori territory!”

Raon urgently continued to speak with his round eyes once his paws and mana
stopped shaking.

“I set the coordinates and tried to teleport, but the mana from that side came back
twisted!”

“…The mana was twisted?”

“That’s right!”

Raon quickly moved out of Cale’s arms and looked down at his paws as he continued
to speak.

“My magic was accurate and the coordinates were correct! My mana is normal too!
But on that side, the mana coming from the Dubori territory was not normal! That is
why we couldn't teleport and it failed as if we were stopped by a wall!”

Cale recalled feeling like he had slammed into a wall.

‘…What the hell is going on in the Dubori territory?
He couldn't teleport there?’

“Human! I experienced something like this when I was four years old!”

“What? 4 years old?”

‘2 years ago?’

“That’s right! Remember the time when the mana disturbance tools were used in
Huiss, the Roan Kingdom’s capital?”

“Ah.”

Cale let out a gasp. That was the first time he used the Indestructible Shield. Cale's
group had used the mana disturbance tools to prevent the magic bombs in the plaza
from exploding.

‘In that case… ’

Cale shared his thoughts out loud.

“Raon, does that mean the Dubori territory is in a state of mana disturbance right
now?”

“That’s right! It is a much stronger mana disturbance than the tools I experienced
when I was four years old! That is why the mana is twisted and the teleportation was
blocked!”

Raon quickly rambled as if he was agitated.

“Cale nim, this- Isn't this a serious situation?”

Choi Han hesitated before continuing to speak.

“Isn’t the Dubori territory like rats in a jar right now?”

They needed to teleport to the nearby areas if they could not teleport into the Dubori
territory. This meant that it was also significantly more difficult for crown prince
Valentino to lead the Knights Brigade and the mages into the Dubori territory.
They had no idea what the White Star would do during that time. These were the
bastards who had no problem throwing their own soldiers into the dead mana pool!

The Dubori territory's residents were in danger. Cale started to frown.

‘Should I not have led the White Star into the Land of Death?’

The Dubori territory would not be in such a situation had he not done that. Cale
recalled a similar moment in his past. It was a time when something he did had caused
the situation to worsen. Yes, he was thinking about that time.

Cale’s mind started to become complicated.

“Cale-nim.”

Cale heard a voice capture his attention at that moment. It was a calm but cold voice.

“Just like how it wasn’t a mistake to anticipate that a Grade 1 monster would appear…”

It wasn’t a mistake for Kim Rok Soo to anticipate a Grade 1 monster would appear and
lead his teammates over there.

“This situation isn't your fault either.”

Cale looked toward Choi Han. He felt as if he could see Choi Jung Soo and team leader
Lee Soo Hyuk standing behind Choi Han.

“Most importantly, we have not even started to fight yet. I don't think it is necessary at
all to imagine potential negative results before we even fight.”

Cale could calmly organize his thoughts after hearing these words Choi Han delivered
with a smile. Choi Han looked at Cale's expression that was the same as usual as he
continued to speak.

"Cale-nim, if that side is in a state of mana disturbance…”

“Ah.”

Something flashed through Cale's mind at that moment. He started to speak and
finished Choi Han’s sentence for him.
 “That side can’t use magic either. The dead mana used in black magic is still mana, so
they should not be able to use it if the area is under mana disturbance.”

“That’s right! Human! They might be able to use black mana during mana disturbance,
but if they used dead mana incorrectly when the entire Dubori territory is under mana
disturbance, there is a high chance of the disturbed mana and dead mana clashing
against each other and harming the black mages!”

Raon then added on.

“Either gramps or I need to be there for this level of disturbance! Ah, Rosalyn too!”

"Cale-nim, they can't use black magic. That means that the black mages cannot use
black magic to control the golems either.”

Cale quickly organized a situation in his mind.

“Raon, we will move as close to the Dubori territory as possible. Pick the closest
coordinates other than the Land of Death.”

“I got it. Human!”

Ooooooong-
The teleportation magic circle quickly started to glow. A bright light soon covered the
three individuals.

 Human! There is no mana disturbance outside the Dubori territory as expected!

Cale listened to Raon's voice as he opened his eyes.

 This is the mountain right outside the Dubori territory! You can look down at the
territory and the Land of Death from here!

Cale looked down from the dark area inside the shade of a large boulder located on
top of this rough boulder mountain without many trees.

The west. He could see the Dubori territory and the desert with the large fire behind
it. The desert was still burning as he expected.

“…Human, doesn’t it look odd inside the territory?”

 "Cale-nim, the people in the territory- look the same as always.”

Cale could see the peaceful situation inside the Dubori territory with people working
and laughing as usual. The Dubori territory was not as large as the Henituse territory,
so Cale was able to easily see what was going on in the small territory that only
consisted of a small city with the Lord’s Castle and a small area around it.

A sense of dejavu overwhelmed Cale again.

‘It’s chaos outside but why are the Dubori territory and the desert calm?’

It was at that moment.

Beeeeeep- Beeeeeeep-

The video communication device in Choi Han's hand was ringing again. It was Dark Elf
Tasha.

“Tasha.”

 Young master-nim! I’m transferring you to the Mayor-nim!

‘The mayor? Dark Elf Mayor Obante?’

Cale looked down at the person who appeared on the video communication device.

 Young master Cale-nim, it has been a while.

The Dark Elf with a long white beard looked at Cale before getting to the point.

 The humans who survived with dead mana in the Western continent became
necromancers or black mages. However, there are a couple of different occupations
for people in the Eastern continent who managed to survive being poisoned with dead
mana.

At first, Cale wondered what the hell he was talking about. However, the Dark Elf who
had lived for over 500 years had years of experience and knowledge, contacting him
because he knew exactly what Cale needed.

 Cale-nim, do you know about the Illusionists?

 “…Illusionists?”

 They are the ones with rare abilities similar to the shamans of the Eastern continent.
They are able to show illusions, or fake things, to the living. They use their powers
similar to how shamans use their powers.

Obante continued to speak as if he was almost certain.

 If it was not made with magic, then I suspect that this fake fire is an illusion they
created. Didn't the White Star come from the East?

Choi Han and Raon could see Cale smiling at that moment.

"Raon, contact Gashan.”

The shaman Gashan, the leader of the Tiger tribe and someone who controlled crows.

“Tell him to come to the desert right away.”

He needed him. Furthermore, Cale gave another order to his allies who were watching
this situation with him.

“Find the Illusionist. Asap.”

The golden top's whip shined under the sunlight. A breeze brushed past Cale and
headed to the Dubori territory.
 Brown hair fluttered in the wind. A country farmhouse on the outskirts of the Dubori
territory. It was near the desert, but plants still grew decently here.

Shaaaaaaaaaaa-

However, there were also barren areas that people didn’t touch.

Shaaaaaaaaaaa-

A strand of wind was passing through one of those areas. The owner of the fluttering
brown hair reached his hand to lower his ivory-colored hood. It covered his brown
hair.

 Human! The mana disturbance is getting worse the closer we get!

Cale bit down on his lips.

“Cale-nim.”

Choi Han who had light beige-colored hair was running with him.

“We are increasing our speed.”

Swoooooooosh-

The Sound of the Wind coming out of Cale's hand surrounded Cale and Choi Han
whose hairs were dyed with magic, as well as the invisible Raon and increased their
speed.

 Human! I see the central small city over there!

Cale looked toward the small city with the Lord’s castle. It was the location with the
entrance to the Land of Death.
 The mana disturbance is getting worse the closer we get to it!

That meant that that was where the White Star or whatever the White Star did was
located.

‘That’s also where that illusionist or whatever is as well.’

He was holding onto the golden top's whip, but had not heard anything yet. Cale was
rational but slightly rushed as he headed down the mountain and toward the Dubori
territory.

Swoooooooosh-

That sense of urgency raised the speed of the wind surrounding the two humans and
one Dragon.

‘Now about 600 meters.’

They were about 600 meters away from the wall surrounding the small city. They
would soon be able to jump over the wall.

"We will jump over the wall as effectively as possible.”

Cale gave the order to Raon and Choi Han before starting to observe the soldiers on
top of the wall.

‘The citizens on our way here, as well as the soldiers over there, they all seem fine.’

They were too relaxed to be acting and the soldiers seemed to be their usual relaxed
and lethargic selves who wanted to slack off if possible. There was no sense of urgency
nor anxiety coming from them.

‘And surprisingly… ’

Cale's gaze headed far to the West.

‘We can't see the fire as soon as we entered the boundaries of the territory.’

The fire surrounding the Land of Death was not visible anymore.
‘Is all of this just an illusion?’

The Illusionist.
He didn't know who the Illusionist was, but if this was all the work of the Illusionist,
then that person was extremely strong. Cale was getting a headache because of this
new enemy but continued to press forward.

‘Now about 500 meters!’

They would soon arrive at the central location of this incident.

“Ugh!”

It was at that moment. Cale stopped moving.

“…Raon?”

He heard a child’s groan in the air. Cale's eyes urgently moved toward the empty air.
He saw a spot that was warping.

Crackle, crackle.

A spot in the air was warping similar to the ripples created by a rock that had landed
in a lake and Raon’s body appeared and disappeared back and forth.

“What's wrong?”

Cale became anxious seeing Raon like this while Choi Han reached out and hugged
Raon before they quickly moved to a blind spot where the soldiers on the walls would
not be able to see them.
Cale was following behind Choi Han when Choi Han reached one hand toward him.

“Hey, why are your hands shaking?”

Choi Han’s hand in front of him was shaking.

“One moment please.”

Choi Han asked Cale for a moment before laying Raon down on a soft patch of grass.
Crackle, crackle.

Raon’s body was still glitching, making Choi Han gently speak to Raon.

“Remove your invisibility magic.”

“I, I don't want to! The great and mighty Raon Miru cannot lose!”

He was stuttering a bit, but Raon sounded better than Cale expected. Raon curled his
body and channeled more black mana.

Pat.

Someone placed their hand on Raon's back.

“Raon, cancel the spell.”

“…Fine. Human.”

Cale’s hand and his stern voice made Raon grumble as he canceled the spell. The
crackling noise disappeared and Raon appeared in front of them while pouting. Cale
noticed that Raon’s front paws were still shaking.

“Is it because of the mana disturbance?”

Cale asked about Raon’s condition and Choi Han responded.

“Please look at my hand.”

Choi Han’s hand was still shaking.

“I mainly use aura, but I am able to feel a decent amount of mana after reaching this
stage. Cale-nim, you and the civilians who don’t use mana or aura might not notice
anything right now, but…”

Squeeze.

Choi Han clenched and then unclenched his fists. The shaking instantly disappeared.

“The mana in the air is extremely chaotic right now. It is to the point that the shaking
of the mana can be felt by a swordsman like me.”

His gaze headed toward Raon.

“I'm sure it is terrible for Raon and others who use magic.”

The soldiers on the walls, the residents of the territory, and Cale were fine because
they could not feel mana. Cale looked toward Raon as well while Raon stretched his
wings open and confidently shouted.

“N, no! The great and mighty Raon Miru’s front paws do not shake because of mana
disturbance like this!”

It’d be one thing if he wasn't stuttering, but this young Dragon was not good at lying
to Cale. He turned his gaze toward the city walls.

“It looks like that mana disturbance is getting especially bad starting from about 500
meters away from the city walls.”

“That is correct. I believe the mana would be even more chaotic once we enter past
the city walls.”

Cale and Choi Han looked at each other before they both looked toward Raon at the
same time. Raon urgently shouted as soon as he met their gazes.

“I'm going in with you! I am great and mighty! I’m going to do it too!”

He then shrugged his shoulders and timidly added on after seeing Choi Han and Cale’s
gazes.

“…I understand. The not great and mighty Raon Miru will be waiting outside. I alone
will be here unable to do anything. I am… not… great and mighty……”

Choi Han felt bad about this, but they could not enter into the city with Raon who could
not maintain his invisibility and would continue to struggle because of the mana
disturbance.

‘It probably feels like he's extremely carsick.’

Choi Han was able to estimate the pain Raon was feeling while using magic right now.
‘…Anyway, this is bad.’

The fact that they could not enter with Raon would make things quite difficult for
Cale’s group. They would not be able to avoid the enemies’ gazes by being invisible
nor would they be able to teleport away if they ended up in danger.

‘But it's not like we can just not go in there.’

Cale's voice reached the still mumbling Raon's ears as Choi Han’s mind started to get
complicated.

“To lose to this stupid mana disturbance… I am not great and mighty… Even gramps
or Rosalyn cannot overcome this level of mana disturbance… This is not possible…
This is closer to mana chaos than mana disturbance… For I, the great and might Raon
Miru to be unable to do anything… This is shocking.”

“What do you mean you can't do anything?”

Raon’s head quickly jerked toward Cale. Cale stood in front of the no longer invisible
Raon and looked at his hair and Choi Han's hair. Raon’s magic was not completely
undone. The dye magic was being maintained.

“The dye magic is still working?”

“Of course! I am great and mighty! I can maintain at least one type of magic!”

“Is that so?”

“…Human! Why are you laughing like that again?”

Cale did not answer Raon's question and nudged Choi Han’s shoulder.

“Let’s climb over the wall. We have a lot of things to do.”

The person with the lowered ivory hood looked around in a shaded part of the alley.

“Cale-nim.”
“Quiet.”

Cale shushed Choi Han before recording everything outside with a sharp gaze.

“The Lord’s Castle is over there.”

They had not noticed anything out of the ordinary during their trip to this alley from
the city walls. Everything was the same as the Dubori territory he visited last time.
However…

“Yes, that does seem to be the Lord’s Castle. But we did not see any knights or mages
on our way here.”

They had seen some Dubori soldiers but had not seen any of the Dubori knights.

“What do you think?”

“I think the Lord’s Castle is the center of the mana disturbance.”

Choi Han and Cale were hiding in the shadows of the alley as they focused their gazes
on the Dubori Lord’s Castle.

The greed of the Dubori Lord who was famous for being so cruel that the residents
would rather escape to the desert was probably the reason the Lord’s Castle was quite
large and decorated with luxurious sculptures for a territory this size.

“Cale nim, something is weird. We didn’t see anyone on the way here, but at the Lord’s
Castle entrance and the desert entrance-”

“I know.”

Cale's gaze headed toward the west. There were more soldiers than usual at the desert
entrance. It was the same for the Lord’s Castle entrance as well. They still did not see
any knights, but they saw soldiers who seemed to be trained better than the Dubori
territory's soldiers.

Who could these soldiers be? The answer was easy to guess.

“It looks like the White Star’s subordinates are disguised as soldiers.”
“That’s right.”

Cale agreed with Choi Han’s deduction and raised his head. The group of soldiers who
were standing at the desert entrance started to head toward the street in front of
where Cale and Choi Han were hiding.

“They're coming.”

Tap.

Cale and Choi Han's location changed instantly. Cale, whose physical strength was
significantly lacking compared to Choi Han and those soldiers, hid in the shadows as
if he was crumpling his body since he had no stealth abilities.

‘Damn it!’

He had to hide in such an embarrassing fashion every time the soldiers passed by since
he didn’t have Raon to cast invisibility. Choi Han had his hand on his scabbard and
lowered his breathing as he observed the soldiers.

Approximately ten soldiers were slowly getting closer.

“Hmm?”

Some of them stopped walking.

“What the…?”

“Huh?”

The soldiers all looked toward one spot. Their gazes moved toward an alley they were
passing.
They saw something black. One of the soldiers tightened their grip around their spear.

Caw, caw.
Caw, caw.

“Where did these crows suddenly come from?”

“Ah, I was shocked because I saw something black.”

A few crows who suddenly appeared in the clear sky circled the soldiers’ heads. One
or two landed on the stone wall at the edge of the alley while the other few started to
fly in different directions.

A soldier who watched one of the crows on the wall clean itself snorted before releasing
his grip on his spear.

“I guess there’s some rotten food in that alley.”

“Must be. There’s probably a dead animal or something. Last time it was eagles, now
it is crows.”

“But aren't crows better than eagles?”

“That is true.”

“Ahem, hem! Everybody, focus!”

The chatting soldiers shut up and stood up straight after hearing the veteran start to
speak.

“There will be a luxurious feast today for the esteemed guests of the Lord-nim! It’ll be
chaotic until night time, so everybody needs to focus!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes, captain!”

The ten soldiers quickly headed toward the Lord’s Castle.

Caw. Caw.

The crow on the wall cawed as it watched them before one of the crows that flew away
returned and descended into the alley.

In a shaded part of the alley… The crow landed on the crouching person's shoulder.

“Cale-nim.”
A familiar voice instead of a caw came out of the crow's mouth. Cale started to smile
and his gaze headed toward the crow on his shoulder.

“I met with Raon-nim.”

“Gashan, it's been a while.”

The Tiger shaman Gashan's crows had flown into the territory and finally reached Cale.

“I heard about the Illusionist.”

A breeze brushed past Cale’s cheek as he was listening to the imposing old man's voice.
Cale tightly grabbed the golden top's whip.

“Based on what I saw through the crows, it is indeed an illusion.”

“How do we break the illusion?”

Cale asked as he stood up. Cale and Choi Han made eye contact.
They had heard the soldiers’ discussion just now.

‘There will be a luxurious feast today for the esteemed guests of the Lord-nim!’

Choi Han started to speak.

“Those esteemed guests are probably the people we are looking for.”

They then heard Gashan’s voice. The method to break an illusion.

“First, you must find the Illusionist. Cale-nim, shamans and illusionists use similar
methods. We do not use mana.”

Shaman.
The people called the mages of the Eastern continent were different than mages.

Caw, caw.

Cale could see crows slowly descending throughout the Dubori territory. The crow on
his shoulder continued to speak.
“Unlike mages, shamans directly use the power of nature. We need a medium to do
that.”

Shamans like Gashan used ingredients from nature as mediums to use the powers of
nature.

“Usually, we use things like staffs or talismans. Mysterious items from nature are the
best.”

"Are you saying that illusionists are the same?”

Hehe.

He could hear Gashan's laughter. Cale couldn't help but imagine the large white-haired
old man laughing viciously.

“Cale-nim, please find the Illusionist and that bastard's medium.”

At that moment…

‘Cale, Cale! I saw something weird inside the Lord’s Castle!’

‘Request to check the Lord’s Castle's basement, numerous pits discovered.’

‘Oh, come on! I was about to tell him!’

He heard the Wind Elementals’ voices. Gashan also continued to speak.

“And destroy them once you find them. Both the Illusionist and the medium.”

Caw. Caw.

The whispers of the Elementals continued as the crows cawed.

‘Anyway, there were a ton of rats inside the pits! They seemed to be creating paths
under this territory.’

‘Those pits are connected to paths throughout this small city's underground!’

‘The White Star's forces suspected to be inside the Lord’s Castle. Must break in and
destroy. Chaos, destruction, speed battle.’

Gashan resumed speaking again. Cale was recording both information at once.

“Ah, that Illusionist probably has an animal he controls like I do. So, please always be
aware of your surroundings. You never know where the enemy's ears may be.”

Cale started to speak.

“Choi Han, underground.”

Choi Han’s sword quickly stabbed down.

Slaaash!

The ground they were standing on was overturned.

Squeeeak, squeak.

Choi Han grabbed a rat from the overturned ground. The rat was not injured, but it
fainted the moment it made eye contact with Choi Han.

One Wind Elemental continued to speak as that happened.

‘There was a person standing in one of the pits in the Lord’s Castle's basement! He was
controlling the rats!’

That should be the Illusionist. Cale started to speak.

“They already found us.”

‘They know about Choi Han and me.’

Cale's stiff gaze headed toward the Lord’s Castle.

At that moment. The basement underneath the Dubori Lord’s Castle that had been
used as a prison was a mess with pits all around.
A person at the center of one of the pits opened his eyes and started to speak.
“They found me.”

“Really? It doesn’t matter.”

The White Star touched his mask as he spoke to the Illusionist.

“Either way, only Choi Han and Cale Henituse came into the territory. They don’t even
seem to have the young Dragon with them.”

“Yes, sir. It is as we expected. I confirmed Choi Han’s face as well, so it should be easy
to cast an illusion on him.”

The White Star looked at the rat that was peeking out of the pit. He thought about Cale
and Choi Han as he started to speak.

“They are rats in jars this time.”

The White Star had a satisfied smile on his face as things were going as he wished for
the first time in a long while.

Cale was silently smiling at that same moment.

The crow observed the fainted rat in Choi Han’s hand. The crow on Cale’s shoulder
approached the rat and thoroughly observed it.

“The Illusionist seems to control rats.”

Choi Han put the fainted rat down and picked his sword up again after hearing the
certainty in Gashan's voice.

Slaaaaash, slash!

The ground underneath the entire alley was flipped over. Choi Han frowned every time
he stabbed his sword into the ground. Once the sword stabbed a certain length into
the ground…

‘…There’s a path!’

He felt a small underground path that small animals such as rats would be able to
cross. Choi Han quickly flipped the ground over. He then raised his senses to become
as sensitive as possible.

Squeeak, squeak-

He then heard a quiet noise. Choi Han turned his head. Somewhere in the dark alley…
A shaded spot in the corner of the wall that even Choi Han who was hiding there had
ignored…

Squeeak, squeak, squeak!

Choi Han made eye contact with a rat that started to run away. He looked around at
the ground, the alley, on top of the wall, and then across the Dubori territory.

‘…We're on top of the White Star's palm!’

He had no idea where else those small rats might be hiding. He had no way of knowing
where they might be hiding and observing them.

‘Since when… since when were we being observed?’

Choi Han got goosebumps on his back.

Had they been observed by those rats as soon as they entered the Dubori territory?
Or were they being observed long before they even arrived at the territory?

‘The rumbling we felt in Young-en when we were meeting with crown prince Valentino.
Was that rumbling from the West we felt the Illusionist's doing as well?’

Choi Han had known the White Star was strong this whole time, but for some odd
reason, he had not been afraid of the White Star. He felt as if the White Star was an
enemy they could defeat at any moment.

‘Why did I have such thoughts?’

The White Star and his subordinates were not people they could look down upon.

The White Star had clashed with Choi Han and the others many times, but it had been
as if he had been hiding himself every time. The situation in the Mogoru was something
he did by making the Empire's people move.

But now, the White Star was revealing himself without hiding at all in the Caro
Kingdom’s Dubori territory. It felt as if the White Star’s power, influence, and abilities
were coming out of hiding and surrounding Choi Han.

‘…Shit.’

Choi Han finally started to feel a sense of danger.

‘I didn't think I’d only realize I was stuck in a spider web until after I was already stuck.’

Since they entered this small city with the Lord’s Castle, no, since they entered the
Dubori territory or even the Caro Kingdom, they had been caught in the White Star’s
web and had been moving on top of his palm.

Caw, caw.
Choi Han realized he could not hear anybody speaking through the crow's cawing.

‘Even Cale-nim is quiet.’

He felt the weight of this dangerous situation even more after seeing that both Gashan
and more importantly, Cale, were quiet. His gaze headed toward his silent liege.

“…Cale-nim?”

Choi Han could see the silently smiling Cale. His smiling gaze met Choi Han’s eyes. Choi
Han then realized why he had not been scared of the White Star until now. Every time
he was about to be shocked because of the White Star’s strength, there was someone
who was always smiling as if it was nothing.

“Choi Han, there's none left around us now, right?”

Choi Han closed his eyes after hearing Cale’s question. His sensitive swordsman’s
senses were activated again and he soon opened his eyes.

“There are no living creatures other than us here.”

The Illusionist's rats were nowhere to be found.

“Is that so?”

Cale then crouched down on the ground. The ground that Choi Han had overturned
earlier… Cale put his hand inside the now soft dirt.

Caw, caw.

A few crows surrounded Cale and Choi Han. Choi Han's eyes opened wide as this small
area outside the White Star's gaze was created.

The Western continent’s common language was being written on the ground.

<Choi Han, Gashan. They won't be able to see this.>

There were no rats nearby. That meant that they would not be able to read these words.

Shh.
Cale quickly erased the words he had just written. He then started to write something
else in the ground.

<Go call your friends over right away.>

‘Friends?’

The crow looked toward Cale in confusion but Cale shook his head. Choi Han also
looked confused but Cale kept on writing.

Go call your friends over right away. And then…

<Tell your friends in the desert about our situation.>

Choi Han started to move his hand.

<Cale-nim, who are you talking to?>

Who was Cale giving this order to? Cale looked at him and started to speak.

"The White Star used his head very well.”

Shhhhh.

The words on the ground were covered up once again.

“He created the fire with an illusion and made us rush here in shock. He separated
Raon and I with the mana disturbance and hid his ears throughout the city.”

Choi Han and his location, as well as Gashan's existence. They were all revealed to the
White Star.

However, Cale had something the White Star did not know about. Cale tightened his
grip around the golden top's whip.

‘Okay! We’ll be back soon!’

‘We’ll leave one punk with you. I think it’ll be better to leave this one by your side.’

‘Chaos, destruction. I stay here.’

A breeze brushed past Cale and rose into the air.

“Choi Han, you heard the soldiers earlier, right?”

The two of them made eye contact.

“Yes Cale-nim, I heard them.”

The soldiers had said the following.

‘There will be a luxurious feast today for the esteemed guests of the Lord-nim!’

“What are you planning on doing?”

He heard Gashan’s voice through the crow.

“First.”

Cale closed his mouth. He looked toward Choi Han. Cale started to write on the ground
again as Choi Han was about to question his gaze.

<Gashan, an Illusionist this strong can probably bewitch people easily, right?>

Cale confirmed the crow nodding its head before starting to write more things. The
crow read what Cale was writing before leaving Cale’s shoulder and flying up.

Caw, caw.

All of the crows left Cale’s side at once.

Shhhh.

Choi Han covered Cale's words with dirt in order to get rid of the evidence. Cale then
motioned toward a direction with his head and the two people stealthily started to
move.

They were heading toward the Lord’s Castle where the luxurious feast was to take
place.
 2

The Dubori territory. This was known as a terrible territory that nobody would visit
because it had the Land of Death, one of the Forbidden Regions, next to it.

“Ahahahaha! I never expected a day like this!"

A knight wearing a fancy suit instead of his armor raised his wine glass into the air.

Clang!

The glass clinked against a different glass in the air, making a clear noise.

“I agree. It’s nice to not have to stand guard for the first time in a long while! We also
get to wear these new suits!”

His subordinate knight was smiling while looking at his suit. He continued to touch
this new suit of his. There was a gold-plated badge with the Dubori crest on his outfit.

“Exactly! I don't know where the lord found such talented people to bring over.”

The knight agreed with his subordinate and took a sip of the wine. His eyes then peeked
toward the center of the hall.

He saw the people standing next to the useless and greedy lord who had no thoughts
about taking care of the territory. Today was the day they were celebrating these people
the lord had brought over a few days ago.

“Kaaaah, for such a dazzling feast to happen in the Dubori territory!”

It was a celebration that the knights, mages, and the territory's administrators all got
to enjoy! There were beautiful chandeliers, expensive wine, and food that was both
beautiful to look at and delicious to eat!

“Hehe, who knew we would get to enjoy such luxuries after guarding the entrance to
the Land of Death day after day?”

His subordinate nodded in agreement. These two were people who guarded the city
walls heading into the Land of Death.
“The Lord-nim seems extremely giving by calling everyone here to celebrate like this!”

The man who was listening to his subordinate knight let out a sigh.

‘The lord’s giving?’

“…It's not the Lord-nim but those new individuals who are very giving.”

The knight's eyes were filled with greed as he looked toward the three people standing
next to the lord.

These three had paid for this feast and had brought over the new soldiers and mages
to protect the territory.

‘…Why did such people come to the Dubori territory? I can’t understand what they
saw in the lord to want to serve him. Something is weird.’

Screeeech-

The knight covered his ear after hearing a sharp screech.

“Ugh.”

“Sir, what’s wrong?”

“No. It's nothing.”

The knight shook his head. The Dubori badge on his suit glowed red for a moment
before returning to normal. His eyes clouded over for a moment before returning to
normal as well.

“Sir, are you really okay?”

“Of course. Shouldn't we enjoy ourselves when such a grand welcome feast is taking
part in our territory? Kahahahahah!”

The questioning thoughts about the three individuals had disappeared from the
laughing knight’s mind. He picked up his wine glass.

Plop.
“Hmm?”

There were small rocks inside his wine glass. The knight frowned and looked up. He
could see the banquet hall's old ceiling that was covered by the beautiful chandelier.

“Tsk, they should replace the ceiling or something. There are things falling down.”

“I will get you a new one!”

The subordinate tactfully replaced the wine glass and the atmosphere became merry
again.

‘That scared me.’

The person hiding in the old ceiling curled his shoulders.

The other person who had created a small hole in the ceiling to look inside turned his
head and flinched.

‘Do it properly.’

The curled up Cale was looking at Choi Han with a vicious glare. Choi Han who had
made the hole erased his aura from his fingertip with an awkward smile.
Cale shook his head side to side as he mouthed silently. A small candle was flickering
in the darkness.

‘Choi Han, there are no rats, right?’

Choi Han nodded his head.

‘Yes, Cale-nim, there are no rats in the ceiling.’

“Haaaaa.”

Cale finally let out a sigh before stretching his legs out and sitting down.

‘These… rats!’

Cale was a mess. He looked completely dirty as he was covered in dust and dirt.
‘Who knew it would be this hard to move around while avoiding rats?!’

It had been difficult for Cale to infiltrate the Lord’s Castle while dodging the rats
throughout the Dubori territory.

‘Raon… He truly is great and mighty.’

Raon's invisibility would have allowed them to fly through the air or walk in freely.
Cale frowned as he recalled how he had to roll around in the dirt as the new employee
Kim Rok Soo for the first time in a long while. He started to frown even more while
looking at Choi Han.

‘…Why! How?!’

Choi Han was clean. Cale finally felt the difference between his physical abilities and
this strong swordsman.

Tap. Tap.

Choi Han tapped his shoulder and pointed toward the holes in the ceiling. There were
two holes and Cale held back his sigh as he laid on the ground again.
He then looked through one of the holes.

‘Ha!’

He almost scoffed in disbelief. A fancy feast. He could see people enjoying themselves.
Cale thought about the different rooms in the castle he passed by before getting here.

‘The video communication room, the magic research room, the military strategy room,
and the teleportation magic circle.’

They were all empty. Only black mages were walking through the castle.

‘No wonder they can't receive crown prince Valentino's calls and are so happy.’

All forms of communication had been cut while the area was surrounded in mana
disturbance, which probably meant that crown prince Valentino gave up on magic and
was probably rushing over here with the Knights Brigade.

“Okay, everybody raise your glasses!”

Cale could see the territory lord raise his glass through the small hole. The Dubori
Lord was sharing his happy sentiments.

“Today is a great day for our Dubori and the Dubori territory! Look over here! These
are the people who will help the Dubori territory develop to the next level!”

The lord pointed to three individuals.

‘Aigoo.’

Cale sighed.

“The White Star, the Bear King-”

The familiar white mask and the feeble-looking Bear King were smiling while wearing
fancy suits. Cale’s gaze turned sharp.

‘Is that person the Illusionist?’

A woman with short green hair was smiling while standing between the Bear King and
the White Star.

‘It’s not here.’

Cale started to frown.

‘…There's no staff, talisman, or anything!’

Unlike shaman Gashan, she did not have a staff. The woman who he assumed was the
Illusionist only had a wine glass in her hand.

‘…Did she leave the medium in the basement?’

Cale had not yet visited the basement that the Wind Elementals had mentioned. Not
only was it being heavily guarded, it would be complicated if the rats saw them.
Cale who was biting down on his lips saw the lord pointing to the White Star.

“Well then, Sir Barrow, why don’t you say a few words before we drink?!”

‘Barrow?’
Cale thought about the first Dragon Slayer Nelan Barrow. Cale thought it was funny
that the White Star who threw away the Dragon Slayer position to follow the path of
the ancient White Star was using that last name.

“Then I will say a few words.”

The White Star stepped forward. He raised his glass and looked around the hall. His
gaze slowly looked around before stopping somewhere. He then started to speak.

“Lord-nim, it looks like a rat has arrived.”

“What? What do you mean?!”

Two strands of light shot out from Bear King Sayeru's hands before the lord could
finish responding in shock.

Baaaaaang! Baaaaang!

The light arrows pierced through a spot in the ceiling where the chandelier was
hanging and exploded.

“Aaaaaah!”

“What the hell!”

The people covered their heads at the sudden situation and started to run from the
ceiling that was hit by the light arrow.

Screeech, boom!

One of the chandeliers fell to the ground.

“Huff, huff.”

“I, I'm alive.”

Everybody thankfully managed to escape and was busy calming themselves. It was at
that moment.

“There are two rats.”

There were two people descending onto the chandelier as the woman with short
green hair giddily spoke. It was a man with brown hair and a man with light beige hair.

“Ha, haha.”

The White Star laughed and took a step toward the chandelier.

“Cale Henituse, you look like a mess.”

Cale’s stiff face that was covered in dirt faced the White Star. Cale opened and closed
his mouth a few times before finally opening it and starting to speak.

“…How were you able to locate me so easily?”

Smirk.

The corners of the White Star’s lips under the mask happily went up while someone
else answered Cale’s question for him. Sayeru started to speak giddily.

“There are always a ton of rats in the ceiling no matter where you go. But why were
there no rats in this ceiling?”

He looked as if he was about to roll on the floor in laughter as he pointed toward Choi
Han and Cale.

“We left it empty for the two of you to hide there! Keke, kahahahaha!”

Sayeru’s loud laughter filled the hall. The White Star took another step toward Cale
and Choi Han.

Clang!

Choi Han took out his sword. The White Star looked at Choi Han for a moment before
looking back toward Cale and starting to speak.

“How does it feel to have been running around on top of my palm? I didn’t think you
would hide in the empty ceiling as we expected.”

It was at that moment.

“It's because I knew.”

Smirk.

The corners of Cale’s lips twisted up. The stiff expression had instantly disappeared.

“I hid in the ceiling because I knew you bastards intentionally left the ceiling empty.
Did you think I wouldn't even know that?”

“…What?”

The golden top's whip was in his hand.

‘We're here!’

‘We brought all of our friends who live in the desert!’

‘Chaos, destruction. Now begin.’

Cale could see the White Star's expression start to stiffen.

“…You hid there in purpose?”

“Correct.”

The moment he heard that confident response…

Baaaaaaaaaang! Baaaaang! Baaaaang! Baaaaaaaaaang!

They heard loud explosions around them.

“What the hell!”

“Where are these explosions coming from……?!”

The people in the hall looked toward the direction of the explosions. Outside the
banquet hall window… They all looked west. Cale turned his head as well.

“You're here.”
He heard the Wind Elementals’ voices.

‘We brought the Dark Elves contracted to our friends as well! We did good, right?’

The west.
There was a large fire and gusts of wind around the city walls with the gate toward
the Land of Death.
“I, it’s an attack!”

The Dubori territory lord’s eyes reflected the red fire. The fire that shot up past the
city walls looked like a large snake that could attack the city at any moment.

Cale made eye contact with the White Star at that moment.

Pfft.
The White Star’s lips twisted up as he laughed.

‘Huh?’

Cale’s pupils shook for a moment. The White Star’s expression turned calm as if the
anxiety he showed earlier was all just an act. Cale's mind quickly started to move after
confirming this.

He heard an angry voice at that moment.

“You, you dare-!”

The lord slowly started to walk toward a west-facing window. The moment his hand
touched the window…

Slam!

The window opened as the lord shouted in anger.

“They dare to attack my territory! What the hell are those?!”

He could see the fire and the nearby whirlwinds, but he did not see anybody who was
launching the attack.

“Aaaaaah!”
"W, what is that fire?!”

“It’s a curse! It's a disaster brought forth from the Land of Death!”

The residents of the small city who had returned home after a long day ran out of their
houses to scream about the fire or hide deep in their houses while shaking in fear. One
old man couldn't move his eyes away from the fire.

“I, it’s the grudges of those who ran away and died! Their anger finally came to destroy
this rotten territory!”

“Death, death is coming!”

The angry gazes of the people responding to the old man's words turned toward the
Lord’s Castle. However, their anger did not reach the lord in the Lord’s Castle.

“My land, you are aiming for my stuff?”

The lord’s eyes showed no fear toward the fire. The badge with the territory crest
hanging on his new suit glowed red.

"Sir Barrow!”

He quickly rushed toward the White Star.

“Immediately, bring the bastard who caused that fire to me immediately!”

“Lord-nim, but-”

The lord could see the awkward expression from the shape of the man's lips underneath
the white mask. That made the lord turn his gaze elsewhere.

“Knights, immediately arrest those two rat-like bastards who snuck into the hall!
Throw them in the underground prison!”

The lord was pointing toward Cale and Choi Han who were standing on the chandelier.

“You dare to disturb the feast of the owner of this Dubori territory!”
Tap, tap, tap.

The hall doors opened and the servants handed the swords they had taken earlier
back to the knights.

“These two bastards are definitely with those enemies outside!”

Clang! Clang!

The knights immediately drew their swords and surrounded Cale and Choi Han. Choi
Han turned toward Cale and noticed that Cale was slowly looking around the entire
hall.

‘Mm!’

Choi Han's eyes clouded over.

Shhh.

Cale undid the top button of his shirt. The lord approached the White Star with an
angry and confident expression as he did that.

“I knew it! Sir Barrow, you were right! There really were people aiming for our territory!”

“That is correct. Lord-nim, those people are the ones who snuck in while trying to take
over the Dubori territory.”

The White Star pointed his finger at Cale.

‘Ho! I did?’

Cale looked toward the White Star in shock, but the White Star didn't show any reaction.
Cale became nervous after seeing this reaction.

‘There’s definitely something else. That’s why he can be so calm.’

Cale's mind became even more complicated. He heard the lord’s voice at that moment.

“Sir Sayeru, use your holy light arrow to burn those bastards alive!”
“Yes sir, I will gladly follow the lord-nim’s will. We will punish these evil bastards.”

“Yes, yes! You are correct!”

Bear King Sayeru snickered as he threw a light arrow toward Cale and Choi Han. He
seemed as if he would die from laughter from Cale’s shocked gaze.
The now extremely confident lord shouted toward Cale and Choi Han in a mocking
tone.

“Put out that fire immediately if you bastards want to live!”

“But I don't want to.”

The surrounding knights and everyone in the hall closed their mouths in shock at that
moment. Their gazes headed toward the brown-haired man standing on the chandelier.

“…What did you just say……?”

He responded to the lord’s question again.

“ 'But I don't want to,’ is what I said.”

“Y, you damn arrogant bastard-! Put that fire out imme-”

“I don’t want to.”

Cale shrugged his shoulders and glared at the lord in a profane way that could not
compare to how he had looked at crown prince Alberu at any point so far.

“Why should I?”

“…What? You dare talk back-”

Swooooooosh-

Cale reached his hand out and wind came out of his hand and surrounded the lord.

“A, aaaahhh!”

His body shot up into the air. His new suit was turning into a mess. The lord reached
his hand out to the White Star in fear as if he had never been confident at all.

“Down, put me down! S, Sir Barrow! Help me down!”

The White Star looked toward the lord once before turning his gaze to Cale.

“I believe that fire is not magic?”

Cale had no issue nodding his head and agreeing to the White Star who was pointing
to the fire and whirlwinds outside the city walls.

“Correct. It’s my friends’ powers.”

To be more specific, it was the Wind Elementals next to Cale who had shared Cale's
message to the Elementals in the desert.

‘Wow! He said we are his friends? Hehe! It feels good hearing it straight from him!’

‘Hehe, chaos, destruction, and the friendship that grows between them.’

‘Honestly speaking, there isn’t much we did! The Dark Elves did most of it!’

The Elementals who had heard the message informed their contracted Dark Elves,
making them charge into the territory like this.

“Oh my, you truly are talented. How do you land such an unexpected hit like this?”

The White Star shook his head as if he had a headache.

"Sir Barrow, what are you doing? Get me down this instant! Now!”

The corner of the White Star’s lips went up after hearing the lord’s shout. He pointed
toward the lord as he continued to speak to Cale.

“But will your relationship with the Caro Kingdom be okay if you touch the lord? This
guy has quite the backing. Well, I do know you have a pretty good relationship with
crown prince Valentino.”

The White Star was looking at the lord as if he was looking at trash. This was someone
who only cared about himself and his belongings.
“This lord’s cousin is someone even crown prince Valentino cannot touch. He is
someone who controls the Caro Kingdom’s politics, so who would dare to help you? I
think even crown prince Valentino would turn a blind eye to this.”

“So what?”

“…What?”

Cale did not hide his rude gaze. Who cares if this lord had a strong backing?

‘My backing is Alberu Crossman.’

No matter how strong a Caro Kingdom’s noble might be, would he be as strong as the
future king of the Roan Kingdom that was now the strongest kingdom after the fall of
the Mogoru Empire? And most importantly.

Cale shrugged his shoulders and added on.

“It's fine. I'm sure crown prince Valentino will trust me.”

‘No, it’s more like he’ll do as I say.’

Smirk.

The corners of Cale’s lips started to rise.

Swoooooooosh-

Wind covered Cale's whole body at that moment. The knights and mages could not
easily approach him.

"Shit, we can't approach them like this!”

“Still surround them! They won’t be able to escape!”

Cale didn’t get distracted by the knights’ urgent shouts nor the administrators who
were shocked by the wind and hiding in the corners of the hall as he focused only on
the White Star.

“Furthermore, are you saying I did something? I haven't done anything to the territory.”
“What?”

The White Star’s eyebrow slightly rose to resemble mountains.

“Did that fire touch the territory? Did it attack it? I haven't done anything.”

Cale smiled as he looked toward the White Star and Sayeru. The Bear King scoffed at
him.

“The fire will soon reach the territory. The results will be that you invaded the city. We
are people who protected the lord and the territory and we have the position you
bastards always had this time.”

“As I expected…… Heh.”

Cale laughed as he continued to speak.

“I guess you didn't plant rats in Young-en city?”

“…What?”

“I'm glad you didn't hear about it.”

Cale could not help but laugh. He was curious how far the White Star had the Illusionist
plant her rats. However, he was able to resolve his curiosity with the last statement.

Young-en city. They would not be able to bring up the lord like this if the Illusionist
had rats in Young-en. This lord's backing was strong? It was still just his backing.
The White Star who was looking at Cale took a step forward as he started to speak.

“You bastard, what did you-”

It was at that moment.

Boom! Boom- boom.

They heard drums beating outside. The noise was coming from the East. Someone in
the hall shouted as the White Star and Sayeru looked toward an east-facing window.
“Why are the kingdom’s drums?”

‘What?’

Sayeru's pupils started to shake.

‘So fast!’

This was the noise of the drums that announced that an important individual of the
kingdom had arrived. A person deployed by the kingdom had arrived much earlier
than Sayeru had expected.

‘They should have taken at least another day or two according to their normal speed!’

Why else would they have installed those mana disturbance tools? It was so that the
kingdom would take longer to find out about the Dubori territory's situation, giving
them time to frame Cale and Choi Han.
But they had not managed to do anything yet.

‘That means!’

His gaze immediately turned toward Cale.

‘That bastard must have done something!’

Cale's smile grew bigger after seeing Sayeru’s reaction.

‘The Illusionist did not have any rats in Young-en!’

This was because neither the White Star nor Sayeru realized that Cale met with
Valentino. This now changed things. If the enemy was trying to broaden the battlefield,
Cale just had to do the same.

‘I did it at a timing you bastards didn't expect.’

The lord’s backing? Would that be stronger than the crown prince who was personally
heading over right now earlier than expected?

‘If you bastards pulled Choi Han and me into this, I will pull the royal family in.’
Boom- boom, boom!

The sound of the drum started to get closer. Cale heard a whisper in his ear at that
moment.

‘We found it! There are many weird pillars at the border of the Dubori territory!’

‘The other Wind Elementals told us! There are weird gold pillars at the Dubori border
equidistant from each other and glowing red!’

‘Those must be responsible for the illusions! They’re the reason it looks like the desert
is on fire!’

‘There are tens of large pillars! But most are hidden underground with only a portion
showing outside, making it hard to see!’

The bait used to make Cale rush to the Dubori territory was an illusion created by
these numerous pillars.
Cale thought about something at that moment.

‘I guess the rumblings we felt in Young-en were from those pillars being stabbed into
the ground. Apparently it was hard to find those pillars because they are all covered
by vines! They needed to look very closely!’

Wouldn't the ground shake if tens of large pillars were stabbed deep into the ground
at the same time?

‘Am I wrong? Would such a rumbling not happen with just that?’

Boom- boom!

The drums continued to beat. The drums that were getting closer reached the eastern
city walls and the hands of the soldiers on guard started to shake.

“…W, why is the Royal Knights Brigade here?”

The soldier could see the Caro Kingdom's Royal Flag fluttering in the wind. The Royal
Knights Brigade crest was shining on the armor of the knight holding the royal flag.

“Open the gate immediately! This is an order from his highness, the crown prince!”
Caro Kingdom's crown prince Valentino was at the center of the knights sitting on a
horse and looking at the city walls. His eyes looked angry.

“…The fire in the desert was fake.”

Valentino’s eyes turned to the side.

“Young master Cale is captured inside?”

“That is correct. Your highness.”

Valentino turned away from the tattooed old man wearing an odd outfit and looked
toward the city gate.

Screeeeeech- boom.

The closed gate opened and the Royal Knights Brigade entered. The sound of horses
hooves were headed toward the Lord’s Castle. The old man who was on a horse next
to Valentino raised his head.

Caw, caw, caw.

The sun had gone down at some point and it was night now. The crows hid their bodies
in the darkness as they headed toward the Dubori Lord’s Castle. The old man, Tiger
shaman Gashan, started to speak.

“Catch all the rats.”

Caw. Caw, caw.

The tens, no, hundreds of crows all started to hunt for rats. Gashan's gaze headed
toward the west.

Baaaaaang!

He could see the fire that shot up after an explosion. The city walls heading toward the
Land of Death… The fire burning wildly outside those walls cut through the air like a
red snake and flew toward the Lord’s Castle.

“Ahhhhh!”
“R, run away! The fire, that fire snake is attacking the territory!”

The residents who had been debating whether to run started to quickly run in shock.
The fire looked scary as it cut through the dark night.

“Huh?”

However, some of them stopped running and expressed their shocks as they looked up.

“Those black people are?”

“…T, the person leading that fire is?”

There was a black person in front of the fire snake who was surrounded by wind and
seemed to be leading the snake. They had not noticed right away because it was dark,
but the people with great vision were able to see the person moving past them.

“…Elf! It’s a Dark Elf!”

A Dark Elf was leading the fire snake. They could also see more Dark Elves running
behind the fire snake. They then realized that the fire snake was heading toward the
Lord’s Castle. No buildings were destroyed as the fire snake and the Dark Elves cut
through the sky. They were just charging ferociously toward the Lord’s Castle.

The people in the Lord’s Castle could see the fire snake as well. They heard the crown’s
drums again as well.

“Oh my, it looks like you got us.”

The White Star looked toward Cale. He saw Cale's smiling face.

“S, Sir Barrow!”

The White Star waved his hand after hearing the lord’s desperate plea.

Bang.

There was a small explosion and the wind that came out of the White Star's hand
instantly gobbled up Cale's wind.
“Aaaaah!”

Boom!

The lord fell to the ground and was busy checking his body for injuries. The White Star
stared at him for a moment before starting to speak.

“Get started.”

Cale clenched his fists at that moment. There must be a reason that the White Star was
so relaxed. That was why Cale couldn't help but be nervous even though he already
pulled the crown prince into this.

“Cale-nim.”

Choi Han approached Cale and pointed his sword toward the White Star.

Clang.

He heard the sound of swords falling at that moment. That was the beginning.

‘What the hell?’

Every knight inside the hall dropped their swords and weapons. The weapons rolled
on the ground. However, they did not care.
They were not the only ones.

“…Must capture them.”

“…Will capture…… Will capture…”

The territory administrators, mages, and even the lord started to move with blank
expressions like the knights.

“Cale-nim.”

“…What is this?”

Knights, mages, administrators, territory lord, and servants, they all quickly charged
toward Cale and Choi Han while trying to capture them. Cale heard the Illusionist’s
voice at that moment. Red smoke was surrounding the green-haired woman.

“That person is the person who planned this terrible deed.”

That person was referring to Cale.

“Next to him is the poor soul who was bewitched by that evil man’s glib tongue.”

Choi Han was the poor soul.

“Good people of Dubori. Save that poor soul from the evildoer.”

There were a lot of people since all Dubori knights, mages, administrators, and servants
were gathered together. They all started to head toward Choi Han.

“We must s, save him.”

“…We will save him. Save him… We must.”

Cale even saw a young servant reaching his hand out toward Choi Han alongside the
knights and mages. There was also a weak old man approaching Choi Han while saying
that he needed to be saved.

Everybody looked ready to grab Choi Han.

Cale could see the awkward expression on Choi Han’s face.

"Cale, shall we make a bet?”

He heard the laughing White Star’s voice at that moment. The White Star created a
wind wall to surround the hall at the same time.

Boom. Boom-

North, south, east, and west. All windows and doors were blocked by the large wind
wall. The White Star continued to speak to Cale who was staring at him once Cale and
Choi Han were trapped.

“A good person like you probably knows good Choi Han’s thoughts well. Okay then, do
you think Choi Han can avoid the hands of the weak children, the old men, and the
others who are trying to grab him?”

Cale started to frown.

“They are all innocent. They’ve all just been tricked by me.”

"No. They’ve been tricked by my amazing illusions.”

The Illusionist laughed as she continued to speak.

“Those people won't faint. Fainting has no impact on the illusion status. They will keep
trying to save Choi Han even if they get hurt or lose an arm or a leg. So, Mr. Cale and
Mr. Choi Han. What will you do?”

Cale could see Choi Han’s anxious gaze heading toward him. They could hear the
entertained Illusionist's voice.

“Will you hurt them and push them aside? Or will you be a good boy and be captured,
Mr. Choi Han?”

The White Star added on.

“Choi Han is one of my goals this time. Shouldn’t I at least grab him? So, what will you
do? Cale Henituse, the man who tries to even save the enemy soldiers.”

Cale started to frown. He could see Choi Han’s sword that could not leave the scabbard
because he didn’t want to attack the servants and administrators.
Choi Han looked into Cale's frowning face and started to think about Raon.

‘If Raon was here!’

Raon could teleport him with magic or float him into the air.

‘There is still Cale-nim’s Sound of the Wind, but… ’

Cale could make Choi Han float with his Sound of the Wind as well. However, the White
Star had created a thick wind wall around the hall in order to make it difficult for Cale
and Choi Han to escape.

‘The people in the hall will charge at us as we break through the White Star’s wind wall.’

Then there were bound to be people who got injured.

They were already recklessly charging at him.

“We must s, save him……”

Push!

Choi Han shoved a knight holding his clothes away. However, he only shoved the
knight’s hand, making the knight who was not injured only stagger.

Boom.

The knight fell backward. However, nobody paid any attention.

“I will… save him……”

In fact, a young child who seemed to be a servant tried relentlessly to grab Choi Han’s
clothes. Choi Han gently pushed the hand away.
These people would definitely charge at him as they tried to break through the wind
wall.

‘They can't even faint!’

Choi Han slowly started to frown. The White Star seemed to have realized this as Choi
Han noticed the White Star smiling while looking at him.

"What's wrong? Do you not see any way out? I guess it’s hard to teleport away because
there's nobody here who can use magic? Where might the young Dragon be?”

‘This was why he separated Raon from us.’

Choi Han realized the White Star was teasing him when he knew the situation and
turned away. Red smoke surrounded the Illusionist who was creating symbols with
her hands.

‘Why do I not see a medium?’

He did not see a staff like Gashan's nor a talisman. Her hands were empty, but he was
certain that she must have the medium somewhere on her body.
The Illusionist noticed Choi Han's gaze and started to speak.

“What are you looking for so hard? Just stand still and let us catch you. Just get caught.
That’s the small consideration I am giving you.”

“…Why should I stand still?”

“You can’t let your heart get hurt. Don't you sirs cherish each and every life? How hurt
would their families be if that child or any of those civilians died?”

The voice that was changing back and forth between respectful and disrespectful
echoed in Choi Han's ears like an instrument.

“The pain in their hearts will become your pain, won’t it? Isn’t that right, good little
Mr. Choi Han?”

Ooooooong-

Choi Han noticed Bear King Sayeru's light arrows pointed toward him.
“I'll start to kill these people one by one if you resist. These people are not on our side,
they’re just poor people who we tricked.”

Sayeru sneered toward Choi Han. His gaze was full of certainty that Choi Han would
not be able to do anything.

‘That’s how Cale Henituse’s group has acted this whole time.’

They preferred to save one extra person even if it meant that they would let the enemy
leader escape.
How stupid was that?

Click.

Choi Han put his sword back into the scabbard. Both of his hands were empty.

“As I expected.”

They truly were these types of people.

That was why they would not be able to stop Sayeru or the White Star. They were
foolish and didn’t know that sacrifices were required for the greater good.

Sayeru could not help but laugh as he looked at Choi Han who had his head down and
Cale who had a blank expression. He felt as if all the frustration in his mind was
washing away.
It was at that moment.

Tang!

A small item floated in the air before falling to the ground.

Tang, tang!

Something else fell and rolled on the ground.

Two badges shining in gold light became covered by the dirt on the floor.

Oooooong, oooooong.

The red light was stealthily roaming around the badge.

Sayeru noticed Choi Han slowly raise his head. He was smiling.

“I’m a good person-”

Choi Han moved both hands again.

Riiiiiiiiiip, riiiiiiiiiip!

He reached his hand toward the clothes of the people sticking to him.

“No!”

Sayeru charged toward Choi Han the moment the Illusionist shouted. Choi Han opened
his clenched fists.

Tang, tang.

Gold badges fell to the floor.

These were the badges with the territory's crest that were on everyone’s new suits or
new servant uniforms.
Choi Han violently pulled those badges away. He pulled the badges away from the
people sticking to him and the ones grabbing onto his legs.

Riiiiiip.

A person charging toward him stopped moving as if he was a puppet that lost its strings.

“Did you think I wouldn't even notice that?”

He pulled the badge off the young servant’s clothes as well.

“You think I’m a good person? What nonsense.”

“You bastard!”

Sayeru instantly arrived in front of the laughing Choi Han. The corners of Choi Han's
lips twisted up as he looked toward Sayeru.

“Why are you personally charging toward me instead of shooting the light arrow when
you said you were going to kill them?”

There was a badge on top of Choi Han's palm.

“Looks like they aren’t listening to your orders without these badges.”

“Shut up!”

Sayeru's fist that was covered in light headed for Choi Han’s heart.

Baaaaang!

The people around Sayeru and Choi Han were pushed back along with the explosive
noise. The people who were still caught in the illusion continued to charge toward
Choi Han.

Choi Han was at the center holding onto Sayeru’s fist with one hand.

Siiiiizle.

His palm started to burn.

“Y, you!”

Sayeru tried to pull his fist out, but it was not easy. In fact, Choi Han’s hand pulled
Sayeru’s fist toward him.
He then lifted the badge that was stealthily releasing a red smoke in front of Sayeru’s
face.

“You can't shoot the light arrow because you can’t destroy these badges. You're using
these to cast the illusion to control these people. Am I right?”

“You bastard!”

Sayeru’s other hand that was covered in light pushed Choi Han’s palm away.

Tang, tang.

The badge rolled on the ground again.

“Ugh!”

Sayeru’s body was then pushed back. He looked toward Choi Han who was pushing
him back. Choi Han was already quickly removing the badges from the other people's
clothes.

“Stop him!”

Sayeru bit down on his lips and turned toward The White Star after hearing the
Illusionist's urgent shout. He then flinched. Cale Henituse who was fighting against
the White Star… Sayeru made eye contact with Cale.
Cale slowly started to speak.

“I thought you had hidden something big.”

“…What did you say?”

Cale looked toward the White Star and the Illusionist before Sayeru could respond.

“Is this it? Hmm?”

He approached the White Star. He watched Choi Han remove the badges for a moment
before he started to frown again and looked toward the White Star.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice that they were under an illusion? Huh?”

He was frowning in disbelief.

“…You noticed the illusion?”

The Illusionist looked toward Cale in shock but Cale was only looking at the White Star.

“You said the following when I first fell into the banquet hall. ‘Cale Henituse, you look
like a mess.’ is what you said.”

Cale had noticed something the moment he said that.

“I don't mean to boast about my own name, but… I'm kind of famous.”

The ordinary citizens of the Caro Kingdom might not know of him, but even the knights,
administrators, mages, and the lord of a corner territory like this were bound to hear
about things going on throughout the kingdom.
This was especially true for the territory lord or the main administrator who would
have heard the name and seen a picture of the person who had played a pivotal role in
saving their kingdom.

But they didn't know about him?

“The fact that nobody here recognized my name meant that they were not normal.”

It felt weird saying this himself, but…

“I'm a hero in the Caro Kingdom.”

There was no way that this bastard of a territory lord who had a famous cousin in the
central politics of the kingdom would not know Cale’s name.

“Ha, and here I was thinking something big was going to happen.”

The moment the White Star and Cale looked only at each other…

“Is this it?”

Cale then disappeared from in front of the White Star.

Swoooosh-

The sound of the wind echoed inside the room.

“Ugh!”

The Illusionist felt someone grabbing the back of her neck. Her face was forced to turn.
Cale who had almost teleported behind her was smiling.

“Remove the illusions unless you want to die. Got it?”

The Illusionist's eyes were shaking.

“I'm not as good of a person as you think I am. Do you really think I am a Saint or a
hero?”
It was best if they could prevent people from getting hurt or dying, but…
Cale did not want to save other people’s lives by sacrificing the lives of his people. That
was why he knew he was selfish and cruel.
He was saying this because he knew that was the case.

“Get rid of the illusions, now.”

Swoooooooosh-

A violent gust of wind formed on Cale’s other palm. He looked toward Sayeru and the
White Star as he spoke to the Illusionist.

“Unless you wish to die. I am not someone who threatens others. I'm someone who
only speaks the truth.”

The Illusionist's eyes were shaking. She was more sensitive to people's emotions than
most after making people see illusions for so long. That was why she was able to tell
that Cale was being honest.

Her mouth slowly opened again.

“A, all of you, throw your badges away!”

The people running toward Choi Han stopped walking. They then pulled the badges
off their clothes.

Tang. Tang.

The golden badges fell to the ground one by one.

The people surrounding Choi Han slowly fell to the ground and fainted once the badges
fell to the ground.

Choi Han let out a sigh of relief.

However, Choi Han’s pupils soon started to shake.

“What the hell!”

The numerous golden badges on the ground…

The badges that fell from the people surrounding Choi Han seemed to be creating a
circle with Choi Han in the center.
Oooooooong- ooooooong-

Red smoke instantly started to rise from the badges.

Cale moved his wind.

Bang!

The Illusionist's hands that were creating symbols stopped moving with a small
explosion. The Illusionist smiled brightly toward Cale.

“What’s the point of grabbing my head? My hands were still moving. I already finished
the signing.”

‘What?’

Cale immediately started to speak after seeing the red smoke start to rise.

“Choi Han, dodge!”

However, Choi Han could not move. He didn't know why, but he was frozen stiff and
could not move at all. Cale heard Choi Han’s shaking voice at that moment.

"Why, why did the darkness suddenly-!”

One chandelier had fallen, but the banquet hall was still bright. It was very bright.
Cale’s face was crumpled in a frown as he jerked the Illusionist's neck.

“What the hell did you do?”

Cale was able to look into the Illusionist’s eyes for the first time. He then realized his
mistake.
The Illusionist was different than the White Star's other subordinates Cale had met
before. Cale could see the eyes of a wild beast that had yet to give up.
She leisurely whispered in Cale’s ear.

“Mr. Cale, you need to be on equal grounds if you want to make a deal with me. I
created that equal grounds for you.”

He could see Choi Han who didn't know what to do as he slowly became surrounded
by the red smoke.
Swooooooosh-

Cale tried to send his gust of wind toward the red smoke.

“Ah, Choi Han might get seriously injured if you attack.”

However, he could not act rashly after hearing the Illusionist’s comment. She looked
toward Cale and joyfully continued to speak.

“Okay, I’ll threaten you as well. Let go of my neck if you don’t want to see Choi Han cut
his own neck. Got it?”

He heard the White Star’s voice as well.

“…You asked if it was just this? Of course not.”

The White Star who was slowly observing Cale’s stiff expression started to speak with
a more satisfied expression.
He had thoroughly prepared after being defeated multiple times.

“You think I only prepared the fake?”

Boom! Boom!

The ground started to shake.

This rumbling was similar to the rumbling Cale felt while he was in Young-en city.
No, it was stronger. It felt as if the ground was splitting.

“What the hell!”

“Why am I here?”

“Ugh, where is this place?”

The rumbling made some people wake up in confusion. The people looked around
trying to locate the source of the rumbling and managed to find it.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

The White Star’s wind wall slowly disappeared. Then they saw the fire snake that was
heading over the walls of the Lord’s Castle.
But the fire snake soon stopped moving as well.
The people were not looking at the fire snake either.

“…M, my goodness-”

Boom!

The ground shook as a large pillar of fire appeared on the west side of the Dubori
territory.
The pillar of fire that was shooting through the ground did not seem like regular fire.

“…M, magma?”

The moment someone said the word that best described it…

Boom-, boom, boom!

The rumbling continued before large pillars of fire appeared in all four directions.

Cale watched the White Star open a western window and head toward the terrace.
The White Star raised his hand with an expression that seemed to say he didn't care
about Cale or Choi Han. Cale’s gaze was focused on those hands.

Craaaackle-

The fire sword was burning brighter than ever in the White Star’s hand.

‘…It’s different.’

This was different than the fire sword Cale had seen in the past. He could feel that the
sword in front of him right now was significantly stronger than in the past.
This was probably the true fire sword.

"Cale Henituse, you should know about the Sword of Disasters after fighting against
Syrem, right?”

The fake Dragon Slayer's half-powered Sword of Disasters. How strong had it been?
Cale and Raon had struggled during the Henituse territory battle to defend against
that sword. Raon’s shield had been broken and Cale had to push to his limits to block it.
 “I added fire to that sword. Isn't fire a symbol of disaster?”

The White Star who was the final Dragon Slayer had added his fire attribute ancient
power into the Sword of Disasters.
The fire the ancient White Star had possessed was a disaster.

Fire was one of the easiest things for people to fear.

“I will bring forth a true fiery disaster.”

His sword pointed past the Dubori territory and into the Land of Death.

The Land of Death.

The only place among the Western continent's Forbidden Regions that was said to be
created by human hands.
The desert that became known as the Land of Death after the death of the final
necromancer.
And the Dubori territory that was located next to that desert.

The White Star leisurely spoke as if he was dealing with a passing breeze.

“I will create a new reason for this land to be called a Forbidden Region.”

He would bring death to this land through a fiery disaster this time.

“So, what will you do? Cale Henituse, your young Dragon is not by your side. You cannot
escape.”

The White Star was full of anticipation. He was looking forward to seeing how this
man would react when he was left to fight alone, when he was at his limits.
He thoroughly observed Cale’s blank expression.

Cale mind was loud at that moment.

 That damn bastard we need to beat with a stick! It won’t be enough to curse that
bastard until the moment he is gone from this world! We need to curse him to death!
Aaaaaaaaaah!

It was a clear voice that was swearing so coarsely.

 I'm going to kill that bastard.

It was the voice of the Sky Eating Water.

 That bastard who does shit like this with people need to get shitted on at least once!
Ow! I was watching because I thought we could smack him in the back properly this
time!

Cale wanted to focus on what the White Star was saying, however, his mind was like
the middle of a busy marketplace right now.

 Is that bastard looking down on our Cale? Huh? Why the hell would you put a good
and pitiful kid like Choi Han under an illusion? Huh? Huh? Hey White Star bastard,
respond to my questions!

‘Excuse me, Miss Sky Eating Water… How can the White Star respond to you?’

 Cale, go! Save him from that bastard who is worse than a rotten pile of mud! Ow! I
need to XXX and XX that bastard up!

 Calm down.

 Super Rock! Would you be calm in a situation like this? It's an illusion, an illuuuuuusion!
That terrible thing returned to the world again! How can there be such a XX like XXX
situation?!

‘Aigoo. She’s no joke.’

Cale's mind blanked out at the Sky Eating Water's speech that was getting worse.

‘She always controlled herself decently, so why is it so bad this time?’

The only difference than before was the existence of the Illusionist. Had the Sky Eating
Water fought against an Illusionist in the past?
Cale felt his mind going blank as he listened to her swearing that was getting worse
and raised his head.
He made eye contact with the White Star who pointed the fire sword toward him and
 started to speak.

"What's wrong? You can't think of a way out? Is your mind in a chaotic mess?”

‘Yes. My mind is complicated and quite loud right now.’

“It won’t be easy for even you this time.”

‘No, my mind isn’t a complicated mess because of you-'

 Not easy my ass! A fire like that is nothing. A natural disaster? I can bring forth all sorts
of natural disasters if Cale is willing to faint three times! Huh? If Cale's willing to be
unconscious for about three months, hmm? I can cause a real natural disaster if he’s
willing to be unconscious for a season!

‘Wait, why do I have to faint three times? Why do I have to be unconscious for three
months? Who knows what the White Star would do during that time?’

Cale had a headache.

“Let go of my neck.”

Cale reached his hand out the moment he heard the Illusionist’s voice.

Baaaaang!

The fire rammed into the silver shield.

Shhhhhhhhh.

Cale’s body was pushed back. The Illusionist's neck was already out of Cale’s hand.
Cale felt his palms that cast the shield tingle.

Craaaaaackle.

The fire coming out of the White Star's fire sword was easily destroying Cale’s silver
shield.

“It’s different than before, isn’t it?”

The White Star was relaxed. The Illusionist and Sayeru moved next to him. An odd
sensation filled Cale’s mind.
Had he ever faced the White Star and his subordinates on his own before?

“The sword of disasters now also has fire. Your shield alone is not enough to defeat
this fire sword. You'll probably need to use multiple powers too.”

He was right.
Cale needed to use multiple powers as the White Star mentioned.

“You'll need to use at least three ancient powers to get rid of the pillar of fire and fight
against Sayeru and me. Then you'll probably faint very quickly.”

“Ha.”

Cale let out a gasp-like scoff and the White Star nodded his head as if he understood.

“It’s because you have no friends to help you this time.”

That was correct as well.

Raon, Choi Han, and the others were all not able to help Cale right now. Cale needed
to use more ancient powers than normal but there was nobody to protect him once he
fainted.

“I found it very odd that you faint so easily even though you have all five attributes of
ancient powers. Your body should be in balance. I found the answer after debating it
for a while.”

The White Star had thought about a lot of things prior to coming to the Caro Kingdom
this time.
It was important to get the final earth attribute power, but he was someone with the
patience to wait 1,000 years.

“Your plate is weak. No matter how much your plate has grown because you created a
balance of attributes, your plate itself is too weak that it breaks so easily.”

His physique itself was okay, but Cale Henituse’s complexion was getting paler as time
went on. The White Star who noticed that had made up his mind about two things.
One of them was to capture Choi Han…
 “The second of my goals was to destroy your plate.”

The other was to destroy Cale Henituse when he was left alone.

“The others seem to rely on you, but it looked like you were the one who would die
without them. Especially in the middle of the battlefield.”

The White Star started to laugh and Cale had to admit this was true.

“…It looks like I looked down on you too much this time.”

The White Star was thinking one step ahead this time.

 That rotten bastard is saying his goal was Choi Han and Cale and not the final earth
attribute power, right?

 It seems that way.

The Super Rock warned Cale.

 Run away.

The White Star said the same thing.

“Try to run away. You'll be able to at least meet up with the Dark Elves if you leave
through the window.”

The pillars of fire shooting up from the north, south, east, and west. He could see the
anxious Dark Elves between the pillars of fire. Things would be much easier for Cale
if he met up with them.

However, he could not escape.

Boom! Boom, boom.

Cale turned his head after feeling the banquet hall shake again. He could see a dome
filled with red smoke.
Choi Han was inside this red dome.

Boom, boom!
He could feel Choi Han stomping his feet inside. His flailing was turned into rumbling
for the people inside the hall.

“As expected, you cannot run away.”

The White Star smiled before pointing the tip of his sword toward the red smoke
dome.

“Lately, I've felt that you were many steps ahead of me. Then I figured out that Choi
Han knew ‘that language.’ ”

It was at that moment.

Boom!

A rumbling stronger than before came bursting out of the red dome. Cale could see
the Illusionist start to sign with her hands again.

Shhhhhhh-

The red smoke intertwined to turn into chains. Tens of chains charged into the dome.

“Tie him up.”

She was probably telling it to tie Choi Han up. The Illusionist touched the back of her
neck as she smiled toward Choi Han.

“Mr. Cale, Mr. Choi Han will go ‘ow’ if you try any funny business.”

Cale could not move rashly after seeing the chains cover the dome even after hearing
her sneer-filled teasing.
The White Star continued to look at Cale.

“Just stay there unable to do anything.”

Cale’s limit was being unable to move because of one subordinate. The White Star who
had waited for 1,000 years had to make Cale fight even more at his limit until the point
he had no choice but to break his plate.
He couldn't let Cale die as there was something Cale needed to do in his place.
Swooooooosh-

The wind wall appeared under the White Star’s foot like stepping stones. The White
Star kicked off the terrace railing and walked out of the Lord’s Castle.

“F*ck!”

The White Star scoffed at Cale’s swearing as he looked down from the sky outside the
Lord’s Castle. He could see the Dark Elves who were nervous while looking at him as
well as the residents of the territory who were running away from the pillars of fire.

“It looks like hell.”

It was the site of a disaster as he mentioned.

People were running away in fear without anything on them.

“That must be the one card Cale Henituse played.”

The White Star could see crown prince Valentino and the Knights Brigade staring at
him. They could not approach the Lord’s Castle and were anxious as they looked
around at the pillars of fire and the residents.

“The crown prince would have been quite a hand to play but it looks like the worst
hand to play at this moment.”

It would not be weird for crown prince Valentino and the Knights Brigade to die at any
moment after being caught in the White Star's trap.
The White Star looked back toward Cale who was inside the terrace. He could see the
bloodshot gaze glaring at him.

‘Yes, glare at me like that until you can’t hold it in anymore and attack me.’

Attack me if he wants to save the residents, the Caro Kingdom's crown prince, the
Knights Brigade, and the Dark Elves.
Use your ancient powers until you destroy your plate.'

The White Star's sword pointed to the sky. He could feel the fire surrounding him. He
could feel the pillars of fire that were flowing like magma.
The White Star felt the power of the fire in all four directions surrounding the Dubori
territory and started to speak.
“Come to me.”

The escaping residents plopped down on the ground at that moment.

“T, the fire!”

“…Ah… it's a d… disaster.”

The ground underneath the four pillars started to crack. Four rivers were created as
the ground cracked. There was fire or magma or whatever this was flowing inside
those rivers.
Actually, it was not flowing. That red liquid was destroying the ground and ferociously
creating its own path. It then quickly headed toward the White Star.

“Come out! Hurry up and come out! Material things aren’t the issue right now!”

“But, ah, ah-, our house!”

Baaaaang!

A house in the path of the red liquid turned into nothing. The people escaping could
only drop to the ground with pale expressions.

“T, that person is the White Star……”

Crown prince Valentino couldn’t say anything. He felt suffocated. It was not because
he was near the hot fire.
It was because the White Star did not feel human.
No, he didn't seem to be from this world.

The things he was doing felt like a sight you would read about in mythologies.

“Your highness.”

“…Miss Dark Elf.”

A familiar Dark Elf approached him. Tasha who was familiar with the crown prince
after seeing him a few times stood in front of him.

“Are you here to deliver a message from young master Cale?”

“No, your highness.”

Valentino bit down on his lips after seeing her shake her head.

‘True, what could even young master Cale do in this situation?’

Tasha looked next to Valentino at that moment.

“I came to hear young master Cale-nim's message.”

“…You came to hear it?”

Valentino looked next to him as well. Shaman Gashan was looking at the Lord’s Castle.

Caw. Caw.

Valentino recalled how he continued to hear the crows through this chaotic moment.

‘No.’

He did not simply hear them.

The cawing had slowly increased as time progressed. Valentino raised his head. In the
dark night sky where the burning pillars of fire had not reached yet…

Gashan started to speak.

The eyes of a crow that was looking inside the Lord’s Castle’s terrace with a rat in its
mouth sparkled. Those eyes were looking at Cale’s lips.

“…Wait.”

Bear King Sayeru approached Cale with light surrounding his body.

“Wait for what? Are you talking to our liege right now? Kekeke, you think he’ll wait
because you asked him to wait?”

He scoffed at Cale who was looking at the spot outside the terrace where the White
Star had been with a blank expression.

“Wait……”
“Why do you keep talking to yourself? Hmm? Are you trying to think of something
while making it look like you're trying to talk? It won't matter.”

It was at that moment.

“What did you show him?”

Cale's gaze headed toward the Illusionist.

Boom, boom, boom!

Choi Han was still flailing inside the dome. However, the flailing was slowly dying down.

“Who knows?”

The Illusionist approached the dome covered in red chains and caressed it.

“I just recreated his most painful and desperate moment? Something that would make
him want to die?”

The Illusionist gently caressed the red chains.

Bang, bang!

She could feel the flailing inside the red dome.

“How pitiful. How painful must the illusion inside here be? Who cares if he is a sword
master? Humans are bound to fall before despair.”

She smiled brightly after seeing Cale's frown.

“I have some negative feelings toward you, Mr. Cale.”

“Why?”

“I was going to put out the fire in the Jungle while pretending to be a shaman. Then I
was going to control the Jungle and make it mine. That was my first plan to conquer
the Western continent.”
The Illusionist's smile brightened the more Cale started to frown. Cale started to speak
at that moment.
It was something the Wind Elementals told him earlier in the day.

‘The Bear King called the Illusionist by the name, Elisneh!’

‘That’s right! But doesn’t that name sound familiar?’

That was the case. He had heard this name before.

Actually, he had seen this name before.
It looked different, but he had definitely seen it before.

“Conquer it, huh? Is that why the Monarch of the Molden Kingdom is here?”

“Oh, you know who I am?”

One of the strong kingdoms of the Eastern continent. Young Monarch Elisneh the First
who rose to the highest position in the Molden Kingdom in her thirties looked toward
Cale as if he was a cute little boy.

“Well, you’re going to die today anyway. I'll let it go that you know about my identity.”

Plop.

Cale undid another button at that moment. The Mercenaries Guild’s Directory quickly
flew by inside his head. He opened his mouth to speak.

“…Just wait.”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

The Illusionist who was scoffing at Cale moved her hands away from the chains and
started to make signs toward Cale.

"Should I toy with you using illusions as well? Hurry up and use your ancient powers.
Hmm? What’s wrong with your face?”

The Illusionist saw Sayeru start to frown at that moment.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing- Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing-
 The alarms surrounding the Lord’s Castle suddenly started to sound. The Illusionist's
eyes opened wide. This alarm would only go off for one reason.

‘…The mana disturbance tools!’

The alarms would sound if something happened to the mana disturbance tools.
The dye magic was removed and Cale's hair turned red again at that moment.
Raon cast a different spell around Cale instead.
He could hear Raon's voice.

 Human! I came with Goldie gramps!

An extremely angry Raon was shouting in his mind.

Raon had gone to the Forest of Darkness and then the Eastern continent after bringing
Gashan over.

 Gramps is nagging that I am great and mighty but can't even deal with something like
this! Human, please tell gramps that I am great and mighty later!

However, he also sounded excited.

 Just wait! The great and mighty Raon Miru will soon be inside the Dubori territory!
Hehehe!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing- Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing-

Cale was listening to the alarm while standing tall. He could see the Illusionist's
frowning face.
The corners of Cale’s lips crept up as he looked.

“Why do you have such an expression on your face? This alarm sounds like the alarm
for a mana disturbance tool-”

However, Cale could not finish his sentence.

“Hahahahahaha-!”

Loud laughter echoed inside the hall. The laughter that mixed with the alarms sounded
too much like a shriek at the same time.
Cale gaze headed toward a spot in the hall.
“…Choi Han?”

The laughter was coming from the dome covered in red chains.
Noise that sounded more like shouting than laughing was coming out of the dome.

Choi Han faced a day in the past once the darkness suddenly enveloped him.

Rustle. Rustle.

He lowered his head while walking.

He could see the hands of a young person even though the hands had some calluses
on it. He could also see a school uniform.

He could see his breath when he breathed out.

“Is it an illusion?”

Choi Han looked at the sight he had seen on the day he first fell into the Forest of
Darkness. He put his hand inside his uniform pocket.
He had ended up in this place with nothing but his school uniform.
However, the uniform had pockets.

He quickly took out the thin wallet he felt inside it. This was originally something he
had lost on the first day while cluelessly wandering around.
Choi Han realized it at that moment.

“It is an illusion.”

He looked at his family picture inside the wallet.

This was an illusion.

Choi Han was sure of it.
How?
It was because the faces on the family picture were not clearly visible.
Illusions could not overcome forgotten memories.

Choi Han who remembered the first day he fell into the Forest of Darkness but did not
remember his family members’ faces started to frown.
“Damn it.”

The young boy's eyes looked old.

Choi Han felt no emotions about returning to the day he fell into this world and the
Forest of Darkness.

“It is an illusion, but it feels real.”

The feeling of the leaves rustling and crunching under his feet, the breeze brushing
past his cheek, and the scent of the forest mixed inside the breeze. Everything felt real.

The scent of the forest.

Although it sounds beautiful, a fishy and rotten scent was mixed inside that scent of
the forest.
It was the scent of the Forest of Darkness that was a mix of the fresh scent of a forest
and the cruel and vicious creatures inside it.
The breeze blowing through this place where weak creatures and monsters could die
at any moment had the fishy scent of blood within it.

Choi Han had not known what these scents were when he first arrived, but the now
older Choi Han knew the identity of these scents too well.
He had seen a countless number of deaths.

That was why he was feeling nothing right now.

Choi Han lowered his head and continued to look at the family picture inside his
wallet.

“…This.”

However, the blurry faces of his family members stabbed at him as it reminded him of
his forgotten past.

“This is a bit painful.”

He was sad about all the time that had passed rather than the illusion itself. He could
calmly talk about it, but he could not hide the feelings.
‘I did get much older.’

Choi Han realized that he had aged quite a bit as he became nostalgic about the past.

‘But I'm relieved.’

Choi Han was thinking that ‘relieved’ was the best word to describe his feelings right
now.
He was relieved because he had seen the older versions of his family through Choi
Jung Soo's memories. There were none of his direct family members and he had only
seen older versions of some of his cousins, but he was thankful for that.

Choi Han’s hand holding the wallet grew weak.

“…I told you to carry a wallet.”

He didn't remember her face, but he remembered his mom’s voice.

His dad had given him some allowance as he quickly grabbed the wallet after hearing
her comment.

‘I remember that.’

Choi Han carefully put the family picture back in the wallet and safely put the wallet
in his pocket. He then started to walk.

‘I need to quickly get out of this illusion.’

It was obvious how bad it would be for Cale who was left alone while he was in this
illusion. Of course, the situation could be different if Raon quickly made it over.

‘Still.’

Choi Han now had Kim Rok Soo, no, Cale, as his family.
He had considered Cale to be like family for a while, but Cale became his true family
after seeing through Choi Jung Soo’s memories.

‘Oh, come on! Kim Rok Soo, why do we share the same birthday too?!’

‘I'm quite annoyed that we were born on the same day so shut up.’
‘…Wow, I'm hurt. Kim Rok Soo, you're so cold.’

‘Shut up.’

Choi Jung Soo and Kim Rok Soo had the same birthday.

‘Hey, hey, Rok Soooooooo.’

‘Don't call me in such a disgusting way.’

‘Ah, it’s such a pity the more I think about it. I could have taken you as a dongsaeng if
you were born later than me.’

‘Talk to the wall if you're going to continue with this nonsense.’

‘Wow, team leader-nim! Listen to the way Kim Rok Soo is talking to his one fellow
employee! He’s so cold!’

‘Cold my ass.’

Choi Jung Soo had considered Kim Rok Soo to be his brother. He considered Kim Rok
Soo both as his dongsaeng and his hyung.
After seeing all those memories, Choi Han felt similarly to Choi Jung Soo that Kim Rok
Soo was his real nephew and sibling.

‘I am different than Choi Jung Soo.’

He had not just seen Choi Jung Soo’s memories but had even experienced them first
hand, but Choi Han did not mistake Choi Jung Soo as himself.
However, he still took the things he should take.
One of those things was Choi Jung Soo's abilities.

Rustle.

Choi Han turned his head after hearing a quiet noise.

It came from the trees inside the forest. Choi Han noticed the gaze of the enemy hidden
inside the shadows of the trees.

‘The old me couldn’t do it.’

His past self was in such panic walking around the forest in confusion that he had not
seen that gaze and ended up as the wild animal's prey.

‘I ran and ran some more.’

He kept running to escape that wild animal. He didn't care that his uniform pants
ripped after being snagged by a tree branch as he ran without stopping.
He had not even realized how hard it was to breathe or that his face was covered in
sweat.
He just kept running.

He had then fallen.

He fell, rolled on the ground, got back up, and continued running without realizing
that the wallet he had carelessly shoved back in his pocket had fallen out.

‘The memories of the past-’

The moment those memories filled Choi Han’s mind…

“Ah.”

Choi Han’s sight changed.

His surroundings had instantly changed.

“Grrrrrrr-”

The memories he had just recalled started to replay itself.

Choi Han who had fallen while running could see the wild animal leisurely approaching
him.

The monster had slowly approached him as if it was savoring the final moments of its
pitiful prey.
Choi Han blankly stared at that scene.

The Choi Han of the past had cried at this moment.

‘Soooooooooob. Ugh.’

He didn’t have the courage to get back up and keep running away.
‘…Dad, mom…… ’

The fall had been painful and he was too scared of this monster approaching him.
Even though he had trained in ancient martial arts and developed his strength since
he was young, this moment had been too scary for a young kid like Choi Han.
He wanted to drop everything.

However, the Choi Han of the past could not drop everything.
He needed to get back up.

The moment he needed to get back up replayed itself in front of the current Choi Han.

Crack.

Choi Han’s wallet had been stomped by the wild animal's large paw. The past Choi Han
had recalled his family picture and the faces of each family member at that moment.
That had riled him up.

‘I need to survive! I need to survive no matter what!’

That thought made Choi Han grab a nearby rock and throw it at the wild animal and
thankfully it had landed on the wild animal's eye.
Choi Han was able to keep running away thanks to that.

Choi Han had tried to find his wallet again after a few days but the wallet that was
stomped by the wild animal was gone for good.
Choi Han could see the wallet under the wild animal's foot again.

“…No.”

He knew it was an illusion, no, maybe because he knew it was an illusion, Choi Han
picked up the rock and threw it toward the wild animal.
That rock hit the wild animal's eye as he remembered.

“Roooooooooooooooar!”

The wild animal shook its head and could not open one eye anymore.
Choi Han got up after seeing the animal's reaction. He then quickly started to run. He
was running forward unlike in the past.
He was not running away from the wild animal, but running toward it.
His wallet was not something that should be stomped on like this. He would save it
this time. Choi Han did not want to go through his memories, as he had accepted his
lost years for what they were.

“Ah.”

He let out a gasp.

He stepped forward.
However, his foot would not move. He was just walking in place. He tried to move his
foot forward with everything he had, but his feet only moved in place.

‘I guess I can't change the past even in an illusion.’

Boom. Boom.

He could not approach the wild animal no matter how hard he tried.
Choi Han slowly started to frown. However, his feet did not follow his will. The wallet
was crushed and crushed again each time the monster moved while covering its eye.
The picture inside would crumple and rip as well.

‘…Dad, mom…… ’

His past self's cries echoed in Choi Han’s ears. His gaze was focused only on the wallet.
The forest surrounding him slowly turned darker.
It was at that moment.

Chhhhhhh-

His feet that were continuing to try to approach the wild animal were caught in red
chains. The red chains stealthily but quickly tied Choi Han’s legs.

“Ah.”

They then pulled Choi Han back.

His body was slowly moving away from the wild animal as the young Choi Han of his
memories had run away from it.

“Damn it!”

Choi Han kicked his leg and tried to remove the chains. However, it was useless. He
used his hands to pull on the chains next.

Chhhhhhh-

However, Choi Han’s hands were soon caught by more red chains that came out of the
darkness. Choi Han saw red chains cover his legs, hands, arms, shoulders, and
stomach.
He slowly moved away from the wild animal as he had done in the past and watched
as the world slowly became darker.
This darkness gave him a similar feeling to the night he faced after barely managing to
escape from the wild animal on his first day inside the Forest of Darkness. It was the
night he barely survived as he shivered in fear that something else might appear and
kill him. It was the night he cried while thinking about his family picture. It was the
night he continued to say the names of his family members as he could not sleep.

That night-like darkness was waiting for Choi Han after moving away from the wild
animal and the crushed wallet.

“…Ha, haha-”

Choi Han started to laugh.

“Hahaha-”

He could not handle this situation without laughing. He had long forgotten how to cry
when he was scared. He couldn't let monsters approach him while he was crying in
fear.
He had kept his mouth shut and if he bit down on his lips too hard that it started to
bleed, he quickly wiped it off and cleaned his hand in the sand. He couldn't let the scent
of his blood draw monsters over either.

However, he had not been able to laugh in the past.

He couldn't let his laughter draw monsters over.

“Hahaha-”

Choi Han continued to laugh.

He moved a hand covered in chains. Choi Han’s shaking hand slowly grabbed what he
wanted to grab.
The red chains. He tightly grabbed the thing coming out of the darkness and dragging
him into it.
He then walked into the darkness.

Clang, clang.

Choi Han grabbed the red chains with both hands and pulled himself toward the
darkness.

The darkness made him recall many things. Most were miserable moments he had to
spend alone.

Choi Han stoically walked through that darkness. Once it was dark enough that he
could not see his arms and legs anymore…

Haha-”

He laughed.

“Dawn arrived after this moment.”

Night always passes.

It was so dark that he could not see the red chains anymore. However, the chains were
still in Choi Han's hands. Those hands turned into a fist and punched into the darkness.

Baaaaang! Bang! Baaaaang!

Choi Han punched at the darkness over and over.

His hand started to hurt. He could smell blood within the darkness. It was probably
his blood as his hands got cut.

Bang! Baaaaang!

However, he did not stop.

He needed to end this darkness.

Boom- boom!

Craaaaaaack.
Choi Han finally smiled from inside the darkness.

‘I found it.’

He had found the way to end the darkness.

He took a large swing.

Baaaaang!

Choi Han finally saw the darkness start to crumble.

The red dome was breaking.
Choi Han reached his hand toward the area past the broken dome. He let go of the red
chains. His bloody hands reached forward.

“H, how did you-?”

The shocked Illusionist's voice reached Choi Han’s ears. However, his hand didn't stop
and managed to grab it.

“Ugh!”

The Illusionist saw Choi Han's hand that grabbed her arm. The hand that had lost its
regular color because it was covered in blood was grabbing so tightly that the
Illusionist’s arm was going numb.
She moved her gaze from her arm and looked toward Choi Han. She then gasped.

She saw two extremely deep black eyes.

His eyes were too deep and looked to be drying up for someone who was still just a
teenager.
The Illusionist's eyes were shaking after looking into Choi Han’s eyes.

Those black eyes saw his family member smiling in relief behind the Illusionist at that
moment.

“Are you okay?”

Choi Han nodded his head at Cale’s question with a smile.

He was fine.
He was fine now.
No, he was good.

He was very good now.

Cale’s eyes headed toward Choi Han’s bloody hand that was grabbing the Illusionist’s
arm. He heard Choi Han’s voice at that moment.

“I will take care of it.”

Cale looked at Choi Han once before turning around. He then quickly started to walk
toward the terrace.

“…Did you just say you will take care of me?”

He heard the Illusionist’s voice before hearing a louder noise.

Baaaaang!

It was the sound of the red dome being destroyed, and then…

Boom!

Cale looked toward the wall with the terrace window. There were large cracks on the
wall.

“Ugh!”

The Illusionist had been slammed into the wall.

“…Vicious punk.”

He was certain Choi Han had thrown her. However, Cale did not turn around to check
on Choi Han.

Tap.

His foot stepped on the terrace railing.

Wiiiiiiiiing, Wiiiiiiing.

The alarm continued to echo throughout the castle and Cale heard something cutting
through the wind behind him.

“You think I’ll let you go so easily?!”

He heard Bear King Sayeru’s shout. That made Cale realize that the things cutting
through the wind behind him were Sayeru’s light arrows.

‘What do you want me to do about it?’

Cale did not stop. There was no need to stop.

Baaaaang!

The light arrows exploded after crashing into a violently shining black aura. Sayeru
turned toward the owner of the black aura who had destroyed the light arrows.

Drip, drip.

Blood dripped from the person's hand to the ground. Choi Han, the person with the
bleeding hands, observed Sayeru with a stoic gaze.

“We should finish our battle from last time.”

Choi Han had fought against Sayeru at the Mogoru's Northern Alchemists’ Tower.
Sayeru's hands became covered in light as he recalled that moment.
It was so that he could fight at any moment.

However, his opponent had no thoughts about fighting him.

“But there's something I need to take care of first.”

Choi Han quickly started to move after saying that.

“Shit!”

Sayeru quickly started to move, but Choi Han was faster than him. His black aura
headed toward the Illusionist who was surrounded by red smoke and was signing with
her hands.

“Ugh!”

The Illusionist stopped signing and rolled on the ground.

Baaaaang!

The black aura stabbed into where she had been standing and destroyed the area.
The Illusionist's eyes opened wide after looking at that spot for a moment.

‘Where is he? Where is Choi Han-’

She could not see the Choi Han.

“Ugh!”

She then felt someone grabbing her neck from behind. The fishy scent of blood filled
her nose as well. She heard a stoic voice coming from behind her.

“I found it.”

Choi Han grabbed the Illusionist's arm. He had told Cale that he would take care of it.
He needed to take care of this situation.
That meant that stopping this Illusionist came first.

His eyes saw a chain bracelet. It was a gold bracelet. Choi Han started to smile.
He had seen it correctly when he had grabbed her arm earlier.

“No!”

Sayeru’s light spear shot toward Choi Han. The Illusionist twisted her body away from
Choi Han and used her other hand to aim for Choi Han’s vitals.
She was moving like a well-trained martial artist.

“Did you think I only knew how to create illusions?”

“That’s none of my business.”

The hand that had been grabbing the Illusionist's neck grabbed something else. Blood
splattered over the gold chain bracelet.

Crack!

Choi Han’s hand cracked the gold chain bracelet.

“Ugh!”

The Illusionist instantly started to cough up blood and her body curled forward.
However, Choi Han had to move back in order to dodge the spear.

“Ellie!”

Sayeru quickly supported her and Choi Han raised his head. He could see Cale flying
up from the terrace.

“…Crows.”

There were hundreds of black birds following him. Choi Han started to move
immediately. He knew what he needed to do.

That was the same for Cale. He started to speak as he jumped off the terrace railing
and into the air.

“Gather the residents in one area.”

Caw. Caw.

The crows that had been following Cale like a black curtain started to disperse. Gashan
started to speak at the same time.

“Cale-nim has given his orders. He says to gather the residents in one area!”

“I understand.”

Tasha surrounded her body with wind and took the Dark Elves with her as she headed
for the escaping residents without any hesitation.
Crown prince Valentino motioned for the knights to follow them before asking Gashan
a question with a concerned expression.
"Shouldn't they run away from the fire? What do you plan on doing about t, that red
fire, those red rivers? Did young master Cale say anything else?”

He could see the fire approaching them from the four pillars to the north, south, east,
and west. Valentino felt fear while looking at the red liquid that was flowing like a
river.
He wanted someone to take care of this for him, and the only person he could think
about who could make that happen was Cale.

However, the escaping residents had no such thoughts on their minds.

They had no such thoughts at all. Would their lord who taxed them at such high rates
save them? They would be lucky if he didn't run away first.
They needed to find their own ways to survive. The only way to survive for these
residents was to run away.
They needed to run away from that river-like fire, that disaster.

Caw, caw.

It was at that moment. They heard the crows cawing.

“Huh?”

A child who was running away while holding her mom's hand raised his head. Crows
were flying above them.

“Mom, mom.”

The child's mom was about to raise her head as well before she stopped moving. A
Dark Elf had appeared in a corner of the alley. He saw the stopped family and pointed
in a direction.

“Go that way! The crows will lead you there!”

The woman who felt chaos after hearing this sudden statement subconsciously asked.
This was the only thing that could come out of her mouth right now.

"Can we live if we go there? That direction-”

‘-Can we trust that it is safe?’

She could not say that latter part. However, the Dark Elf smiled as if he understood her
feelings and responded.

“Yes, you'll live.”

The woman felt her child pulling at her clothes at the same time.

“Mom, mom! Look at that!”

“We’re having an important conversation right-”

The woman who was trying to quiet her child opened her eyes wide after seeing where
the child was pointing. There was someone in the air holding a burning fire sword.
She could tell that this was the person responsible for this situation because the fire
sword looked similar to the pillars of fire.

There was someone else floating in front of that person.

They were both too high to see clearly, but she could still clearly see the color of the
powers in both people’s hands.

“…Water?”

That blue thing looked like water.

“Hurry over to that direction. His highness, crown prince Valentino is over there as
well.”

The woman lifted her child after hearing the Dark Elf's voice. It should be safe if
someone that important, if the crown prince was over there.
She could also feel it.

“Hurry over!”

‘He is on our side.’

The person whose hand was covered in blue was on their side.
Her intuition about such things was quite sharp as she didn’t own much. The woman
carried her child and started to run toward the direction the Dark Elf had pointed
toward.
There was no reason for her to get lost.
Caw, caw.

A crow acted as her guide. Crows were spread out throughout the city guiding everyone
to one location.

“It looks like you somehow handled things and came out.”

The White Star who had been talking while looking down then looked forward.

“Based on the alarms, it looks like you're trying to destroy the mana disturbance tools
as well. Cale, I guess people on your side are slowly heading over?”

Cale shrugged his shoulders and pointed the spear in his hand toward the White Star.

“Why do you have so much to say today? I'm getting tired of it.”

“Ha!”

The White Star laughed at Cale’s grumbling voice. He then pointed his fire sword
toward Cale and continued to speak.

“But isn’t this the first time we are facing each other alone? Why don't we chat some
more?”

“I don’t want to.”

Cale ignored him.

‘He wants to talk now? He wants to talk when there are rivers of fire trying to destroy
the Dubori territory from the north, south, east, and west?’

Cale didn't have the time nor luxury to do that. Raon and Eruhaben had not destroyed
the mana disturbance tools yet. He needed to face the White Star alone.

However, Cale had no choice but to listen to the White Star’s words.

“Did you know about this? There was one power that the ancient White Star had that
I was trying not to take.”

‘What? The bastard who wanted to be the ancient White Star didn't want one of his
 powers?’

Cale turned toward the White Star who smiled after understanding the question
inside Cale's gaze.

“It was the water ancient power. You’ve seen my water ancient power, right?”

He had seen it.

The White Star’s water attribute ancient power was like a wall that was mainly used
as a shield.

“To be honest with you, I do not need any defensive powers. I needed a weapon that
could attack.”

The fire sword pointed toward Cale.

A spear made of water. The Sky Eating Water that was still cursing in Cale's mind.

“That was why I headed to the lake where the Water of Judgment was supposed to be.”

Cale’s hand that was holding the spear flinched.

 Wait, the Water of Judgment is me.

As the Sky Eating Water mentioned, the ‘Water of Judgment’ was the name that a god
had given to the Sky Eating Water.

“That power was said to be quite strong. It was said to be a strong spear that was loved
by a god and could judge anything.”

Cale could see the greed inside the White Star's eyes.

“That spear is the Water of Judgment, isn’t it? You took what was supposed to be mine.
But now you're also trying to take my earth attribute ancient power?”

That greed slowly turned into anger. The White Star had never shown such anger
toward Cale before.

The White Star continued to speak to Cale.

“Come at me.”
Cale bit down on his lips and grabbed the spear with both hands. The water spear
slowly extended and the water at the tip of the spear started to violently twirl.

Swoooooosh-

Wind surrounded Cale’s body even more.

The White Star continued to smile as if he knew what Cale was thinking.

“Your posture when holding the spear is terrible. You should probably learn some
martial arts.”

Strong fire rose from the White Star who got into position as well.

“You think water should be able to defeat fire, right? But my fire is a fire that has
become one with natural disasters. You cannot defeat it with water alone.”

“Who said I was only using one of my powers?”

The White Star's morale dipped a bit after hearing Cale’s comment.

“What?”

Cale sounded as if he was sighing as he responded to the White Star’s question.

“Did you think I was just standing here with a single spear as I listened to you?”

Cale shook his head from side to side.

The White Star heard an unfamiliar noise at that moment.

Boom.

It was far from a large shaking, but it was definitely the sound of the ground shaking.

Boom, boom.

North, south, east, and west. The noise was coming from all directions.

Crack.
 A quiet sound came out of the ground at that moment. The ground was slowly starting
to crack.

The ground was cracking from inside up to the surface.

A crack appeared in front of the red wave that was furiously charging forward while
gobbling everything in its way.

Cale heard a voice in his mind.

 I think you are going to faint.

 Shut up and hurry up and dig properly! You damn Super Rock!

The Scary Giant Cobblestone and the Sky Eating Water’s conversation filled Cale’s mind.

Boom. Boom.

His heart was beating wildly.

“…Did you perhaps use the earth attribute ancient power-”

The White Star who was mumbling in shock could see Cale’s twisted smile.

‘Perhaps my ass. That perhaps is right you damn bastard!’

Crack, crack.

There was a hole in the ground that was created from those quiet noises. Then as a
small strand of water slowly entered into the hole…

Baaaaaang! Baaaaang! Baaaaang!

People heard a loud noise that sounded loud enough to wake the night. They could see
strands of water shooting up from the north, south, east, and west.

Cale glared at the White Star.

‘He said he wanted to create a natural disaster?’

“Disaster my ass.”
 Water that was supposed to flow from top to bottom was flowing in reverse.

The White Star rationally knew that the water was unable to put out his fire, however,
his natural instincts were making him move.

That water is dangerous.

His body was moving forward on its own.

Baaaaang!

“…You weak ass bastard.”

A blue spear crashed into his fire sword and blocked his way. The White Star then saw
the bastard smiling and running away.

“Did you only realize that now?”

Cale said that as he quickly descended. He heard the Super Rock's voice in his mind.

 Shouldn’t you use the power of the crown?

The Dragon Slayer crown had helped Cale fight against the White Star last time.
However, Cale shook his head at the Super Rock's question as he descended.
The blue water continued to shoot up into the air opposite his downward moving
movement. Those water pillars soon became large enough for people to see.

Blue and transparent water.

The pillars of water that should normally not be visible in this dark night were sparkling
and revealing their presence. This was ironically because of the light from the pillars
of fire that were here first.

“Huff… huff, huff.”

The woman who had been running nonstop with her child in her arms finally managed
to see the spot people were gathering.

‘His highness! The knights are also there!’

The crown prince and the knights were in the plaza as the Dark Elf had mentioned.
Wouldn’t her chances of survival go up if she was next to them?
The woman then saw people pointing to something in shock.

Baaaaang-

She then heard a loud noise coming from a distance. The woman who had been busy
running while thinking only about survival could now hear everything again.

“Mommy! Behind you!”

The woman slowly turned around after hearing the child in her arms pointing behind
her and shouting. And then she saw it.

“…Water.”

Pillars of water as tall as the pillars of fire were shooting up into the sky.
The people who had been running away from the rivers of fire ferociously approaching
from the north, south, east, and west had all stopped to stare at those pillars of water
as well.

Unlike this odd liquid fire that they could not tell if it was magma or not, the pillars of
water resembled water that they could see anywhere.

However, these pillars of water were mesmerizing for the Dubori territory's residents.

“Mommy! I've never seen so much water before! Wow!”

Just like the child’s innocent admiration, water was not something abundant in the
Dubori territory which had a desert next to it, even if they had more than enough to
survive on.
People who had only seen water in small thread-like rivers, wells dug deep underground,
and rain watched water in the shape of large pillars blocking those rivers of fire.

Siiiiiiiiiiiizzle- Siiiiiiiiiiiizzle-
 They could hear things starting to burn.
White smoke started to rise to the sky.

“I, it stopped!”

The red liquid that had been gobbling up everything in its way was slowly starting to
disappear without advancing anymore.
More vapor started to rise as the water and fire continued to touch each other.

It almost felt as if there was white fog slowly surrounding the area around the river of
fire.

“A, anyway, it is going out!”

“W, we're safe!”

"Keep running! We're like ripe persimmons if those pillars of water get destroyed!”

The red liquid that had been flowing forward like a river or maybe even a tsunami was
slowly disappearing.

“…How-”

The White Star who knew better than anybody else that the fire, that this disaster had
stopped looked toward the still present pillars of water in shock.

This was no regular fire.

It was a special fire fused with disasters to have the characteristics of magma.
But it turned into vapor as soon as it touched that water?

The White Star's gaze headed toward Cale who was descending. Cale was observing
the White Star as well.

 Different.

The Sky Eating Water's clear voice filled Cale's mind.

 I am different than the Water of Judgment.

Her voice only reached Cale’s mind, but she was talking to the White Star who was
 looking down toward Cale.

 The me that I chose for myself is more real than the me that someone else created.
That power in the past was something that had none of my own will. This power with
my will is much stronger.

The name, ‘Water of Judgment,’ that was given by a god was effectively many shackles
for her. As she threw away those shackles and decided to live her life as the Retrogressive
Water…
She had become stronger than in the past.

 I need to gobble up the sky as well.

She needed to become much stronger to gobble up something that could not be touched.
She needed to become more violent as well.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Cale could feel his heart beating wildly. This was a signal from the Sky Eating Water.
She was telling him to hurry up and start as the preparations were finished.
He opened his mouth to speak.

“You thought this was it, didn’t you?”

The White Star tried to read Cale's lips, but Cale didn't give him the time.

Swoooooooosh-

Cale who was heading toward the center of the plaza while surrounded by wind
reached both hands forward.

“…Huh?”

The eyes of the people who had been looking at the pillars of water opened wide.

Ooooooooong.

The pillars of water started to turn with the water inside these pillars furiously
starting to turn as well. The White Star had an ominous feeling about this.
Bzzz, bzzzz.

A strong whirlwind of power was giving the White Star the chills.

“…Cale Henituse!”

The White Star’s body quickly descended toward Cale. Fire was shooting out of his fire
sword. The fire turned into the shape of a red crescent moon-shaped boomerang as it
flew toward Cale.

Baaaaang!

However, the red crescent moon was blocked by black aura.

Siiiiiizzle.

The black aura was gobbled up by the red crescent moon and instantly disappeared.
However, the White Star’s fire did not manage to reach Cale. The White Star could see
Choi Han standing on top of the tallest building nearby with his sword pointed at him.

It was Choi Han's aura that had blocked the fire.

“…That bastard……!”

Cale started to speak as the White Star started to frown.

Boom!

As a rumbling that shook his whole body came from his heart and gave him the signal…

“Eat it up.”

Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

The people in the plaza raised their heads.

Four strands of wind flew out from Cale and moved toward the north, south, wast, and
west. People who turned their heads following those strands of wind then saw it.

“…Spears……!”
 “Arrows?”

The ends of the spinning pillars of water turned sharp. Four spears pointed their firm
arrow-like points toward the red pillars.
Cale let the wind carry his voice.

“Fire.”

 I’ve been waiting for this.

The Sky Eating Water responded and the large water spears shot toward the pillars of
fire.
The people nearby blankly watched this sight. Their ears were ringing because of the
large spears’ movements.

Caw. Caw.

Those people snapped back to focus and stepped back thanks to crows biting and
pulling at them. Their speed slowly increased as they ran away from the pillars.
However, they continued to turn their heads to watch the fire and water clash against
each other.

Baaaaang!

Loud explosions could be heard as the water and fire clashed.

The ground started to shake as well.
Sizzling sounds came from all directions.
It seemed as if the world was flipping over.

“…This is not possible. You can block- a disaster?”

The descending White Star’s pupils were shaking in disbelief.

Siiiiiizzle.

The magma-like fire was slowly being destroyed by the ferociously slamming water.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The water continued to slam into the pillars of fire even as the tips of their spears
broke down. They gnawed away at them. Then they gobbled them up.
The furiously spinning water gobbled up the fire before turning into vapor and flying
up into the sky.

Crown prince Valentino got goosebumps all over his body as he watched.

The fire did not end up burning everything and the large water did not turn into a
tsunami and destroy the nearby crops either.
They both dispersed into the air as if they had never existed from the start.

His head quickly looked up.

“…Young master Cale.”

Young master Cale was descending from the sky. He was heading to the center of the
plaza near crown prince Valentino.
Valentino walked over toward Cale like a man who lost his mind. The goosebumps had
not disappeared either.

‘Cale Henituse, Cale Henituse.’

How many times had he heard that name from almost everywhere these past few
years? He had also personally seen this man’s amazing display of power at the Caro
Kingdom's battle as well.
However, he was not shocked this time.

‘Is he human?’

Was this man human?

Could you call someone who could so freely use the powers of nature human?
Shock and gratitude as well as fear and unfamiliarity filled Valentino's mind

Both the White Star and Cale Henituse had similar powers.

This one fact was sounding the alarm in Valentino's mind. However, he naturally
walked over to Cale.
He wanted to see the person who made this amazing thing happen.

Valentino reached his hand out toward Cale the moment Cale landed on the ground.
He wanted to at least pat him on the shoulder.
“Young master Cale.”

However, his hand stopped in the air.

“Cough!”

Cale body started to fall forward. Valentino saw something that was dark red unlike
the fire falling to the ground.
The dark red blood coming out of Cale’s mouth quickly wet his clothes and the ground.

“Young master-nim! Are you okay?”

Gashan who had approached at some point supported Cale up.

Valentino could see Cale's hands as he leaned on Gashan. They were slightly shaking.
It was not just his hands. His entire body was slightly shaking.
His pale complexion could not be covered even by the blood flowing at the corners of
his mouth.

“Ah.”

Valentino let out a gasp.

‘He’s human.’

Cale Henituse was also human.

Why did Cale Henituse have to cough up blood and be in so much pain?

Valentino looked around. He could see people looking shocked and concerned for Cale.
He then saw the plaza where the residents of the territory had gathered.
Valentino realized it after observing each and every person’s gaze and expression.

Cale Henituse is different than that man known as the White Star.

He heard Gashan’s voice at that moment.

“Young master-nim, aren’t you overdoing it?”

Valentino urgently turned his head to look at Cale. His gaze soon headed up into the air.

Baaaaang!
He saw a shining black light clashing against fire.
The aura coming out of Choi Han’s sword was fighting against the White Star's fire
sword.

To be more specific, Choi Han’s black aura did not fear getting broken as it continued
to prevent the White Star from coming down.

Valentino could feel that the White Star’s gaze was focused on the plaza even without
being able to see him.
That red sword was aiming for the people in the plaza. He realized it right away.

The White Star then saw some silver threads slowly coming out of Cale’s hands.

‘…Shield!’

It was the power Valentino was familiar with, the same power that had made Cale
famous.
He realized that Cale was trying to create a shield. He was doing it to protect the people
here. Valentino started to clench his fists. He opened his eyes wide and firmly clenched
his fists.

The silver threads that slowly came out as Cale coughed up blood and continued to
shake started to become clearer.

“…Young master-nim!”

Gashan’s concerned voice echoed through the plaza.

Cale who was listening to that voice started to frown.

‘Damn it!’

He had used too much of the Sky Eating Water.

It had been too much.
He had also used the earth attribute ancient power as well.
Furthermore, he had been using the Sound of the Wind almost all day.

Although he had not used all five attributes, his body was shaking because he had used
too much of the water.

‘Should I have used the crown?’

 He would have been fine if he had done so.

 Let’s stop.

He heard the Super Rock’s voice.

However, Cale could not stop.

‘Choi Han can’t last long!’

Furthermore, he had told the people to gather at the plaza.

 Yes. You already decided to use your powers since that moment.

The corners of Cale’s lips slowly went up and formed a sorrow smile as if responding
to the Super Rock's sorrowful voice.
A beautiful silver light appeared in front of the people who had their heads up at that
moment.
 Cale's hands that were reaching toward the sky weakly fell down.
His slumping hands were still slightly shaking. Cale did not think about making his
hands stop shaking.

A silver light.
He could see the large and half-transparent dome covering the entire plaza. The silver
light was shining brightly.

“Young master-nim!”

Gashan quietly shouted to him with an emotional voice.

“Raon-nim must have arrived!”

Cale did not cast his shield. He didn’t need to do so.

 Human!

He heard Raon's voice that was filled with urgency. Cale lifted his head up. Raon's
silver shield looked quite sturdy.
This should be enough to resist multiple aftershocks of the White Star and Choi Han’s
attacks.

‘So smart.’

Cale sighed at the fact that Raon cast a silver shield and not a black shield. He was a
kid but he was a smart kid, like a certain someone.

‘I guess he is the Dragon Lord's child. He also got a young noble's level of education by
being with Eruhaben-nim since he was young.
…He’s no joke the more that I think about it.’

Cale heard some footsteps coming toward him as his expression turned serious. He
turned his head toward the direction of the footsteps only to see crown prince
Valentino looking at him with an extremely odd expression.

Was he smiling, crying, or angry? He opened and closed his mouth a few times without
saying anything with that confusing expression.

“…Young master Cale, is that silver light your doing as well?”

Cale had to think after hearing this question that took Valentino so long to ask. This
silver dome that was like his silver shield was actually Raon's shield, but he could not
tell Valentino that Raon had cast it.
He could not reveal the existence of a Dragon so easily.

‘There are no mages nearby either.’

Mages would instantly realize that this silver dome was a magic shield, but
unfortunately, there were no mages with Valentino because of the mana disturbance
tools.

‘Should I say that it is a hidden ally mage helping out since the mages from the Lord’s
Castle may end up coming here?
Yes, let’s do that.’

Cale organized his thoughts and opened his mouth to speak. He was about to say that
it was a great and mighty mage ally helping out.
However, Valentino was a bit faster.

“Yes. You don’t need to say anything. I already understand enough of your thoughts.”

‘My thoughts? What do you know about my thoughts?’

Cale looked toward Valentino in shock, but the crown prince who seemed to be
thinking about something shook his head before turning away from Cale and walking
toward a nearby knight.

“What the…?”

Cale’s mumblings did not reach Valentino. Instead, Cale felt his trouser cuffs starting
to get wet.
 What do you mean, ‘what the,’ you stupid human! Human, you are an idiot!

He couldn’t see them, but Cale could draw out the front paws grabbing his leg. The
sniffling noise echoed in his mind.
It was definitely Raon. Cale finally realized something.

‘I don't hear the mana disturbance tools alarm anymore.’

The wiiiiiing noise that had sharply and loudly echoed through the entire territory
could no longer be heard. That symbolized just one thing.

‘Did they find and destroy the mana disturbance tools?’

As Cale wondered where Eruhaben who should have come with Raon could be…

 D, destroy everything! Beat it to a pulp! Obliterate it!

As Cale tried to ignore Raon’s shouts as usual…

Baaaaang!

He heard a loud explosion. Cale’s head automatically turned toward the source of the
explosion.

‘Damn.’

Cale could not gasp out loud. Gold mana was shining like the moon.
At the center of that radiant gold light was a beautiful gold-haired man who made even
the Whales look ugly.

Cale heard a resident’s mumblings reach his ear at that moment.

“…The Lord’s Castle's roof is- t, the roof is broken!”

That explosion had just come from the Lord’s Castle.

The triangular roof of the tallest tower within the Lord’s Castle had turned into dust
and was slowly disappearing. He had cleanly destroyed only the top floor and the roof.
Maybe that was why, but there was no debris either.
Cale thought he could see the people running out of the Lord’s Castle in fear after
hearing the loud noise.
 As expected of gramps! Human, the mana disturbance tools were in there! Gramps
said he would destroy them all!

‘T, these vicious and fierce Dragons!'

Cale could not help but smile even with a pale expression. The corners of his lips that
were dyed dark red from blood slowly started to rise.

‘Ah. I feel relaxed.’

Cale's mind was quite at peace.

 Human! We can use magic now! Ahahahaha! Just sit here and wait! I'll be back after
destroying things!

Raon’s rambling voice made him feel so at peace. It was amazing.

 You unlucky bastard. Why does a smart bastard like you always bleed after slamming
in with your bare body? Tsk.

Cale could hear the ancient Dragon click his tongue and nag at him, but even that made
Cale feel at peace.

“Young master-nim, that sir is-!”

Cale nodded his head at Gashan’s bright voice and calmly responded.

“Yes, he’s on our side.”

Gashan was not the only one listening to that statement. The crown prince and the
nearby residents all felt relieved after hearing his voice.
The crown prince could not ask the bloody Cale a question and asked Gashan instead.

“Who is that person?”

"He is a mage-nim on our side.”

Valentino was a smart person as well. His expression instantly brightened.

“…Mage? Does that mean the mana disturbance tools have been destroyed?”
“Yes sir.”

He immediately headed toward the knights after hearing Gashan's response. The
Knight Captain urgently rushed toward Valentino's side.
They could now use magic. That meant that there were many things Valentino could
do now.

The individual who had been waiting for this moment more than anybody else let go
of Cale’s pants and shot up into the sky.

Baaaaang! Baaaaang!

Choi Han was jumping across roofs having trouble holding the White Star back. The
White Star was angry but could not launch any strong attacks toward Choi Han. Choi
Han was a precious individual.

“You can’t attack properly.”

Choi Han who realized this started to slowly test the White Star’s patience. The White
Star snorted at him.

“I didn't know you had such a personality.”

The White Star dodged Choi Han and sent his fire toward the silver dome. The fire that
started from his sword flicked down like a whip.
Choi Han jumped in between the two.

“Did you think there was anything you knew properly?”

“Ha!”

The White Star sneered at Choi Han who continued to talk endlessly during their fight
and swung the fire whip.

Baaaaang!

Then there was an explosion.

“Ugh!”
 “Ugh!”

Both the White Star and Choi Han groaned. Choi Han who had charged toward the fire
whip with just his sword groaned because of the hard head that slammed into his back.

Siiiiiizzle-

The White Star's fire was blocked by a different water wall.

 Choi Han! What’s wrong with your hands? Are you okay? You don’t need to worry
anymore! The great and mighty Raon Miru has brought goldie gramps who is just
slightly smarter than me!

Choi Han’s back hurt where Raon headbutted him, but there was a smile on his face.

‘Raon’s head is so hard.’

He couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was having such a useless thought during
battle. However, the thing that was making his smile even bigger was the sight in front
of him.
He could see the White Star start to frown. He could also see the gold rope that was
making him unable to move.

“…You dare!”

The angry White Star tried to move his arms. However, his arms could not move
properly as if they were chained down.
His gaze followed the gold whip tying his arms down and saw ancient Dragon Eruhaben.

“…Damn prey like you dare to……!”

“I guess you are calling me prey since you were a Dragon Slayer at one point.”

“How were you able to get through the mana disturbance to destroy the mana
disturbance tools?”

Eruhaben laughed at the White Star's question. The answer was simple.
Using magic in an area where mana was chaotic and not normal could damage the
user because of the clashing of regular mana and the chaotic mana.
 That was why only spells that did not require much mana had to be used. Of course,
mages under the high-grade level could not even try to use those kinds of magic when
the mana disturbance state was as bad as it was here, and even high-grade mages
would feel sick and feel like throwing up.

“Who knows?”

Eruhaben strengthened his gold whip as he responded.

“I don’t want to tell you.”

“…What?”

The White Star then saw the whip tying him down start to twist. The White Star
immediately swung the fire sword toward Eruhaben after feeling the whip trying to
rip away at his arms.

“Aigoo, I should dodge a Dragon Slayer’s sword.”

Eruhaben chuckled as he dodged the White Star's sword.

“…Are you making fun of me right now?”

Eruhaben smiled at the White Star's reaction and shrugged his shoulders.

“No?”

Choi Han heard Raon's voice in his mind at that moment.

 That's not true! That’s right! He’s making fun of him! Our gramps is doing a great job!
He’s the best! Oh, Choi Han. I'm going to soon learn how to destroy mana disturbance
from gramps and my, m, mo-, anyway, I'm going to learn it! Just wait! Tell the human
I'm going to learn it soon and that Raon Miru will be able to get it done! Ah, also!

Choi Han’s shoulders flinched for a moment.

He was not the only one. The moment the White Star’s sword slammed into the
chuckling Eruhaben’s gold shield…

Bang!
 His body flinched.
The ancient Dragon under the gold shield laughed out loud after seeing this reaction.

"What's wrong? Didn't you expect this much after the mana disturbance tools were
destroyed?”

Raon was talking in Choi Han's mind as well.

 Ah, also! Good Mary is here!

‘What?’

Choi Han finally realized where the flow of power that made him nervous had come
from. His gaze headed toward the west.
The desert that turned black during the night time…
He could see something creating a path on the empty desert and walking toward them.

“…Huh?”

The people inside the plaza could see it as well.

It was something that was as black as the now black sand.

“D, Dragon?”

There was a large Dragon above the sand.

“Bone Dragon!”

A Dragon made with numerous monster bones.

The necromancer in a black robe was standing on the head of the Dragon made of
black bones.

Tap. Tap.

The people who were dazed by that sight turned after hearing footsteps. There were
people jumping on top of the houses in the city. They were the Dark Elves.

Cale took out the golden top's whip.

‘Are you okay? We were worried!’

‘Are you hurt? Let’s really go see the World Tree-nim next time! Let’s go ask her for
some medicinal herbs that are good for the body!’

‘…Chaos… destruction… I am sad… You… should… not… go chaotic… or destroy yourself…

I will do it…… ’

He opened his mouth to speak.

“Deliver my message.”

‘Yes, yes, of course!’

‘To the Dark Elves, right?’

‘Will deliver whatever you wish. Happiness. Peace. Love.’

Gashan and Cale made eye contact at that moment.

The crows were looking at the plaza.
Cale started to speak again. The plan would continue. They had to stick with the
original plan even more after being hit like this in order to protect the Dubori territory
and prevent it from being destroyed any more.
So everyone…

“Run.”

Tiger Gashan carried Cale on his back and started to run.

They were headed toward the Land of Death.
The Dark Elves all headed or the Land of Death.

“Huh?”

The watching residents’ eyes opened wide. It was because the people who were telling
them to come here were leaving and going elsewhere.
It was even more shocking because Gashan and Cale were at the center of that group.

“…They're running away without these people? Cale Henituse is leaving people behind?”

The White Star's eyes slightly frowned as he watched.

Even with this young Dragon's shield, it was obvious that the forces protecting the
residents and knights would decrease if Cale escaped. The residents started to become
scared as they felt the same way.

“W, who is going to protect us?”

“Why is he throwing us aside?”

It was at that moment.

One of the Dark Elves who had followed Gashan who had Cale on his back hesitated as
he looked at the plaza and started to speak.

“Is it okay to leave them there like this? We haven’t captured the black mages in the
Lord’s Castle or taken care of the rest of the enemies.”

Another person approached them and responded once he asked the question.

"We did everything we could.”

“Tasha-nim.”

Dark Elf Tasha looked at the plaza and the Lord’s Castle with a cold gaze before speaking
to the Dark Elf warrior.

“How much must we do for them?”

The Dark Elf warrior was at a loss for words. He also felt that Tasha was very cold. It
was different seeing someone who took the lead in everything for the Underground
City and the Roan Kingdom act like this.
Tasha continued to speak to that warrior.

“There’s no need for us to take care of things the Caro Kingdom’s citizens can do on
their own.”

“Excuse me?”

What did she mean by things the Caro Kingdom's citizens could do on their own?
Tasha was about to respond to that question. However, Cale responded first.

“No matter how strong the White Star is, he cannot win against numbers and
justification.”

“What do you mean by that-”

“It means that there’s no need for us to do everything. We can leave it for someone
who would do a better job. The Caro Kingdom is not such a weak place.”

The Dark Elf warrior flinched after hearing noises that then started to come from
multiple directions.

Booooom- Boom- Booooom!

The drum noises were coming from all directions except the South.

They were all headed for the Dubori territory.

The nearby territories’ Knights Brigade, the Royal Knights Brigade, and soldiers were
surrounding the territory like a tsunami and marching forward.

Cale listened to the beating of the drums and recalled how crown prince Valentino had
nodded his head when they made eye contact before Cale had run away.

‘Crown prince Valentino ignored the issues in the Dubori territory.’

He had ignored the issue of the residents running away because of the extreme taxes
because he was worried about his position being shaken. However, he personally
showed up when the territory was in danger.
It was very humane, and he at least had the minimum level of a sense of responsibility.

“Huh? Huh?”

The residents curled up after hearing the drums and could not hide their anxiety once
the silver shield disappeared.
The Knight Captain raised his voice at that moment.

"Everybody calm down!”

Paaaat. Paat!

Bright lights started to appear around the plaza at that moment. The Knight Captain's
voice cut through the plaza as people became even more shocked because of those
knights.

“The Royal Mages have arrived!”

High-grade mages had teleported and appeared at the set coordinates. The Captain
approached the crown prince and bowed.

“Your highness! We will create some magic circles! Everyone will soon arrive!”

“Quickly create them! Cast a shield over the plaza as well!”

“Yes, your highness!”

The mana disturbance tools that were in the Dubori territory were now destroyed.
Mages started to teleport over or run over with acceleration magic. Crown prince
Valentino clenched his fists.

‘This is the Caro Kingdom. That's why we need to protect it ourselves.’

The residents could see the knights surrounding the plaza with their swords out as
well as the mages who were creating and combining shields that were smaller and
weaker than the strong shield from earlier.
The drums slowly got closer and they could hear the soldiers’ shouts as well. The
residents’ bodies that were curled up in fear slowly started to open.

Baaaaaang!

Another explosion came from the Lord’s Castle at that moment.

“Shit! Get them!”

Bear King Sayeru gave an order to the black mages. However, they could not properly
cast their spells.

Baaaaang! Bang!

Fire cast by a Fire Elemental and a Water Elemental's water wall were blocking their
path. Some of the Dark Elves popped out of there and started to escape.
They were the ones who had not left with Tasha earlier. They were still taking care of
Cale's orders to help the residents escape to the plaza.

“Aaaaah!”

“Lord-nim! Please wake up!”

The Lord who was covered in dust was being supported by a knight who was trying
his best to escape from the Lord’s Castle. The knights, mages, servants, and
administrators all urgently rushed out of the door that the Elementals destroyed for
them.
Sayeru started to frown as he watched.

“Damn it, Ellie!”

“Ah, why do you keep calling me?! I can’t cast any illusions right now because my
bracelet is destroyed!”

The Illusionist raged as she frowned while looking at her broken bracelet.

‘F*ck.’

Sayeru grabbed his hair as he watched.

‘We were going to control the lord with illusions and make the Caro Kingdom be on
our side!’

It was difficult to cast any illusions because the Illusionist's medium was destroyed.
Furthermore, the Caro Kingdom's central forces and the nearby territories’ soldiers
had arrived earlier than they expected.

‘Who expected the crown prince to get here so quickly, no, to personally come here?’

His gaze then headed to the gold-haired man in the air.

‘It’s because of this damn Dragon bastard.’

Sayeru had thought that Choi Han who had left the Illusionist and rushed out of the
banquet hall had headed over to the mana disturbance tools. That was why he had
urgently headed to the top of the Lord’s Castle, only to meet Eruhaben there.

‘It’s been a while.’

The Dragon had attacked the mana disturbance tools, the castle's roof, and Sayeru as
he said that. That was why Sayeru was delayed in noticing the Dark Elves using their
contracted Elementals to protect the territory lord in multiple layers of barriers.

“You take care of things here. I don’t care if you make a new medium or what.”

“Hey!”

He ignored Illusionist Elisneh's shout and shot up to the air. He looked toward the Dark
Elves and Cale.

“Hey!”

Elisneh flinched while shouting toward Sayeru.

Caw. Caw.

She could hear the cawing crows. Something fell by her side at that moment.

“…These damn-!”

Plop. Plop.
The crows were dropping the rats they hunted around the Illusionist. These fainted
rats that had been her eyes and ears piled up around her. The Illusionist made eye
contact with one of the crows at that moment.
The crow opened its beak.

“That was a good hunt.”

The tips of Elisneh's fingers were shaking in anger after hearing the imposing old
man's voice.

“…You’re just a run-of-the-mill shaman!”

The crow cawed as if to sneer at her and moved away. It said one last thing as it moved.

“I was told to tell you to wait to see true despair instead of just an illusion.”

The laughing old man's voice disappeared as the crow flew away. Elisneh who had
been angry realized something weird.

“…Weren’t they running away?”

Weren't that crow's owner, the Dark Elves, and Cale Henituse, their leader, currently
running away? She could see them heading west past the city walls and away from the
Lord’s Castle.
But showing them despair?

Her mind quickly came to a conclusion.

‘They're not running away!’

She quickly looked around and approached a black mage before grabbing him by the
collar and giving him an order.

“Cast flight magic on me now! Either that, or contact Sayeru or the White Star
immediately!”

She needed to let them know.

She needed to tell them that those bastards were not running away.
 2

Tasha was asking Cale a question at that moment.

“How far do we have to run?”

Cale grabbed Gashan’s shoulders and Gashan stopped walking. Tasha stopped as well
and asked again. Her gaze headed up to the sky for a moment.

“The other Dark Elves who went to the Lord’s Castle will finish their tasks and reunite
with us soon. But why are we the only ones running away?”

She could see Cale start to smile.

“Of course, only we are running away.”

Other than Gashan, only the Dark Elves would have heard the message from their
Elementals. There were many people who had not heard Cale say, ‘run.’ Cale stoically
responded to Tasha who found it weird that they were the only ones running away
and looked forward.
They were now on top of the western city wall. Cale opened his mouth to speak once
he got there.

 Human! Why are you and the Dark Elves running away? I did what you told me to do
before I went to the Eastern continent!

The woman in a black robe who had flown toward the territory and the escaping party
was now floating above the city wall looking down at Cale who was on Gashan’s back.

“Mary.”

The black robe slightly moved as she bowed.

“Give me a ride.”

The Dragon lowered its head. Cale walked onto the black bones. He held Mary’s hand
and stood up straight.
He then gave an order to the Dark Elves.

“You guys go and prepare. Follow our original plan.”

 There were multiple things in the desert to tie the White Star down in the Land of
Death.
The people of the Underground City were able to create large traps throughout the
desert because it was a discarded land that nobody traveled across.

“I will make the White Star escape to the Land of Death during that time.”

Tasha laughed and moved past Cale and Mary.

“Sure. I guess our job is to run right now. We will go to play our part.”

“I will go with them as well. I will leave a crow behind with you.”

Gashan followed behind Tasha as well.

Cale finally looked forward. He slowly organized the thoughts in his mind.

The Illusionist couldn't cast illusions because her medium was destroyed, while the
Caro Kingdom's mages and knights should be able to protect the residents.
Choi Han, Raon, and the others were all free.

 Let’s fight!

He heard the Sky Eating Water's voice.

 Now we can fight without any hindrances.

Black threads started to come out of Mary’s hands.

Screech, screech.

The black bone wings became covered in Mary’s black mana.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

The Black Bone Dragon flew up.

Cale looked at her and casually commented.

“Did you become stronger?”

“Of course. I absorbed a lot of dead mana.”

The dead mana storage facilities around the Mogoru Empire's North, South, East, and
West Alchemists’ Towers. Mary who had absorbed the most dead mana from those
places had taken what the White Star wanted to take for herself.

"Then first, block that.”

“I understand.”

The Dragon quickly flew through the air.

It then crashed.

“Ugh! This bastard!”

Mary's black threads that covered the Bone Dragon’s wing bones had created large
wings. The Dragon flapped its wings and destroyed Sayeru's light arrows with its front
paws. Cale suddenly recalled what he said to Choi Han earlier.
It was during the celebration in the Roan Kingdom. He had said the following while
explaining the plan to Choi Han on the terrace.

‘Didn’t I say that I was going to cut the White Star's right arm off?’

He mumbled to himself as he recalled that memory.

“I guess I can destroy three different right arms.”

Cale looked down toward the pale Sayeru from on top of the Dragon as he started to
speak.

“You too, right?”

The pale and feeble Sayeru.

He turned even paler every time he used his ancient power.

“Your plate is weak like mine, right?”

“You bastard!”
Sayeru flinched before shouting in rage as he created tens of spinning light orbs. Mary
stepped forward.

“Based on our attributes, I should be the one to fight.”

Cale happily handed the stage over to her. He then turned around and opened his
mouth to speak.
And then, as he made eye contact with the White Star…

“I'll destroy your plate before you destroy mine.”

Choi Han, the invisible Raon, and Eruhaben all quickly charged toward the White Star
as if they had been waiting for Cale to say that.

“Ha!”

The White Star scoffed in disbelief before increasing the strength of the fire on his
sword. Choi Han made eye contact with him and smiled as Cale shouted.

‘I will do the same thing you did to me.’

“That bastard is alone right now! Don’t give him any openings to use his ancient
powers!”

Raon’s magic that had been covered by the night sky struck down from above everything.

“What is this?”

A tightly interlocked net started to fall toward the White Star. This trap was full of the
young Dragon's anger.

The net that was spread as wide as the night sky started to bind the White Star.
The White Star pointed his sword toward the sky. The fire of disaster looked ready to
touch the black net falling toward him.

Baaaaang!

However, that red fire was blocked by the shining black aura again.

“Ugh!”

The White Star could see Choi Han who groaned as he was flung away. He could see a
golden whip flying past Choi Han as well.

“Did you think I would fall for this again?”

The White Star created a water wall.

Chhhh-

The water wall blocked the black net. His body moved forward at the same time. The
White Star easily dodged the golden whip that was approaching him like the snake.
His body quickly approached Eruhaben.
Choi Han tried to respond to that quick movement but a transparent wall got in his
way.

“Ugh! This wind……!”

The White Star’s wind wall was blocking Choi Han's path to the White Star. The White
Star used that opening to dodge Eruhaben's whip and move even closer.

“Don’t touch my gramps!”

He ignored the young Dragon's urgent shout.

‘You're all just damn prey.’

He was not afraid of any Dragons when there was no Dragon Lord.

‘Look at the current situation. The world is so chaotic and so many Dragons have died
but they all just mind their own businesses and live their lives. That's the kind of
creatures these Dragons are.’

“Yet they are pretending to be family.”

He found the young Dragon and the ancient Dragon in front of him to be stupid. He
continued to dodge the whip and finally reached a point where he could touch
Eruhaben if he reached his hand out.
His hand holding the sword made an arc. Fire burned following the arc and headed
toward the Dragon.

“I was waiting for you.”

The corners of the ancient Dragon's lips went up at that moment.

Eruhaben released the golden whip with no hesitation.

This gold light was not his attribute.

Powder or dust. These tiny particles that could not easily be seen was his attribute.
It was a power that could not be seen when covered by something luxurious.

The ancient Dragon could see the White Star who had walked into the tiny powder
particles he had spread out in the area.
He ordered his mana.

“Explode.”

Explode little particles.

‘Each and one of you may be weak, but your combined strength as you surround him
is not weak at all.’

The first particle exploded. No sound was made. However, an uncountable number of
particles then started to explode as well.
The White Star started to frown.
“F*ck!”

Baaaaang, Baaaaang, bang, Baaaaang!

He could not see in front of him. Small explosions happened every time he tried to
move his hand.
He could not move as his two legs, two arms, and his body were all surrounded by the
exploding dust particles.

‘This Dragon bastard- he dares to… ’

The water wall blocking the net disappeared. Eruhaben started to speak.

“Move back!”

Water burst out of the exploding particles as soon as he moved.

Chhhhhhhhhhhh-

The particles were instantly washed away by the water and the area around the White
Star became clear.

“Ha, haha-”

The White Star looked down at his sleeves. His suit that wasn’t his style but he wore
as he was going to a celebration had turned into a mess from the small explosions.

“…I guess you're looking down on me.”

The Castle of Light. What was giving these bastards who had hidden inside the Dragon
Lord's castle because they were afraid of him the confidence to come at him now?

Boom, boom- boom!

He heard the drums.

‘Are those drums making you bastards confident? Do you think you can defeat me
because a few of the kingdom’s soldiers are coming?’

He could see the ancient Dragon charging toward him again. He could also feel Choi
Han who had crossed the wind wall charging from behind him as well.
He lifted his head.

Ooooooooong-

The fire shot up to the sky. He split the fire into both of his hands. There was a strong
gust of wind inside the fire. This wind was similar to a typhoon, another natural
disaster.

“I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with this.”

Ruuuumble-

The sky started to cry.

Black clouds gathered in the sky following the White Star's will. The black clouds
slowly started to cover the stars, the moon, and everything else in darkness.

“Your goal is to destroy my plate?”

He charged forward toward Eruhaben like an arrow.

“I won’t let you!”

Choi Han launched his black aura like an arrow from behind the White Star. The White
Star waved one hand. The fire with the store inside opened its jaws and gobbled up
the aura.

Baaaaaang!

Then there was a large explosion. Choi Han had to step back.
The fire sword and a hand covered in gold dust clashed at that moment. Another loud
explosion echoed in Choi Han's ears.

Siiiiiizzle.

The gold light slowly started to disappear as it touched the fire. The White Star looked
at Eruhaben as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Do you hear the cries of the sky?”

The ancient Dragon’s hands started to shake. The White Star pushed with even more
strength. The Dragon Slayer’s Sword of Disasters. This was an extremely dangerous
power for Dragons.

‘Just a little more.’

The White Star stabbed his sword a little farther in.

This fire would soon destroy the ancient Dragon's gold mana and rip apart his two
hands. The White Star saw the ancient Dragon's stiff expression at that moment.

“Who knows?”

The ancient Dragon stoically observed the White Star and continued to speak.

“It’s too loud with someone yapping on. I can't hear anything else.”

‘What? Yapping?’

The White Star realized something at that moment and raised his head.
He had gotten rid of the water wall. Then that thing that was being blocked should
have fallen down. However, the black net did not come to bind the White Star. The
beautiful night sky sparkled in the White Star’s eyes.

“Aaaaaaaaahh!”

He then heard someone let out a desperate scream.

Eruhaben started to smile.

“It looks like someone else is screaming. Hmm?”

The White Star looked over Eruhaben's shoulder to see someone caught by the black
net.
He looked like a fish. The person who was screaming as he was caught in one, two,
three, numerous layers of the net was Bear King Sayeru.

Crackle, crackle.

It was not just a black net. There was a faint current flowing through the net. Sayeru's
clothes burned every time it touched the net and the current shocked Sayeru’s skin.
The White Star started to frown.
 “Unnecessary……!”

‘Why did you unnecessarily try to help?’

Eruhaben smiled and covered the White Star’s angry eyes.

“Alright then, shouldn't we continue our fight?”

Gold dust covered the ancient Dragon and rose like a storm.
Sayeru continued to feel pain from the currents of the tightening net and could not
even see properly because of the net.
He did not see that the Black Bone Dragon was approaching him.

“Damn it, that was so sudden!”

Sayeru's light-covered hand tried to rip the black net.

Siiizzle.

The net made of mana ripped with a burning sound, but there were so many layers
that it would take him a while to get out.
He heard a calm voice in his ear at that moment.

“You should use more of your ancient power. Do you really think you can get out of the
net with just that?”

The shadows of the Dragon's wings had covered him. Sayeru raised his head. He could
see Cale's cold gaze looking down at him.

“You bastard-!”

‘Fine, I'll get out of this net!’

He drew out the ancient power inside his body. A bright light surrounded him. It was
not just a simple light.

 Human! My net is burning! That was so hard for me to make!

The burning light instantly started to burn the net away.

Sayeru looked as if the real sun had appeared in the world.
 “Kehehe, I just need to last a little longer.”

He heard hear the sky rumbling.

The White Star would soon use that power. He just needed to resist until then. He tried
to shoot up into the sky with the light surrounding him.
He tried to run.

“F*ck!”

However, something got in his way.

 It was hard to make, but I just need to make it again. I am great and mighty, you stupid
Bear!

“This net is, again!”

Cough.

Blood spurted out of Sayeru’s mouth. His plate was slightly shaking every time he used
his power. He could see Cale’s smiling face.
It seemed to be saying that he was aiming for this. Sayeru bit down on his lips.

‘Do you think I will lose? I will resist. I will escape.’

Sayeru recalled his younger days when he was very weak and poor. He then released
light once more. The light started to gobble up the net again.

“Cough!”

However, his body flinched after coughing once more.

It was at that moment.

“It really has to be an incompatible power.”

Sayeru heard a robotic voice above him. He raised his head. He could see the
necromancer swinging a bone sword covered in dead mana.
The light coming off Sayeru’s body brightened the necromancer’s hideous face.

It also brightened the black bone stabbing down toward him.

“I, I-!”

‘I can’t lose like this.’

Sayeru tried to move his light-covered hand up.

“Please don’t do that.”

Siiiiiizzle.

He heard some burning noises.

Sayeru could see the Bone Dragon's front paws that were holding his arms. The black
bones started to melt. However, it was enough to hold Sayeru down.

Mary was a necromancer who uses bones. She used to only fight in the back until she
learned some martial arts from Tasha.
She then created a bone sword and continuously added her dead mana into it. This
was a dead mana infused sword that only a necromancer could use.
It also had her desire to step up and fight inside it.

This sword was made of dead mana, something of the darkness attribute that was
incompatible with light.
That sword stabbed into Sayeru.

“Aaaaaaaaahh!”

His piercing scream was even louder than the rumbling in the sky.

“I made a mistake. I really should learn sword arts from Choi Han.”

Cale calmly responded to Mary’s statement.

“It’s fine.”

He smiled while looking at the person who pushed Mary away.

“We still managed to cut off his right arm.”

“…You bastard, because I've been going easy on you-”

The White Star was growling in anger. Standing behind him was Sayeru who no longer
had a right arm coughing up blood while his body was shaking.
Cale’s smile became even bigger.

‘Now that we cut off the first right arm… ’

“Shouldn't we cut off the second?”

A water spear appeared in Cale’s hand. The spear started to become dyed in a dark
blue color as thick as the abyss.

Swoooooooosh-

Cale charged toward the White Star the moment wind surrounded his body. He was
heading toward the White Star who was trying to protect Sayeru who was on his side.
It wasn’t that Cale had not used this strategy of taking people hostage or taking care
of the White Star’s people one by one to make him a loner because he didn't know
about this strategy. However, now that the enemy did it first, Cale would only feel
better after returning it with at least double the pain.

Raon had been in pain because of the mana disturbance.

He couldn’t tell whether Choi Han was laughing or crying.
People were shaking in fear without being able to sleep at night.

‘This bastard, who does he think he is to pull this kind of crap?’

Who cares if he is the White Star?

“Hahaha! You dare to come at me with that body?”

The White Star sneered at Cale who was charging toward him. Not only did Cale look
terrible because of his pale complexion and dry blood, but his hand that was holding
the spear was shaking as well.

However, Cale still charged forward.

He focused his gaze on the White Star who was sneering at him. Then, behind Sayeru
who was hiding behind the White Star…

He saw Choi Han raise his sword.

This was the stance Choi Jung Soo used to take when he called his Yong into his sword.
Choi Han’s Black Yong was aiming for the White Star’s back. That sword was different
than normal. The Yong rising from the black aura seemed to be infused with a natural
disaster.
It was only half of the power, but it definitely seemed to be the power of a violent
natural disaster.
Choi Han carefully moved away from the others as well as the enemies. He then moved
behind Sayeru while hiding his presence as much as possible.

It was impossible for him to completely hide his presence as he did not have excellent
stealth techniques like Ron, however, the others were helping him.

Cale, Mary, Raon, and Eruhaben.

They were revealing their powers and presences as much as possible, allowing Choi
Han to hide his presence among theirs.

Choi Han could see Sayeru's back. He slowly raised his sword over his shoulder and
pointed the tip of the sword forward as if he was holding a spear.

‘Huh? Choi Jung Soo, you're going home again? I said let’s go for a drink.’

‘Haha. I'm sorry, sunbae-nim! I have something to do! It’ll be my treat once I finish this!’

‘Nah, that’s okay. How can I mooch off someone making less than me? Just come next
time when you're free. Ah! Bring that punk Kim Rok Soo with you! That punk always
disappears right after work, where the hell does he go?’

‘Yes, sir! I understand! Then I'll be heading out now!’

He recalled one of Choi Jung Soo’s memories.

After struggling at work with Kim Rok Soo when he first entered the company, he
headed home right away after finishing work for a while after he got used to the work.
There were colleagues who wanted him to join them after work because he was a
friendly guy, but he always declined and headed to his place. Only Kim Rok Soo and
the team leader knew the reason he had to go straight home.

Honestly speaking, his home wasn't much.

The company that was located in Seoul was located around the central border of the
destroyed area and the still somewhat intact area and Choi Jung Soo's house were
around there as well. His house was a small one-bedroom in a building that was barely
maintaining its shape as a villa.

The building looked old as old as the buildings in a movie about the apocalypse he
watched before the world changed, but the people living inside were happy.

‘Oh, Jung Soo. Are you on your way home?’

‘Yes! Work ended early today, haha!’

‘Good, good. Come get some radish kimchi later.’

‘Thank you! Your radish kimchi is the best, grandma!’

‘Aigoo, my radish kimchi is nothing special. I should give you more things since we get
to live peacefully thanks to you.’

The grandmother looked very happy as she thanked him. Choi Jung Soo could not help
but smile back.
He looked around before going into the villa.

The people here seemed to be more relaxed with his company being nearby. That was
how the world slowly recovered its vitality and started to have hope for the future.
The people walking around this villa all seemed happy and the sky was bright.

Choi Jung Soo looked for a bit before heading toward his one-bedroom place with
refreshed and light steps.
He washed and cleaned for a bit before sitting down at his desk.

Choi Han clearly remembered what was on top of Choi Jung Soo's desk.
Choi Jung Soo picked up the pen.

‘Who else would do this if I don't do it? Am I right?’

Who knows who he was talking to, but he continued to write in the notebook in front
of him.

He was writing down the ancient martial arts and sword arts that the Choi household
had trained for generations.
There were already a lot of written pages. There were some scribbles, memos, and a
lot of pictures.

Choi Han remembered Choi Jung Soo's emotions as he wrote in the notebook. Choi
Jung Soo wanted to leave it for the world.
No, he wanted it to continue.

‘Although I’m the only one left… ’

Even though he was now alone… Even though his family and cousins had all left first…

‘We still need to leave behind a record of what we did.’

The things the Choi household had done.

They had researched Korea’s ancient martial arts and sword arts and trained day and
night to introduce them back into the world.
Choi Jung Soo wanted to continue that.

Choi Jung Soo who was left alone was still bright and energetic. However, despair,
sorrow, and loneliness lingered underneath those emotions.

He was working hard to record his household's martial arts research that he
remembered.
Choi Han had watched all of it, and thanks to Choi Jung Soo, he was able to tell what
the Choi household was trying to leave behind and continue.

He recalled that memory as he made the same resolution that Choi Jung Soo had made.

‘If I continue it, that means that my family and cousins are not gone from this world.
As long as I continue what they were doing, they’ll be alive in this world and by my
side.’

The moment that mindset became engraved in Choi Jung Soo's heart like a tattoo…
He had created his ‘White Miru.’

His emotions, thoughts, and efforts…

Choi Han thoroughly understood them all.

After understanding Choi Jung Soo, a phrase the first Dragon Slayer, Nelan Barrow or
Choi Jung Gun, had left in his memoir resurfaced in Choi Han’s mind.
<I put my heart into my power.>

It had seemed to be a random sentence in the middle of an important story.

However, that phrase was extremely powerful.

It felt even more powerful when he thought about ‘Abandoning Your Life,’ and the
‘Sword of Disasters.’

The first time he read Choi Jung Gun's memoir, he had wondered what this ancestor
of his was trying to do.
He had been angry at how his ancestor had found sacrifices to be normal.

Of course, he still did not understand that, but he felt that he could understand a bit
of what his ancestor was thinking.

Ooooooooong-

A natural disaster started to gather inside Choi Han's sword.

This was the ancient power Choi Jung Gun had created by channeling most of his life
force. The White Star who had inherited that power had created this half Sword of
Disaster for the fake Dragon Slayer, Syrem.

Even though Choi Jung Gun had not been the one to create this half power, Choi Han
realized Choi Jung Gun’s thoughts.

He tried to understand why he created this natural disaster, this power to destroy the
world.
Now, he understood at least a bit of it.

He was someone who had lost everyone other than his close friend, the Dragon.
He was someone who died without ever leaving behind any children of his own.

However, he still continued the name of the Dragon Slayer.

Choi Han added Choi Jung Soo's Yong into the disaster that was gathering in his sword.
And finally, he added his black aura into it.

The Yong that had become violent because of the natural disaster slowly turned black.
The moment the black Yong that finally appeared at the tip of his sword opened its
jaws toward the enemy…
“…Shit!”

Sayeru's body started to shake as the White Star felt a strong power behind him.

“Why are you so shocked?”

Cale was sneering at the White Star’s stiff expression as he stood there with the blue
spear in his hand, but the White Star could not respond to Cale this time.

“Head down.”

He grabbed Sayeru’s back.

“Huh, what are you doing?!”

He then threw the shocked Sayeru to the ground.

Swoooooooosh-

The wind wall surrounded Sayeru before quickly carrying him over to where Illusionist
Elisneh and the others were standing.

The White Star then turned around and shot up to the air with his wind.

Shhhhhh-

The blue spear flew past where he had just been standing.
The White Star would normally sneer at Cale who had such strong powers but failed
to hit him because his spear-throwing was terrible, but he didn't have time for that
right now.

The White Star made eye contact with Choi Han.

Ruuuumble-

The sky was crying. It felt as if thunderbolts would start striking down at any moment.

However, in a spot where the wind was quietly gathering, unlike those loud rumbling…
The White Star’s gaze headed toward Choi Han’s sword, the black Yong that was
pointed at him.
“…My power?”

He felt the power of the Sword of Disasters inside that Yong.

The half powered Sword of Disasters he had given to the fake Dragon Slayer Syrem
whom he created in order to replace his fate to maintain the balance of the world
clearly existed inside that Yong.

“…No. This isn't my power.”

However, it was not the power that he had created.

It was different.
It was not half-powered.
He could feel something inside this black Yong.

‘The feelings I had when I received the Sword of Disasters-!’

Deep in his memories to a distant time… It was the time when he had finally taken his
place as the Dragon Slayer. He had received the crown and the powers from the
previous Dragon Slayer at that time.
The moment he activated the Sword of Disasters which was one of those powers, he
was elated at the strong power but angry that he could not reveal it to the world.
However, he still could not forget the thrill he felt when he first faced that amazing
power.

But why could he feel that power coming from this sword master?

“It is mine but also not mine.”

There were other things in addition to the power of disaster. Choi Han took a step
toward the White Star instead of responding to that statement.
The disaster inside his sword was the first to move along with that step.

‘This is ours.’

The Yong raised its body once he took another step.

Choi Jung Gun had thrown away the rest of his life to prepare for the potential that
another White Star might appear in the world.
Choi Jung Soo had wanted to protect the world with the Yong that was created from a
collection of things his family had left behind.
Choi Han did not have as grand a goal as the two of them.
The black Yong flashed once Choi Han’s aura was added.

‘I want to be happy like I am now.’

Choi Han took a third step.

His sword pointed toward the sky. He then looked at his friends at that moment.
Eruhaben’s gold mana, Raon’s black mana, and Mary's Black Bone Dragon. They were
waiting for Choi Han and Choi Han responded to them.
The sword and the black Yong that was pointed toward the sky slowly slashed down
toward the White Star.

“Roooooar-”

The body of the black Yong that was full of strength twisted as it quickly shot toward
the White Star.

“Go!”

Raon and Mary’s powers also shot toward the White Star once Eruhaben shouted.
North, south, east, and west. Strong powers attacked the White Star from all four
directions.

The White Star’s gaze was still focused on Choi Han even at that moment.

Someone who looked similar to the first Dragon Slayer and knew how to read that
text. The bastard who was able to turn the Sword of Disasters into a brand new power.
In addition, someone whose time was twisted like his own.

Smirk.

That bastard was smirking at him.

He was also mouthing something. He couldn’t hear what that voice was saying, but he
was able to read the lips.

“Even though thunderbolts can’t protect you…”

‘He’s not a good person. This bastard is different than Cale.’

The residents of the territory down on the ground would all die if the White Star
struck down with his thunderbolts right now. This bastard was laughing even while
knowing that was the case.
The White Star stretched his hand toward the sky.

Baaaaaang-!

A loud explosion covered the sky.

People could see a large thunderbolt strike down to the ground. The thunderbolt was
striking down on one single person.
The thunderbolt was still connected to the black sky. It seemed as if that person had
become the thunderbolt himself.

“Roooooar!”

The Black Bone Dragon charged toward that thunderbolt.

The Dragon's wings ripped apart and the bones exploded. A tsunami of gold and black
light mixed and attacked from above the Dragon.

The White thunderbolts mixed with the gold light and black light to create a strong
gust of wind.
And finally…
Something that was clearly a Dragon but looked different than any Dragon he had seen
before opened its jaws and crunched down on him.

Bababababaaaaang!

All sorts of lights mixed and clashed. The black Yong continued to slowly gobble up
those lights even through the explosions. The explosions continued.
It seemed as if the stars were exploding.

Choi Han looked toward the feast of lights. He could see the White Star who covered
his body with his thunderbolts. He was using those thunderbolts to protect his body
while destroying the attacks one by one.

“Huh?! Another Dragon!”

People saw another black Yong at that moment.

That second black Yong charged toward the thunderbolts as well.
The person who created that Yong weakly lowered his sword as he mumbled to
himself.

“One more time. Cough!”

Blood started to drip out from Choi Han’s mouth.

He could feel his plate starting to shake. This seemed to be the reaction to using a lot
of one's ancient power.

‘My plate is strong. That is why it is only at this level.’

There was a bit of a burden on his body because he used a lot of it for his first time.
He was bleeding but it wasn’t difficult.
It was just the side effect of combining three people's powers, the things they had left
behind, together.
That was why he realized Cale’s pain.

What kind of pain must a person with a weak plate feel?

Choi Han looked toward the White Star.

“Do you really think you can touch my body?”

The White Star glared at Choi Han's black Yong in anger.

“One more time!”

Eruhaben and Raon channeled their mana again and shot a large spear toward the
White Star. The White Star scoffed at the two Dragons.

“I’ll take everything you got!”

The White Star sneered with a crazed smile on his face.

Raon and Eruhaben’s mana struck his thunderbolt again.

“Keep it up!”

“I know, gramps! I will persist!”

Raon's two front paws were shaking. Eruhaben’s back was starting to get wet.
The people below watched the lights combine again as well as the black Yong that
attacked those combined lights.
As his sight became covered by a bright gold light and a dark black light…

“Hahaha! No matter how many times you try, no matter how many new powers you
come up with, you cannot defeat me!”

The White Star destroyed the two Dragon's powers even without being able to see
them clearly.
He then scoffed at the black Yong approaching him.

The first black Yong had already been destroyed by the thunderbolt. The second black
Yong opened its jaws and charged forward the same way.
The White Star sneered and received the attack.

“Come at me! Keep attacking! I will des-”

However, he could not finish his sentence.

Inside the open black Yong’s mouth…

A very small power that had been hidden by the large powers was inside the Yong’s
mouth.
It was so faint and only as thick as a needle.

“When-!”

The White Star started to frown.

Inside the open black Yong’s mouth…

Was a thin blue spear. The black Yong charged into the thunderbolt with the blue spear.

Crackle, crackle!

That tiny power dug into the thunderbolt. It created a tiny gap and continued to push
forward.

This spear that was so small that even the White Star did not notice had a strong water
power that had been condensed over and over.
The power that had been hiding inside the black Yong slowly started to reveal its true
appearance as it aimed for a single location.
The spear created a single dot.
That dot then created a line until the blue spear finally created a path to the White
Star's body.

“S, shit-!”

The White Star tried to block the spear.

Gold and black mana wrapped around the White Star’s thunderbolt-covered legs at
that moment. The black Yong used its body to wrap around the White Star’s upper
body.

Siiiiiizzle. Siiiiiiiizzzzle!

The gold and black manas and the black Yong held onto the White Star’s limbs as best
as they could even as they became destroyed.

“U, ugh, no!”

The blue spear that had created the path was heading for the White Star's heart.
The White Star then noticed Cale who was leaning on Choi Han. Cale’s cold eyes that
were glaring at the White Star even as he coughed up blood seemed to desire the
White Star’s death.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang-

A loud explosion occurred.

People could see the black clouds covering the sky slowly disperse.
They then realized that dawn had arrived.

Now that the clouds were gone… The black sky turned dark blue as it slowly headed
toward morning.

The explosion had ended, and…

Plop.

Something was falling from the sky.

“How disappointing.”
Cale had an emotionless stare as he stared at the White Star who managed to destroy
the two Dragons and Choi Han's powers as well as block the blue spear that was
aiming for his heart.

The White Star’s left arm had been ripped off by the blue spear and fell to the ground.
Nobody dared to open their mouths.
The early morning sky appeared once the black clouds that had created the thunderbolts
had dispersed. Everybody could clearly see each other again.

“Cough!”

Cale coughed up blood once more and Choi Han supported him as he asked with
concern.

"Are you okay?”

However, Choi Han heard something else instead of a response to his question.

“How disappointing. I could have hit properly if I had a little, just a little more power.”

Cale’s gaze was focused on the White Star who was breathing heavily with a pale
expression. Choi Han could feel that Cale was significantly disappointed that they
could not take care of the White Star.
He then recalled what Raon told him earlier.

‘Choi Han! The human said that he was going to destroy the White Star! He said that
the goal is to make him croak, but if that’s not possible, he's going to significantly
injure him!’

The goal was to kill him or leave a serious injury, but they ended up only being able to
cut off his left arm.

Choi Han looked down at his hands.

The tips of his hands that were supporting Cale were shaking.

‘We couldn't kill the White Star even with all these people.’

He started to frown. Two Dragons, a sword master, a necromancer, and Cale. This
strong collection of people continued to attack, but only managed to cut off one arm.
Just how much did they need to do to defeat the White Star?

It was at that moment.

“Heh.”

He noticed Cale was laughing. Cale was still staring at the White Star but quietly
mumbling in between breaths.

“We just need to do a little more.”

“Ah.”

Choi Han gasped.

He had not been able to even approach the White Star when they first met him in the
past. He couldn't even launch a proper attack before he was slammed into the Mogoru
Palace's roof.
However, he was now able to hold the White Star down and fight him. He had gained
enough power to shock the White Star.

He had grown stronger.

It really was true that there was no end to getting stronger as he was able to get strong
enough to hold the White Star back for a moment.
Raon had grown stronger to be able to hold the White Star down for a moment as well.

‘Eruhaben-nim and Cale-nim used too much of their powers before this fight.’

Cale had used a lot of ancient powers prior to this fight against the White Star because
of the Lord’s Castle and the fires surrounding the city. It was almost as if he only had
one arm when he fought against the White Star.
Eruhaben had used some of his strength to destroy the mana disturbance tools.

‘There’s also something for Mary to do!’

Choi Han's eyes sparkled after having that thought.

Neither Mary nor Eruhaben had used their full strengths. They had limited themselves.
Choi Han’s eyes that moved toward Cale were full of anticipation because he knew the
reason they didn't go all out.
The White Star started to speak at that moment.

“It’s been a while. I haven’t lost a body part in a long time.”

He blankly stared at the spot where his left arm was missing as if it was not even
painful. He had a look of disbelief on his face. He lifted his head.

“It is already morning. Cale Henituse, what do you plan on doing now? Shall we fight
some more?”

“Who knows?”

Cale smirked.

“Hey, White Star. Shouldn’t you at least wipe the blood off your mouth before asking
that question?”

“Ah, is that so?”

Blood was dripping from the corners of the smiling White Star’s lips. His body was not
normal right now.
He had used even more ancient powers than Cale had used. His body that was
unbalanced because he did not have the earth attribute ancient power yet constantly
bothered the White Star's insides.
Furthermore, the shock from losing his arm was putting his insides in serious pain.

“…What should we do now?”

He mumbled to himself as he looked around.

He couldn't see the invisible Dragon, but the others looked like shit. However, the
White Star’s mind was calmer than ever.

‘The Dark Elves went to the desert.’

He suspected that the final earth attribute ancient power was in the desert. The Roan
Kingdom was also a possibility, but as long as Choi Han who could fully read Nelan
Barrow’s memoir that was written in a special language was here…
He needed to find the earth attribute ancient power in this desert.

Whether it was here or not, whether it was a trap or not, the White Star who did not
have much information had to at least find the earth attribute ancient power now that
he didn’t manage to destroy Cale’s plate or capture Choi Han as he originally planned.

‘The fact that the Dark Elves went to the desert means that Cale Henituse has a trap
there too. How funny.’

The White Star could only laugh as he thought about how he could only move on top
of Cale’s palm.

‘Should I just die?’

It would be better to just die and start fresh since he had already lost an arm. He was
scared of the pain of death no matter how many times he experienced it, but at least
he had the certainty that his life would not end with his death.

However, there was an issue.

It was possible to tie the other ancient powers to his soul and keep them with his
reincarnation, but…

"Are you debating whether to die or not?”

Cale looked toward the cracking white mask as he asked.

“Yes, I am debating it.”

“Just die.”

The White Star started to smile even more after hearing Cale’s blunt response. Cale
continued to speak as if he knew what was on the White Star’s mind.

“I'll find the earth attribute ancient power during that time and hide it somewhere
you’ll never find. Then maybe you'll have to live for another 1,000 years? Would it be
easy because you've already done it once?”

Cale could see extremely angry eyes looking back at him. However, the owner of those
eyes smiled as he responded.

“You think my 1,000 years are funny?”

Pfft.
Cale chuckled instead of responding. That action only angered the White Star even
more.

However, he could see everything happening as he floated in the sky.

A large military was moving in from multiple directions in waves. Numerous soldiers
were charging over from all over the Caro Kingdom after receiving the crown prince's
urgent orders.

An endless number of soldiers whose morale was recharged thanks to winning the
battle earlier in the year would soon fill the Dubori territory.

‘Our side is a mess.’

Sayeru and the others were all messes right now.

Most importantly…

“Shouldn’t you get some rest?”

The White Star needed to rest as Cale mentioned. He would be omnipotent once he
got this final earth attribute ancient power. He couldn't die again when it was right in
front of his face.

“You're the one who looks like you need to rest.”

The White Star responded to Cale. Cale nodded his head.

Drip, drip.

He then looked toward the White Star's left shoulder that was dripping blood and
responded.

“Yes. We need to rest. I need to rest temporarily while you need to rest for all eternity.”

“You damn bastard!”

The White Star started to frown.

He then swung his right arm and dodged. A black arrow flew past where he had just
been standing.
The invisible Raon's two front paws were shaking as he sent tens of arrows toward
the White Star.
Mary snapped her fingers.

Snap!

The monster bones that the Dark Elves had hidden around the Lord’s Castles started
to rise in response. There were many flying monster corpses as well.

“I’m going.”

That was the signal for the flying monster corpses to fly up into the air and cover the
sky along with the arrows. The arrows and bones slowly tightened the encirclement
and surrounded the White Star.

“Fire!”

Raon shouted and the arrows all started to fly toward the White Star.

“These stupid arrows!”

The White Star created a water wall again with a pale expression. There were people
flying up into the air as if trying to help him as well.

“My liege!”

“Hey, I'm here too!”

It was Elisneh and the black mages who had used flight magic. Sayeru was on one of
the black mage’s backs as he sent a light arrow flying toward Mary.
The person who had been watching all of this quietly whispered at that moment.

“Let’s go.”

Choi Han immediately put Cale on his back as soon as he heard the order. The White
Star's eyes opened wide as he noticed that sight through the rain of black arrows.

“Get them!”

Choi Han and Cale headed for the desert without paying any attention to that shout.
The White Star tried to get them, but the flying monster skeletons that were charging
at him like fireflies were blocking his way.
He could easily destroy them. Whether it was one at time or multiple at once, he just
needed to destroy them.
However, that would take time to accomplish.

Nonetheless, the White Star continued to chase after Cale and Choi Han.

“Hey! Put me down in the desert!”

Bear King Sayeru noticed the situation earlier than the White Star and withdrew his
light arrows before descending toward the desert.
It was at that moment.

“F*ck!”

The White Star who stomped on a skeleton that was on the ground before landing in
the desert started to frown.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

The video communication device in his pocket was going off. His gaze made the black
mages behind him look toward the video communication device as well.
A black mage was shaking in fear as the White Star and Sayeru who got off the other
black mage’s back looked toward him.

“It is urgent news from the Eastern continent.”

No, the black mage was actually shaking from the contents of the message.

“There are intruders in Arm’s first secret base's first boundary.”

Each of Arm's secret bases had three boundaries to notice any intruders. The first
boundary of the first secret base had been breached.

“Who?! Who are the intruders?!”

Sayeru started to frown. He glared at the desert. He was staring in the direction Cale
Henituse disappeared.

"Cale Henituse, is it that bastard's doing? I'm sure it was the-”

“No, sir! Assassins!”

“…What?”

The black mage continued to speak. A message was still coming through the video
communication device. He could feel the desperation in the other party's voice.

“Apparently, there are assassins and mercenaries! The assassins seemed to be from
the Eastern continent's underworld households of the past! They are using their
techniques!”

The intruders were using the assassin techniques used by the old assassin households
that had been destroyed by Arm in the past.

“There is supposedly a highest-grade mage as well! Ah! That person is…!”

The black mage quickly received the next message.

“…That person is Glenn, the Mercenaries Guild's highest-grade mage!”

He was a pretty famous mage. He was famous for his abilities as well as for being the
Mercenary King's close friend. Sayeru started to speak.

“If Glenn is there-”

The black mage shouted as if to finish his sentence.

“The person leading the intruders is said to be Mercenary King Bud!”

The White Star turned his head and looked back after hearing that message. He could
see Mary and Eruhaben landing on the Dubori territory's city walls. The invisible
Dragon should be there as well.
He could not see Raon nor the expression on the hooded Mary’s face. However, he
could see the smiling ancient Dragon. He had a gaze that seemed to be asking, ‘what
are you going to do about it?’

The White Star started to frown. Eruhaben cast a gold shield around the city walls
before landing on the desert and asking the White Star a question.

“How does it feel to be surrounded on all sides?”

 Clack. Clack.

Skeletons clacked as they surrounded the White Star and his subordinates. Archers
who were pointing their bows, mages who were preparing spells and soldiers who
were loading catapults appeared on the city walls as well.

The White Star closed his eyes.

Choi Han was running across the sand at that moment.

Chhhhhhh, chhhhhhhh.

Cale who was on the running Choi Han's back had to calmly close his eyes and start to
think.

‘What will you do?’

Cale was planning on cutting off three of the White Star's right arms.

Sayeru’s right arm.

One of the White Star’s arms.
And now, Arm was being attacked.

What would the White Star be thinking about right now?

Would he go to protect Arm in his current condition? Or would he go to look for the
earth attribute ancient power?

 Human! Are we going to the Eastern continent now?

Raon was still launching black arrows as if he remained on the city walls but he was
actually with Cale.

“What we do will change based on the White Star's action-”

Beeeeeeep- Beeeeeeep-

The video communication device’s alarm started to go off. Raon took out the video
communication device.
 Young master-nim.

He could hear Ron's benign voice.

 May I go hunting?

The Mercenary King had started to move to attack Arm but the true attack had yet to
start.
Raon started to shout.

“Human! Gramps said the White Star headed toward the desert! Gramps and good
Mary are chasing after him! Gramps said good Mary sent the Dark Elves a signal!”

Cale started to speak.

“Ron, is the Dragon half-blood next to you?”

 Yes, young master-nim.

"See you in five minutes.”

Cale then started to speak to Choi Han and Raon.

“We will head near Arm's first secret base.”

The first of Arm’s two secret bases.

That was the location of the old Molan residence.
“Patriarch-nim, did that punk Cale say that he’ll be heading over?”

Ron who was looking at the video communication device that just ended turned his
gaze after hearing the voice. He saw Mercenary King Bud Illis who was holding a long
thin sword, unlike his usual self.
Ron casually stared at the blood dripping down the thin blade before starting to speak.

“5 minutes later.”

He didn't say anything else before looking forward.

Bud did not show any complaints about this demeanor. He also looked toward where
Ron was looking.

‘…The Molan family residence.’

Although it was now being used as Arm's secret base, this place used to belong to the
Eastern continent's greatest underworld household in the past. Bud had been shocked
when he had learned about it.

‘For it to be in the Molden mountain range.’

The Eastern continent's Molden Kingdom had grown significantly since about ten or
so years ago.
They were located at the center of the Eastern continent and used commerce as a
means to grow the kingdom, using their location effectively to become the center of
the Eastern continent’s economy and material distribution.

There was a unique trait about the Molden Kingdom that managed to become the
center of distribution and commerce even without an ocean around their kingdom.

A wide plain with just as wide and well-paved roads.

Merchants had no choice but to use these wide roads with no mountains to hinder
them, especially after lodging and commercial districts were created as well.
‘The Molden Kingdom does have a mountain range in the northeast region.’

The mountain range was not very long, but it was very tall and dangerous that it ranked
number one in climbing difficulty on the entire Eastern continent.

The Molan family residence existed in a valley deep inside that dangerous mountain
range.

‘It’s actually more of a fortress than a residence.’

He could see buildings built inside the dry valley and the cliffs on both sides.

“Mercenary King-nim, we have successfully crossed the first boundary and should
arrive at the second boundary soon!”

Bud raised his sword again after hearing the report. His gaze turned to one side as he
started to speak.

“We can see Arm’s base after breaking past the first boundary as you mentioned.”

Bud's close friend Glenn Poeff and the Mercenaries Guild's mages had destroyed the
illusion spell at the first boundary.
The assassins of the different households who had survived the destruction of their
households but had been scattered throughout the Eastern continent until now were
gathered here destroying the first boundary and the traps inside.

Bud then saw someone covered in a robe sitting weakly on the ground. The robed
individual started to speak.

“The second boundary will be as I mentioned as well.”

He sounded weak as if he was a candle that was starting to go out.

A bright light flashed around them at that moment. The light soon disappeared and
the person who appeared started to speak.

“It looks like we need to hurry.”

It was Cale.
The person on the floor raised his head. Cale could see the Dragon half-blood’s eyes
looking at him underneath the robe.
Cale had a lot of things to say to this bastard. However, he didn't have the time to
leisurely chat as the situation at the Caro Kingdom’s Dubori territory had taken longer
than he had expected.

“Young master-nim.”

He turned his head toward Ron who was calling for him.
The usual benign smile was not on his face. His stiff face was full of anger. He also saw
Beacrox who was standing behind Ron with his head down while holding his
greatsword.

There was only one thing for Cale to tell them.

“Why do you both have such expressions on your faces when you are returning home
for the first time in a long while?”

Beacrox raised his head and looked toward Cale. Cale, who received both the father
and son's gazes, pointed forward.
The Molan family residence that had been covered by illusion magic…
He continued to speak to the original owners of this place.

“Come back soon.”

Beacrox pulled his greatsword out of the ground. He then walked up next to his father,
Ron. He then heard Cale's voice again.

“Have a housewarming party once things are cleaned up. I’ll come over to play.”

Beacrox could see the slowly appearing smile on his father’s face. It was the first smile
he saw after the cold and stoic expressions his father had on his face for the last few
days.
The final Molan patriarch moved his empty hand forward as he responded.

“I look forward to your housewarming gift.”

Tap.

Ron started to head toward Arm’s secret base with quiet footsteps. He heard Cale’s
brusque voice behind him.
 “Sure. I have a lot of money.”

Ron had no choice but to laugh.

“Haha, ha-”

He could not handle this situation without laughing. He had such a cute young master-
nim.

“Beacrox.”

“Yes, father.”

That was why Ron could not carelessly do this. He couldn’t disappoint this cute young
master-nim of his.

 I'll bring a housewarming gift too! I'm even willing to take money out of my piggy bank
if it is for a housewarming for grandpa Ron and nice Beacrox! I'm not only saying this
because I am excited about a housewarming party! Of course, I want to go to my first
housewarming party!

‘Wouldn’t the housewarming party have to be grand for our even cuter Dragon-nim?’

He gave an order to his son.

“Send the signal.”

Ron’s gaze headed toward the second boundary. There was a small wall in that location.
He could also see the numerous archers and mages on top of the wall.

“Fire the arrows if they get any closer!”

“Hurry up and activate the magic circles! Prepare everything we have!”

Ron calmly watched them yapping away on top of the walls.

That kind of team makeup did not make sense for the Molan family. It was only like
this because it was Arm's secret base.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- piiiiiiiiiiiiiii-
Beacrox's flute let out a sharp noise.

One of the mercenaries who were in the front of the group heading toward the wall at
the second boundary shouted at that moment.

“Gather around!”

The people who were randomly charging forward gathered together in one location.
They then started to move toward the wall.

“I should go as well.”

Mercenary King Bud who had been watching stepped forward.

Ooooooong.

His long and thin blade became covered in a blue aura.

“Sure. Come back soon.”

Bud left the waving Cale behind and quickly ran forward.

‘This is not just an issue for the Molan household.’

This was a war for Bud and the Mercenaries Guild.

A war between the Mercenaries Guild and Arm.
Winning this war would allow the Mercenaries Guild to defeat Arm which had become
a power player on the Eastern continent by suppressing other organizations.
That would mean that the Mercenaries Guild would show off its strength to the entire
Eastern continent again.

His hand that was not holding the sword started to move.
Click. Bud took the glasses off his face. He then gave the order that was most fitting for
mercenaries.

“Destroy everything!”

Swoooooooosh-

Wind surrounded the area around him.

He could see the enemies as he quickly moved forward. They looked toward the
strongest individual standing on the castle wall.
His ancient power was telling him that this was the strongest person.

Bud jerked his body back and swung his arm.

“Kill them all!”

The thin sword covered in blue aura was flung like a spear.
Everything had happened almost instantly.

“Ugh!”

The sword pierced through the neck of the swordsman who had been issuing orders
on the wall.
That was the signal.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Destroy everything! Climb up the walls!”

“Kill anybody you can get your hands on!”

The mercenaries were shouting as they charged toward the walls.

“Shoot the arrows!”

“Start the magic attacks!”

The enemies on top of the walls started to launch their attacks in response.

“Ugh! Hey! An arrow hit my arm!”

“You stupid idiot! You can’t even dodge an arrow? Move! I'll climb up!”

“Kahahaha! Shoot those fireballs properly if you're going to use them! They’re so easy
to dodge! Kahahaha! You stupid bastards!”

The mercenaries in the front did not lose any morale because of these attacks.
They continued to move forward whether they dodged the attacks or were hit by a
spell or arrows. They didn't seem to have any fear.

“T, these crazy bastards!”

One of the archers shooting arrows looked terrified.

One of the mercenaries made eye contact with that archer. The mercenary who had
been climbing the ladder in front of the pack smiled while looking at the archer whose
morale was significantly down.

“Are you scared? Kahahahahah!”

The Mercenaries Guild had not intruded without any sort of plan.

This was war.

The Mercenaries Guild had considered this to be a war and gathered the best veterans
they had.

Veterans in the Mercenaries Guild were not strong individuals.

They were the ones who survived the longest during wars and battles.
They were people who were able to turn situations where they would get significantly
injured to minor injuries.

They were the experienced mercenaries that the mercenaries who considered their
bodies to be their wealth considered to be the best.
These were the people taking the lead right now as they climbed the wall.

The Eastern continent had never had a large war.

However, there were always minor wars going on and the people who survived
through those wars had learned how to avoid the strong individuals in order to survive.

“Ugh, we can’t let it go on like this.”

“Assistant Leader-nim!”

Now that the Leader had died an instant death thanks to Bud’s sword, the Assistant
Leader had to make a decision about these crazy mercenaries that kept charging
forward.

“Start!”
“Yes, sir!”

He gave the order and the person standing next to him blew the flute.

Screeeeeech- screeeeeeech-

An odd noise came out of the flute making the mercenaries flinch for a moment. They
then had to raise their heads.

“U, up there!”

“Shit! We didn’t expect an attack from there!”

The mercenaries in the front started to frown.

They looked toward the man-made buildings located throughout the two cliffs on the
sides. Arrows, rocks, fire arrows, and other attacks launched toward the mercenaries
from those buildings.

“Aaaaaah!”

“Ugh! Retreat! You can’t dodge those rocks! They look as big as boulders! Crazy
bastards!”

“The ladder is broken!”

Voices could be heard throughout the battlefield. The Assistant Leader who was on
top of the wall clenched his fists as he shouted.

“Perfect! Keep this up! Tell them to launch the spells too!”

“Yes, sir!”

There were mages in the buildings along the cliffs as well. They would be extremely
effective if they added onto this attack right now.
The Assistant Leader started to smile.
It was at that moment.

“Assistant Leader-nim!”
One of his subordinates pointed to the cliff…

“Aaaaaaaaahh!”

Someone fell from the cliff while screaming at the top of their lungs. It was one of the
mages.
The Assistant Leader's gaze headed toward one of the buildings on top of the cliff
where the mage fell.

It was a man-made building created inside a part of the cliff.

Someone else's body appeared outside the same large window.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Someone was holding that person up by the neck. That hand was the only thing
preventing this person from falling off the cliff.

The person holding this person up stoically started to speak as he looked out the
window.

“Throw them all.”

Another mage fell down once Ron opened his hand.

Beacrox's flute could be heard at the same time.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- Piiiiiiii-

That noise started a chain of people screaming across the buildings on the cliff. A
bunch of people fell off the cliff.

The Assistant Leader’s eyes opened wide.

“…T, the assassins were mixed in with the Mercenaries Guild just moments ago!”

He could still see assassins mixed in with the Mercenaries Guild's members as well.
However, the assassin way was to always have more people hiding without revealing
themselves.
Furthermore, these assassins had stealthily snuck in using the path that true owners
of these buildings informed them about.
The Assistant Leader started to frown.
“How could something like this-”

“Alright, you've been breached so just shut up now.”

“When did you get he- ugh!”

The sword of the person who climbed above the wall stabbed into the Assistant
Leader’s heart.
The person who was using his sword like a spear left the sword stabbed in there
before picking up the sword that had killed Arm's leader.

Bud, the owner of the sword, then turned toward the mercenaries behind him.

One, two.

Bud raised his head once the mercenaries filled the wall and Ron looked down at him
as he started to speak.

“That’s the last of them.”

A noise that shook the whole valley soon started to ring.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing- Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing-

The second boundary was breached and only the third boundary remained. Arm’s
secret base started to gather everything they had at the third boundary.
The third boundary was the main gate into Arm’s secret base. It was the main gate into
the Molan family residence in the past.

“Block them!”

“We must protect the third boundary!”

Aaaaaaah-!

The main gate opened and numerous troops charged toward the second boundary
line.
Ron who was watching them started to speak.

“I leave it to you.”
Then, in a spot under the cliff where that voice could not be heard…
In the spot heading past the second boundary to the third boundary…

“Noona, this is the right place!”

Two small Kittens crossed through a dog hole on the wall and peeked their heads out.
The silver Kitten who was covered in dust looked at the enemies pouring out and
started to speak.

“Looks like we can get started!”

“Ooh!”

The red Kitten responded and fog quickly started to spread out starting from the silver
Kitten, On.
Hong’s poison was mixed into the fog as well.

“This, what is this fog?”

“Ugh!”

“Hey, what’s wro- ugh!”

The Dragon half-blood had said the following while planning this operation.

‘Arm will put the weakest people in the front. I'm certain they will come charging out
once the second boundary is destroyed to prevent us from getting to the third
boundary.’

The people in front of that group would be the weak individuals.

‘On, I leave it to you.’

On’s eyes sharply sparkled after recalling what Ron had said to her.’

The weakest people in the front were easily affected by the quickly spreading poisonous
fog.

“Ugh!”
“Hey, the formation will be destroyed if you fall! Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

The pouring soldiers…

The weakest people in the front were slowly falling down as they became paralyzed
by the poison. None of them were severely wounded, but it was enough to temporarily
paralyze their legs or parts of their body.
People continued to pour out behind them.

The formation was destroyed and they now had issues moving.

“We can’t see properly because of the fog!”

“F*ck!”

Their sight was hindered by the fog.

This was the perfect example of chaos.
On was taking in the situation with her eyes.

“Noona.”

“Hold on.”

On quieted her brother Hong before amplifying the flow of the fog that only she could
see.

“Aaaaaah!”

“Don’t push me, it’s a mess up here with everybody fallen over!”

“Ugh! My legs……!”

The amplified fog continued to spread out with the poison inside it, forcing screams
to appear from multiple locations.

On could not see everything that was going on in this wide area, however, she was
trying to notice as much of the people's movements as possible using her fog.

‘You two return to the Eastern continent for now.’

On recalled what Cale had told her brother and her.

‘I will make the Fog Cat Tribe pay the price for their actions. That is my will and I will
do that no matter what.’

The Fog Cat Tribe.

On thought about her tribe that she had escaped from with her brother. They were
denied status because they were mutants and the tribe had secluded them so that they
could not hang out with anyone or learn anything.
They had to learn the things they should have learned as members of the Fog Cat Tribe
by stealthily sneaking glances at other Cats who were learning.

She had felt all sorts of emotions after hearing Cale saying that he would make the Fog
Cat Tribe pay the price. She had felt anger, joy, as well as fear.
She had then heard what Cale said next.

‘I will give you two a chance to decide. Do you two want to see the Fog Cat Tribe pay
the price with me?’

Cale was giving the siblings a chance to decide for themselves.

‘Talk to each other and think hard about what you want to do. By the way, it would not
be a pretty sight for young children like the two of you.’

He then told them to let him know once they made their decision.
On had kept her mouth shut until now and had not discussed anything related to it
with her brother Hong.
Hong seemed to want to bring the topic up multiple times, but On had thought that
there was something she needed to do before that.

‘I need to become stronger.’

Her eyes that were observing the fog sparkled.

‘I can't return there while being the same as last time.’

The last time when they faced the Fog Cat Tribe at the Castle of Light… On did not want
to return to her hometown, actually, ‘hell’ was probably a better term for it, while
being the same as before.
Her eyes looking at the fog that was being filled with screams became deeper and her
fur stood up straight as she continued to think and her determination became
stronger.

“Noona.”

Plop.

She felt something warm on her side at that moment.

On turned her head to see Hong snickering at her.
“I’m going to do it with you!”

On could feel Hong’s weak poison adding onto her fog. They were using the weakest
of Hong’s poisons today.
The poison followed the fog as it continued to spread.
Hong had a bright but determined look as he continued to speak to his sister On who
was looking at his smiling face.

“He said that it wasn’t something to do alone and said to do it together!”

That was something else Cale had said when telling On and Hong to decide.

‘And if it is too difficult to decide between the two of you, feel free to ask me, Choi Han,
Eruhaben-nim, Ron, really, anybody. We will all think it out with you guys. I'm sure
anybody other than me will be happy if you asked them for help.’

Hong smiled even brighter on purpose after seeing the grim expression on his sister’s
face.
Hong had hidden behind On while shaking in fear when they met the Fog Cat Tribe at
the Castle of Light.
He hid while everybody else fought. Even Raon who was younger than him had fought
hard. Hong had joined the fight later, but he could not forget about how he had leaned
on his sister in fear to start.

‘…I'm always hiding behind noona.’

That was why he had a secret conversation about this with Raon, their youngest bro.

‘That’s okay. It’s okay to be like that! There are times I'm like that too! This is what the
human told me!’

Raon had continued in a very majestic tone.

‘He said that it was fine if we hide or run because we are young! He said that it is okay
for even a great and mighty Dragon like me to do that because I am young! He said
everything is fine as long as we don't do bad things!’

‘Really?’

‘That’s right! We can fight together later! Use the video communication device and gather
everybody together like the human does if you're scared! Then use our numbers
advantage! We have more people on our side!’

Hong couldn't completely agree with Raon's comments, but it did make him feel better.
It was because his sister On was not the only one he had by his side anymore.

He had subconsciously hidden behind his sister at the Castle of Light because he was
scared and his mind had turned chaotic after seeing the other Cats, but he now had
many reliable adults by his side as well.

‘The weak human said it’s fine to do that because all three of us are still young! He said
it was okay to do that even when we became adults as well!’

‘Raon can accept that so easily… ’

Hong smiled as brightly as possible toward his sister On who could not accept that.
He then stuck his body even closer to his sister. He wanted to be by her side now
instead of hiding behind her.

Hong could finally see his sister relax her eyes and start to smile. Hong was thinking
that it would be great if everybody could smile like this.

He was nine-years-old in human years. The little Kitten pushed his body right next to
his sister. He then looked forward and started to speak.

“Noona! It’s grandpa Ron!”

Hong could see Ron and Beacrox walking through the fog.
Hong started to smile while looking at their backs.

‘Noona already knew!’

The fog was already moving aside so that Ron and Beacrox would not touch the poison
long before Hong had said anything.
Hong was proud of On who was stronger than him as he observed Ron and Beacrox's
backs that seemed to be running forward without any hesitation because they trusted
On.

“Aaaaaah!”
“The fog, the fog won’t go away!”

The people who could not even see 1 meter in front of their eyes because of the fog
didn’t have the luxury to think about this narrow path that was created for Ron and
Beacrox.
It was like hell with shrieks and screams all around them.

This sight was enough to give anybody who was looking from afar the chills.

“I didn't expect those punks to be this strong.”

Cale stoically continued to look at the battlefield even after hearing that comment. He
couldn't see things clearly because of the fog, but the fact that Mercenary King Bud
was busy giving orders to the mercenaries at the starting point of the fog must mean
that things weren’t bad.

‘And there’s no reason for it to be bad.’

He knew Ron and Beacrox must have walked forward by now and that meant there
was nothing to worry about.
He heard the person next to him speak again.

“I guess you really aren’t going to let them off this time.”

Cale turned his head to see the Dragon half-blood's pale face under his hood. His
condition seemed to have worsened in the short time they didn't see each other.
However, his eyes were calm. Actually, there was a faint trace of vitality in them as
well.
Cale responded.

“Why would I go easy on them?”

Who was he to go easy on Arm?

Cale was thinking that he was not in a situation to go easy on anyone. This battle would
not end until one side was destroyed.
Most importantly…

"This isn't my battle. It isn't for me to meddle. Don’t you agree?”

Cale turned his head toward Choi Han who was quietly standing behind him and Choi
Han looked at the building on the cliffs where Beacrox had just jumped down from
before responding.

“I agree with you.”

Cale nodded his head at Choi Han’s response before looking forward again.
He had decided to leave everything to Ron this time.
That was the right thing to do.

Why?

‘…It’s his house.’

Ron and Beacrox were returning to the place they were born and raised for the first
time in almost twenty years.
Cale decided to quietly watch their return.
His gaze slowly followed the fog that had continued to spread until it was almost
touching the third boundary.

The people running inside that fog were only looking forward as well.
Beacrox looked at his father’s back.

“Aaaah!”

Blood splattered and fell to the ground along with the scream.
Blood dripped from Ron's dagger. His father didn't even give a second glance at the
blood as he moved forward.

It was the same as that time.

It was the same as the day they had to run.

His father had only looked forward as he ran that day without paying attention to
anything around him.
He didn’t see the family flags burning and ripping behind him. He didn't see the
buildings burning and crumbling.
Even with the cold corpses of their family members surrounding them…

His father had only run forward.

Beacrox who had followed behind him knew too well the reason for his father’s
actions.
‘He needed to save me.’

Ron needed to at least save Beacrox after promising his dying wife.

That was why his father had run forward without looking around.

Beacrox focused on his father’s back as he ran forward without looking around once
again. Unlike last time, he could now see over his father’s shoulders even while
running behind him, but for some odd reason, he could not take his eyes off his father’s
back that had gotten much smaller than last time.

His father who had been the patriarch of the Molan household had done all sorts of
jobs at the Western continent and even ended up becoming a servant.
However, the young Beacrox knew that his father went outside every night and
followed him one day to see him cleaning his dagger.

Naturally, Beacrox had been noticed by his father.

Even now, Beacrox was not strong enough to hide his presence from his father. His
father had said the following once they had made eye contact.

‘Go in and sleep. You’ll be just as tired tomorrow as you were today.’

Beacrox had been suffering quite a bit doing all sorts of tasks in the kitchen as he had
just started learning about working in the kitchen. Each and every day had been tiring
and difficult.
However, he had an odd feeling that the, ‘tired,’ that his father mentioned was not
talking about working in the Henituse household.

He thought that he could finally understand what his father was talking about when
he mentioned being tired.

‘I'm not tired at all today.’

Beacrox had not been able to sleep properly the past few days but he was not tired at
all. His body was heavy but his heart was beating wilder than ever before.

The battlefield was chaotic because of the poisonous fog.

There were not many people who could catch the two people stealthily running
forward through that fog.
‘There are not many strong individuals.’

He could not feel any strong individuals as the Dragon half-blood mentioned.

‘The secret base at the former Molan residence has more mid-level administrators and
low-level staff than any highest-level individuals as it is a place that stealthily gathers
information about the continent and shared commissions.’

The corners of Beacrox's lips twisted up.

He had not felt anything when he had heard the Dragon half-blood say, ‘the former
Molan residence.’ However, he now found those words to be annoying as he was
returning to the Molan residence.

‘The former’ Molan residence.

He couldn’t let that happen.

Beacrox could hear his father’s voice as well.

It almost sounded like a sigh.

“…Finally.”

Beacrox looked forward after hearing his father’s subconscious comment.

They had followed the path through the fog and had arrived at the gate.
The sturdy wooden door that should have had the Molan crest on it now had a White
Star on it instead.

Ron who had only looked forward as he ran felt suffocated as he looked at that door.

Could he go back?
He had thought countless times about getting revenge but for some odd reason, he
had never thought that he could return to this place.
He had never even dreamt of it.

However, he was back.

He would be at the Molan family residence in just a few more steps.

This was the place Ron was born.

This was the place he lived in with his father, mother, grandmother, grandfather,
cousins, uncles, and aunts, as well as many friends.
This was where he lived with his wife and where his son was born.
Ron's expression slowly stiffened.
He moved one foot to keep moving.
It was at that moment.

Tatap.

Ron saw someone running past him.

It was his son.

“It's the enemies! The enemies have made it here!”

“Cast the spells!”

“No! We can't see where our allies are because of the fog!”

"We can’t aim the arrows either! Damn it!”

“No, just block that one guy charging toward the door!”

The enemies on top of the wall could not hide their shock as Beacrox ran toward the
main gate.
Ron stopped and watched it happened.
He felt as if that was what he should do.

“…Ho!”

He then laughed.
Beacrox took out his greatsword. He swung his sword toward the thing blocking his
way.

Baaaaang!

Ron watched the white star on the door being destroyed by his son's sword with a
loud explosion.
There was now a hole at the center of the large main gate.

Beacrox pushed the gate to the side with his sword.

Screeeech-
Ron could see the enemies approaching with shock and urgency on their faces once
the gate opened.
However, he looked at his son's face first.

Beacrox had a stiff smile on his face as he pointed past the gate.

"Father, we’re back home.”

“……Yes.”

Ron looked at the roof of the central building that had been on fire in the past but
seemed to be fine.

“We’re back.”

‘Finally.
I'm finally back home.
We are back at our house.
We are back to a place I thought I could never return.’

Ron, whose hair had half turned white in the past fifteen years, stood there with the
corners of his lips faintly shaking. He looked toward the enemies running toward them
as he spoke to his son.

“Let's go into our house.”

“Yes, father.”

Ron and Beacrox.

The two of them entered into Arm's secret base, no, into their lost home.
However, nobody was welcoming Beacrox and Ron who returned home after a long
time.
In fact, enemies were charging at them from the main gate.

“This is nice.”

Beacrox commented before swinging his greatsword horizontally.

“Ugh!”

One of Arm's swordsmen who had been charging forward flew sideways after losing
the power battle against the greatsword. But that was just the beginning.
Mages, knights, soldiers, and archers, all sorts of people charged at the two of them.

“We should have killed all those Molan bastards!”

“How dare these rats confidently charge in like this!”

A few people who had betrayed their respective underworld households to join Arm
in the past were shouting at Beacrox.

“How funny.”

That was all Beacrox had to say before he started to move forward.
He knew where he needed to go and he was happy to swing his sword to get there.

“…You-”

“Please just follow me.”

Ron was about to say something but Beacrox brushed it aside and swung the greatsword
diagonally.
Bang!

A magic fireball exploded after touching the wind pressure created by the greatsword.
Beacrox immediately stabbed the sword forward and took another step.

“Aaaah!”

Beacrox's sword pierced through someone else’s side. Beacrox pulled the sword out
with a stoic expression and kicked to the side with his right leg.

“Ugh!”

A soldier fell down without realizing what happened.

‘I will take the lead.’

That was the only thought on Beacrox’s mind as he swung his sword. Ron watched his
son and quietly followed behind him.

‘…He’s definitely gotten stronger.’

Ever since Choi Han arrived at the residence, his son Beacrox's sword skills had slowly
increased even if it wasn’t easily noticeable.
And he was slowly becoming more like his wife. The way he uses his sword and his
actions were both becoming like her.

‘Although he looks exactly like me.’

He felt as if he would start to laugh. It was rare for him to want to laugh like this on the
battlefield, but today felt as if it would be one of those rare days.
His wife had always been by his side whenever he laughed like this on the battlefield.

The two of them had started to date and got married at an older age compared to most
people. Honestly speaking, it took a long time for them to get married after they
started dating. They had done a lot of jobs together as those times together built up.

She was the first person Ron had allowed by his side other than when he was learning
dagger arts and stealth techniques from the elders in the family.

Well, it was probably more accurate to say he held her back at his side rather than
allowed her to be there.

‘I told you I’ll take the lead.’

‘Stop rushing out so much.’

‘Oh, come on! Stop being so frustrating.’

She really enjoyed taking the lead in battle.

Ron recalled some of the conversations he had with her.

‘No. Listen to me. Think about being in the front and smacking the faces of the enemies
with a greatsword. Do you know how that feels?’

‘Do I need to know that? I prefer stabbing people in the neck from behind instead.’

‘Aigoo, I shouldn't have even asked.’

Ron still clearly remembered how the woman who shook her head while saying that
she couldn't understand assassins had swung her greatsword.

‘…He's similar.’

Their son reminded him so much of her.

Of course, his style was not exactly the same as hers. Beacrox had been with Choi Han,
Gashan, and other strong warriors and picked things up from watching their battles.
However, the roots had started from his wife.

Ron, who ended up following behind his son, started to climb up the stairs toward the
top of the wall with the main gate.

One step, two steps. He could slowly see the view inside the valley as he went up step
by step.
The enemies started to charge at them even more fiercely as that happened.

“You damn assassin bastard who ran away!”

Ron’s hand moved after hearing a voice behind him.

“Ugh!”
Puuk.

Ron turned his head back after coldly staring at an enemy falling down the stairs with
a dagger in his neck.
He heard a loud noise at that moment.

Baaaaang!

“Aaaah!”

He could also see a person groaning as they fell off the wall.

Clang.

The sword in that person's hand broke into two and fell to the ground. Ron looked at
that sword for a moment before looking at the stairs in front of him.
He was not far from the end. Beacrox who was already on top of the wall was looking
at him.

“Father, please come up.”

There were minor injuries all over Beacrox's body, but it was hard to tell because he
was covered in other people’s blood.

Tap.

Ron took one step.

Tap, tap.

His movement slowly became faster as he quickly climbed up the few remaining stairs.

“…Ha.”

A gasp-like laugh came out of his mouth.

A perilous mountain range. This deep valley and the cliffs that seemed to have been
artificially cut out.
He could see the sight that made him nostalgic about the past.

“Father.”
Ron looked toward Beacrox who was taking out a rolled up piece of cloth from his
pocket. He took the cloth from Beacrox and unraveled it. The cloth had the Molan crest
on it.

“…Did you draw it?”

“Yes.”

“Looks like you need to improve your art skills.”

This punk who was good at cooking and needlework was a terrible artist.
However, he still did better than expected with this crest.

The Molan Household.

They could not openly reveal their crest during missions as they were part of the
underworld. However, they had at least put their crest in this valley.
This was their territory, and it was a sign telling uninvited guests to stay out.

‘It’ll be a bit different now.’

The meaning of this crest would slightly change from now on.
Ron walked to where Arm's flag was hanging and ripped that flag with his dagger.

Plop.

Arm's flag fell and Ron tied the Molan crest his son had drawn in its place.

Piiiiiiiiiii- Piiiiiiiiiiii-

Beacrox blew the flute at that moment.

The fog instantly disappeared. Mercenary King Bud Illis who was standing at the
second boundary shouted as soon as he noticed the change.

“Charge!”

Mages, swordsmen, and hunters. Mercenaries with all different types of occupations
shouted as they charged toward the third boundary. The assassins who survived from
those destroyed households and participated in this battle walked down from the
buildings in the cliffs and disappeared into the battlefield.
Ron turned around after seeing their allies charging forward. He could see the central
building. That should be where the important individuals in this secret base should be
located. Even if there were no highest-grade individuals here, they needed to take back
that building.
He turned his head.

“Lead the way.”

He left the front for his son.

“I will take care of the back.”

He was going to prevent the enemies from chasing them from the back.

“Yes, sir. Let’s hurry over.”

Beacrox took the lead and started to head for the central building.
Ron followed behind him.
Without any highest-grade strong individuals, there were not many in this secret base
who could stop them.

Finally, they were on the top floor of the central building. Ron looked at his liege at this
place that used to be the Molan patriarch’s room in the past and started to speak.

“Young master-nim, there is a teleportation magic circle leading to another secret

base.”

Cale stepped onto the teleportation magic circle.

Choi Han, Beacrox, the Mercenary King, the Dragon half-blood, and the children
averaging nine-years-old were with him.

“I will take care of things here before heading over.”

Cale nodded his head at Ron who was smiling benignly again.

“Sure. But Ron, isn't your house too nice? It’s even bigger than our Henituse Estate.”

Ron smiled and Cale let the teleportation magic circle take him away.
 He started to think about Arm's second secret base as it turned dark.

 Human! But why did the White Star put a secret base over there?

The Eastern continent's Three Restricted Areas.

The Wind Island where Cale got the top's whip.
The Castle of Light where Lord Sheritt's castle was located.

And finally…
The northern part of the Eastern continent. A black hole located near the start of the
glacier region.

People in the past claimed that falling into that hole would take you to the world of
death, the Demon World, leading to them avoiding this hole that was the size of a
decent city.
This was the reason no cities or villages existed around it.

Honestly speaking, there was no reason for anybody to live by a giant sinkhole.
This was because this sinkhole existed between the glacier region and the mountain
range that protected the rest of the Eastern continent from the cold.

There was nobody who would create a village past the mountain range and near this
hole.

However, people still gave this place a name.

The final restricted area.

The Gate to the Demon World.

Arm's second secret base was located between the Gate to the Demon World and the
mountain range.

Paaaat-

A bright light surrounded Cale and he had appeared outside Arm's secret base once
he opened his eyes.
The distinction between the three boundaries was incomplete here as the Dragon half-
blood had mentioned.

Cale saw Arm’s second secret base slowly become clearer as the bright light disappeared.
 “Ha, haha-”

He started to laugh.
He was not laughing because he was happy.
He was laughing in disbelief.

 Human! This place feels familiar!

It was very cold even with temperature magic because it was near the glacier region.
Although this was his first time here, Cale was very familiar with the layout of the
second secret base.

"Cale-nim, this place-”

Choi Han could not finish his sentence as he was at a loss for words as well. He
eventually managed to get it out.

“This place is similar to the Dragon Slayer village. No, it is almost an exact replica.”

The village underground. The green village surrounded by cliffs.

The stone building with Choi Jung Gun’s memoir at the center.
Everything was replicating itself in front of them. Cale scoffed while looking at this
secret base that was said to house the strongest of Arm’s forces.

‘Isn’t this the same as the legend of the village created by the first Dragon Slayer?’

The first Dragon Slayer had lived away from the rest of the world with a collection of
the strongest individuals.
It was unbelievable and laughable that the bastard who wanted to be the White Star
instead of the Dragon Slayer had created such a place.

Why?

It was extremely obvious that he created this secret base because he longed for the
Dragon Slayer village but could not return there.
It was laughable that a bastard who had no problem sacrificing or harming people, a
bastard who wanted to rule over everything, would have such emotions to create this
village.

It also made him angry.

It annoyed him.

“Aigoo, how entertaining.”

Cale could see the person walking out once the village gate opened.

“How dare you crawl over to this place?”

The person provoking them was the Lion King. The person who had been at this place
looked toward Cale and Choi Han in disbelief.

“My liege did tell me that Arm’s base was being attacked. But the people who should
be at the desert are here? Hmm?”

He shook his head in disbelief. However, the smile slowly disappeared from his face.
It was because that meant that they were tricked by Cale.
More enemies slowly started to appear behind him.

“Cale-nim, they are strong.”

As Choi Han mentioned, each of them were strong enough to be a captain of a

mercenaries squad.
That might be the reason the Lion King looked so relaxed.

“I should catch you bastards before the liege gets here.”

Ooooooooong-

Dark aura started to gather around his body.

“I'll throw you bastards into the Gate to the Demon World. Kehehehe!”

The Lion King could see Cale’s mouth slowly starting to open.

“Hey, it’s your turn.”

‘Hmm?’

Lion King Dorph could see a person behind Cale with his hood down low, stepping
forward. He felt an unknown sense of wariness and suddenly got chills on his back.
 It was the type of feeling he got when a big danger was headed his way.

Shhhhh.

The hood was removed.

He could now see the face of the person underneath the hood.

“…You were alive?!”

The Lion King's face looked astonished while the Dragon half-blood who took his hood
off quietly closed his eyes. His hair was dyed red, but his face was still thin and looked
annoyed.
He could feel it every day.

He could feel death approaching.

The pain throughout his body was getting worse.

He had to be careful every time he took a breath. An unbearable pain that made it feel
as if he would die would strike him if he breathed incorrectly.

However, if the end was near…

He wanted to choose his end similarly to how he had chosen to live six months more
with the first decision he was given in his life.

He pulled out the light attribute that faintly remained in his body.
The light was very weak and his body was human now, but it was still there.

“I'm prepared.”

He told Cale who was behind him and Cale gave the order.

“Get started.”

Two people responded to him.

“Sure.”

 I got it, human!

The Dragon half-blood and Raon started to channel their powers.

 Lion King Dorph had a shocked expression as he scoffed at the Dragon half-blood who
was letting out a faint light.

“Hoho, I wasn’t even paying any attention because a weak bastard was joining in,
but……”

He looked toward the Dragon half-blood in disbelief before it turned into a pitying
gaze.

“You've become weaker than a regular human. How did you end up this way, sir?”

Dorph's tone changed to a respectful tone.

Ooooooooong.

Dark aura was still gathering around him, but Dorph didn't care as he started to take
step after step toward the Dragon half-blood.

“Really, how did you end up this weak, sir? Hmm? For our liege’s son to be like this.
This makes me very sad.”

The liege’s son.

People behind Dorph started to whisper while Beacrox, On, and Hong flinched as they
looked toward the Dragon half-blood.

 Human! Isn't the Dragon half-blood not the White Star’s son? The Lion King is speaking
nonsense!

Cale heard the Dragon half-blood's voice as Raon commented in his mind.

“…I'm his son?”

The Dragon half-blood's annoyed face instantly started to frown. There was a much
deeper emotion than anger on his face.

“Of course. Are you not his son?”

The Dragon half-blood looked toward the relaxed Dorph with contempt.
Not only was he not really the White Star's son, it was also funny seeing the person
who treated him the least like a human being saying such things.
It was not to the level of not treating him like a human being. Dorph had always looked
at him with scorn and pretended that he did not exist.

Lion King Dorph and Bear King Sayeru.

These two people were people the White Star approved of, and they always looked
down on the failure that was the Dragon half-blood.

So it was unbelievable that Dorph was calling him the White Star’s son and being
respectful with him.

“…Are you crazy?”

The Dragon half-blood looked toward Dorph and asked as the smile disappeared from
Dorph’s face and he responded in a cold voice.

“I'm sure it is our liege’s son who has gone crazy. He dares to betray his father who
created him and charged into this place with that feeble body of his. Am I not right,
sir?”

Crunch, crunch.

Dorph started to frown as he continued to walk across the dry ground in the falling
snow.

“You choose to become enemies with the person who blessed you with your strength?
You're the crazy one, you bastard.”

The Dragon half-blood started to frown even more.

‘Blessed?’

It was true that he became strong thanks to the White Star. It was also true that he
created him. The White Star was the one who had turned him into this monster, into
this chimera. However, that was not a blessing. He had to turn into a monster after
enduring pain and loneliness.
He ended up as an evil being who was closer to a demon than a Dragon.

Of course, he didn’t plan on blaming the White Star for everything. He was the bad
person for killing so many people and deserved punishment as well.

“Hehe-”

He started to laugh. He then raised his hand.

His skinny hand was shaking.

Ooooooooong-

Light gathered in his hand.

“Ha! What do you plan on doing with that puny amount of power?”

The Dragon half-blood stopped smiling and started to speak as Dorph mocked him.

“Did you think I would not realize that you were stalling for time while talking to me?”

“What?”

Dorph's face stiffened a bit and the small amount of light that gathered in the Dragon
half-blood’s hand started to move.

Ooooooong-

The small light broke into even smaller pieces as they dispersed in different directions.
However, they were so small that the lights looked as if they would disappear if they
even touched Dorph’s fist.

"What the hell are you doing?”

Dorph looked toward the strands of light in confusion before his face stiffened
completely.

“No way!”
The thin and weak strands of light shot out and entered the village that was being used
as a secret base. Dorph shouted to his subordinates behind him.

“Block it! Don’t let it get past the barrier!”

Arm's second secret base that looked like a calm and secluded village.
Although it was difficult to determine the first through third boundaries here, there
was a transparent wall that detected intruders and prevented unapproved powers
from entering inside the wall.

Cale looked at the anxious Dorph and recalled what the Dragon half-blood had told
him.

‘That transparent wall is similar to a shield. The White Star, someone I don’t really
know, and Becrock worked together to create it about ten years ago.’

The Dragon half-blood had continued on with certainty.

‘That wall is not something even your young Dragon or even the ancient Dragon can
easily destroy. It would take them a long time even if they managed to eventually
destroy it. It would be difficult for your ancient powers as well. You'll probably have
to cough up a lot of blood.’

‘You look quite happy for someone saying that.’

‘…It’s because there is a way.’

The Dragon half-blood knew the weakness of the defensive wall.

‘That wall blocks all powers except the powers of people registered to the village. That
makes it easy for people who live at the secret base village to come and go. What do
you think? Do you see what I'm getting it?’

Cale did slowly start to see a way to get past the wall after hearing what the Dragon
half-blood had to say. What the Dragon half-blood said next made the answer perfectly
clear.
The Dragon half-blood had said through the video communication device with a pale
expression on his face.

‘…My power should still be registered in the village. There should have been no reason
 for them to erase my record since they think I'm dead.’

The thin and weak strands of light touched the transparent wall.

“Hurry! Block them!”

Dorph ordered his subordinate mages to hurry up and prevent the Dragon half-
blood’s power from piercing through the wall, however…

“M, my apologies, sir! Becrock-nim is not here, so-”

The needle-thin strands of light moved past the wall as the anxious mages stuttered
in response.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

The wall allowed these strands of light into the village. It considered anybody who was
recorded to be on their side.

“No!”

Swooooooosh-

Dorph's darkness rushed like a storm and instantly flew toward the defensive wall.
It was so he could erase the tiny openings that were created as the strands of light
passed by.

However, there was someone who had finished his preparations before that dark
storm could reach the wall.

 It’s my turn!

Numerous black spears quickly followed behind the strands of light.

The spears made of magic instantly caught onto the tails of the strands of light, and
the wall that had created gaps to allow the strands of light inside had to face the
numerous black spears that charged in through those gaps as well.

“No!”

Dorph shouted in desperation while Cale started to smile.

 The name of the plan to take down Arm's second secret base was simple.

Fast and accurate.

The White Star and his subordinates would have heard about their attack on the first
secret base, so, their goal for the second secret base was to attack it as quickly and
accurately as possible.
That was why they didn't need a lot of people.

Why?
They were going to hit and run.

 Human! I'm going to do it now?

“Sure, do it.”

Cale responded to Raon’s excited voice then heard a large explosion.

Booboboboooooooooom-
The wall tried to reject the black spears and prevent them from invading.
However, numerous black spears twisted their bodies and pushed through the gaps
created by the strands of light.

Screeeech-
Boobooboooom-

Many different noises filled the area. The numerous black spears accelerated and
started to spin as they pierced through the wall. It was difficult for the wall to close
the gaps that had already been pierced.

‘You mentioned that you guys defeated Becrock. Since the White Star won't be there
either, the Dragons by your side should be able to use the gaps created by my power.’

It had been as the Dragon half-blood mentioned.

“Cast shields!”

“Sir, we will attack the black spears!”

The people inside the village, the people outside the village, about half of the people
 at the secret base tried to stop these black spears. However, these numerous black
spears that looked like multiple large tree trunks gathered together quickly started to
rotate and pierced through the wall before that could happen, and then…

Craaaack-

White cracks started to appear on the transparent wall.

 It's done!

The black spears destroyed the wall as Raon shouted in Cale’s mind.

Baaaaaaaaaang! Baaaaang! Baaaaang-

Numerous explosions rang by Cale’s ear and made him stumble.

“You can’t fall!”

Hong and On each grabbed one of Cale’s legs as if to support him up.

Bang- Baaaaang!

The explosions continued and the ground started to shake.

“F*ck!”

Dorph started to frown.

“This broken chimera bastard!”

He glared at the Dragon half-blood with a heinous expression.

The numerous thin strands of light. Those things made it past the wall and started to
fly in different directions.
Those directions were all the locations that were important inside this secret base.

The strands of light headed toward the food storage, document storage, advisors’
meeting room, etc, and the black spears following behind them naturally started to
attack those places as well.

“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”

“Are you okay? We still managed to block it!”

Some of the facilities were able to act quickly and block the black spears.
However, the strong individuals who stepped up to defend against the black spears
either coughed up blood or were seriously injured. Dorph’s pupils started to shake.

‘Did he get stronger in that short amount of time?

These black spears definitely belonged to the young Dragon and not the ancient
Dragon. His power seemed to be stronger than when they last met at the Mogoru
Empire.
Furthermore, he seemed to be more than just slightly talented as he was able to
accurately control this large amount of power.

‘…He really must be the Lord’s child.’

Dorph who had heard about Lord Sheritt and the black Dragon from the White Star
glared at the Dragon half-blood as if he could not forgive him.

“You pretty much handed everything to them. Are you happy you turned the village
into this mess?”

The Dragon half-blood responded with a stoic expression.

“Yes. I am happy.”

“Ha!”

Dorph then started to charge toward the Dragon half-blood. He felt as if his anger
could only be resolved if he killed this half-dead weakling right now.
What kind of place was this village?
It was a home for the wandering Lion tribe that had no place to stay. Of course, they
would soon get their own kingdom, but they still cherished this village that gave them
a home.
It was important to them.

“You monster-like bastard! I will kill you!”

The Dragon half-blood reached both arms out with an emotionless expression toward
the charging Dorph. Light started to surround his two hands again.
The light that was even weaker than before looked ready to go out at any moment.

However, the Dragon half-blood did not wish to run away from Dorph.
He had already come thinking that this would be where he died. That was why he
thought that he would be more at peace if he died while fending off Dorph who was
angry at the fact that he fell for his plan.

Dorph scoffed in disbelief at the Dragon half-blood who was trying to fight him.

“Kekeke, how funny! You want to fight me? Kahahaha! Did you want to help him
because that Dragon shares your blood?”

“…What?”

The Dragon half-blood's two hands flinched. The light that was gathering started to
shake.
Confusion was visible on his face.

‘That Dragon shares my blood? What is he talking about?”

Dorph had a look of disgust on his face as he threw a black spear that was different
than Raon’s toward the Dragon half-blood.

“Why are you feigning ignorance when you dared to betray your father who created
you to help your dongsaeng?! Do you not know what a blessing is because you are a
monster?”

‘…Dongsaeng? I have a dongsaeng?’

The Dragon half-blood's pupils started to shake. He did not have a dongsaeng.

However, there was something that came to mind.

There was something he did a few years ago, the first and only thing he ever did
against the White Star's orders.
It was something that he had stealthily asked someone heading over to the Western
continent to do because he thought the White Star was less likely to find out about it
as they were on the Eastern continent.
‘…Redika.’

Yes, he had asked that bastard to help him out.

They called him the blood-crazed mage, but the Dragon half-blood had thought he was
trustworthy. That bastard had been loyal to him.
The bastard who was crazy about the color red considered him to almost be a god
because he had the heart of a red Dragon.

‘Perhaps?’

The Dragon half-blood started to think about something.

“Kahahaha! Did you give up already?”

The black spear that Dorph had thrown was now in front of his face while Dorph
approached and shouted out loud while swinging the large sword in his hand toward
the Dragon half-blood.

A spear and sword.

Two different weapons were attacking the Dragon half-blood. However, this was the
first time the Dragon half-blood could not focus on the battlefield.
He blankly stared at the sword and spear flying toward him.

Baaaaaaaaaang!

A large explosion occurred.

The Dragon half-blood's body was pushed back.

Tap.

However, there was someone who caught him.

“…Cale Henituse.”

The Dragon half-blood did not get hurt. He had just been pushed back because of the
shock.
There was a silver shield in front of him that was blocking the black spear and the
sword. Cale tightly clenched the Dragon half-blood's shoulder as he started to speak.

“Why are you blanking out like that?”

 “You-”

“I’ll tell you later.”

He made the chaotic Dragon half-blood stand up straight.

 Human! The Dragon half-blood has a younger sibling? Are they around here? Let's
help find him! I feel a bit sorry for this guy! He works too hard to do the dishes!

Cale had a bitter smile on his face at Raon's ramblings as he moved the Dragon half-
blood behind his back.

‘I didn't expect it to blow up like this first.’

The Dragon half-blood did not know about how they had met Lord Sheritt.
It was because there was nobody around Cale who would tell the Dragon half-blood
or any others such secret information without Cale’s permission.
Nobody would also talk about how Sheritt's Castle was in the Forest of Darkness
because he had said it was a secret as they needed to avoid the White Star's gaze.

‘…I purposely made sure the Dragon half-blood didn't hear about it too.’

Cale had not asked the Dragon half-blood about Lord Sheritt and her children, the red
egg and black egg, because he wanted to properly ask in person.
It was not something to discuss through a video communication device.

‘I also wanted to hear it first while away from Raon.’

It could be information that would shock Raon. He wanted to hear that story first.
He heard the Dragon half-blood's voice behind him.

“What the hell is going on-”

The Dragon half-blood looked at Cale who turned around after hearing his voice. The
eyes that were quietly observing him slowly started to speak.

“I'll tell you everything. So, survive for now.”

The Dragon half-blood’s mouth that was dropped in shock slowly started to close.
However, his pupils were still shaking. The Dragon half-blood's eyes reflected the stoic
face in front of him.

“You can't die right now. You must live.”

Those words dug deep into the Dragon half-blood’s ears.

‘Why do I need to live?’

The Dragon half-blood wanted to ask Cale but could not do so.

Baaaaaang! Baaaaang!

The black spears were still destroying places inside the secret base. This chaotic
situation did not provide any time to ask such questions.
Furthermore, he could not have any other thoughts while looking at those black
spears.
His mind turned into a complicated mess.

‘Destroy that egg.’

The White Star’s order from the past stabbed at his ears like needles.
The moment the Dragon half-blood was born as a chimera, the White Star had pointed
to the black egg and mumbled in a half-laughing way.

‘Destroy it, and you can eat it if you want. That would be quite an entertaining sight too.’

The extremely deep underground cave with no light whatsoever.

There was a black egg next to the Dragon half-blood who was chained up in this cave
and desperately waited for the White Star to return each time with the hope that he
could receive the White Star's approval.
One day, the White Star noticed the gently placed black egg in one side of the cave and
chuckled.

‘You still haven't destroyed it? I was clear with my orders. I want you to personally
destroy that egg. Got it?’

The Dragon half-blood had nodded his head and said that he would one day destroy
the egg.
Once he could leave the cave and see the world according to the White Star’s orders,
he used a small opening he found to give an order to the mage Redika.

‘I just need to throw that egg away?’

‘Yes. Go to the Western continent and throw it away there. However, you must not
destroy it. You absolutely must not destroy it. Just throw it away in a cave in a clean
forest with a good breeze or something. Also, put an illusion spell there so that nothing
can enter that cave. Set some traps as well. Also… ’

He hesitated before adding in.

‘Let me know the location of it in the future if I ask you for it.’

The Dragon half-blood recalled how Redika had looked at him with an odd expression
at that time. This was the first time Redika had asked a question about the Dragon
half-blood’s orders.

‘…Isn't that hiding it instead of throwing it away? Are you telling me to protect it?’

‘Protect it?’

The Dragon half-blood had laughed at that word. Who was he to protect anything? And
what was that black egg for him to protect it?
The black egg was like an ornament he had placed in a corner of the cave. Why would
he place any type of meaning to it?

If he threw it away… It would hatch on its own if he threw it away in a mountain cave
that was high in mana.
It was the lord’s child and a Dragon, so it would grow on its own. It would be able to
find its own way to survive if Redika placed illusion spells outside the cave so that
enemies could not harm it either.

He couldn’t have such a chance because he was not thrown away, however, in return
for being thrown away, that black egg would earn that opportunity. In that case,
wouldn't they be in similar situations?

‘Redika, do not interpret my words however you feel. Got it?’

The Dragon half-blood had spoken as if he was scolding Redika who continued to look
at the black egg with an odd expression before nodding his head.
‘I understand, sir.’

‘This is a secret between the two of us. Got it?’

‘Yes sir, I understand.’

The word secret made Redika’s eyes glow and give off an odd sense of madness, but
the Dragon half-blood had not noticed it.
As someone who had not experienced the world at that time, the Dragon half-blood
could only trust Redika who was loyal to him.
Many years had passed since then and he had forgotten about it.
It was because Redika was dead.

Of course, he had asked about the black egg when he had made a short visit to the
Western continent a few months before Redika died when he said he was going to take
the mermaids to fight against the Whale tribe.

‘You clearly remember the location, right? You threw it away properly?’

‘Of course. I check in every so often to make sure that it is still properly thrown away.’

Redika had responded that he had thrown the egg away properly and that it was still
in the cave.
That was why the Dragon half-blood had given him a temperature management magic
device.

‘Are you giving it because you think it might be hot inside the cave?’

‘What nonsense. Just put that in the cave as well.’

Redika did not say anything else to the Dragon half-blood's response before leaving
with the temperature management magic device.
The Dragon half-blood had forgotten about the black egg after hearing that Redika was
dead.

‘I had forgotten about it.’

He then recalled something he said when he first met Cale Henituse.

‘…I smell a lord.’

He had said that Cale Henituse was giving off the smell of the Dragon Lord. He did not
mean much when he had said that.

After Lord Sheritt’s death, there were some Dragons who were born with the potential
to become the next Dragon Lord.
He had even killed one of those Dragons.

That was why he had thought that smell of a lord was the same type.

‘I am the great and mighty Raon Miru! I am six years old this year! Is washing dishes
fun, Dragon half-blood? I'm not talking to you because I pity you! I am only talking to
you because I am bored!’

He had thought that the young Dragon named Raon Miru was just another one of those
Dragons with the potential to become the Dragon Lord.

That was why he had tried to kill him.

He had believed that he could not be accepted by the White Star and had to live
without a name because he was not a complete Dragon. That was why he had found
that black Dragon to be annoying.

‘…How could such… What a rotten situation-’

The Dragon half-blood stumbled.

“Snap out of it.”

Cale supported him once more.

He looked over Cale's shoulder to see Choi Han charging toward Dorph. He could also
see On and Hong using their poisonous fog to paralyze the enemies outside the wall.

On, Hong, and Raon.

These young children had come to chat with the Dragon half-blood who was washing
dishes without thinking about much.
They started to chat with him as if they had forgotten about how he had attacked them
and tried to kill them.

‘Beacrox is the best at doing dishes!’

‘Deputy butler Hans is good at it too.’

The Dragon half-blood had wondered what the two young Cats were talking about.
However, he was in continuous pain such that he did not pay any attention to the
children and just quietly continued to do the dishes.

‘But Dragon half-blood! You're good at it too!’

The young black Dragon had then fluttered his wings and smiled at the Dragon half-
blood.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

The Dragon half-blood felt as if his head would explode.

The Gorge of Death.

He had tried to send tens, no, hundreds of light arrows toward the unconscious black
Dragon in Cale Henituse's arms at that battle.
The Dragon half-blood suddenly heard a voice in his heart at that moment.

‘What about it? You should kill him because he is the enemy, because he is a Dragon.’

The Dragon half-blood bit down on his lips after hearing the voice from his heart.

Yes, he should kill him because he was the enemy.

He repeated that to himself in his mind. However, he started to think about the black
egg again. He had thrown that black egg away. He definitely did, he really did…

‘So, what is going on?’

He could not understand his mind that felt like it was going to explode.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

His heart was beating wildly. He had come here thinking he was going to die, and
everybody else was still frantically fighting… But the Dragon half-blood felt as if he
was alone, as if the spot he was standing in was separated from the rest of the people.
It was at that moment.

Baaaaaang!

The Dragon half-blood covered his ears after hearing a loud explosion. His weak body
 was affected by loud noises now as well.

“Are you trying to go until the end?!”

He could hear Dorph shouting.

The Dragon half-blood raised his head. He could see Dorph’s angry eyes on the other
side of the shield. That was when the Dragon half-blood realized that the second secret
base was on fire.

 Hehehe! Human, I'm throwing another one!

A magic bomb that appeared in the air was thrown toward the secret base.

Baaaaaang!

The defensive wall shook along with the loud noise. The people inside the wall were
busy putting the fires out on the buildings that were destroyed by the black spears
while trying to dodge the magic bombs at the same time.

 Human, how many can I throw?

“As many as you want.”

Cale stoically responded and Raon responded with excitement.

 Heh! Then I'm going to throw all of the magic bombs goldie gramps gave me! I will not
let them off this time!

“Sure, keep throwing them.”

Cale was responding to Raon's comments but the person looking at him thought that
Cale was talking to him. Dorph glared at Cale from the other side of the shield.

“…You want to keep throwing those things?”

"What's wrong? I can’t do that?”

Cale shrugged his shoulders while looking at Dorph.

“The White Star seemed to be spreading around what seemed like magma, so what’s
 wrong with bombs? They’re about the same, aren’t they?”

Smirk.

Cale started to smirk and Dorph's skinny fists started to pound on the shield.

“You dare to mock this king?!”

Bang! Baaaaang! Bang!

He continued to slam on the shield. However, the shield did not break. The Dragon
half-blood who was observing from behind Cale noticed the reason for that.

The Silver Shield. There was a thick silver shield in front of this silver shield that was
fainter than usual.

It must belong to Raon Miru.

He made eye contact with Cale at that moment. Cale peeked toward Dorph before
quietly whispering to the Dragon half-blood.

“My body is not normal right now. It is difficult to use ancient powers.”

He had come here after fighting a while against the White Star.
He did recover a bit while Ron and Beacrox recovered their house, but he was still at
the brink of fainting.

 It looks like you are about to faint soon. Are you desperate to sacrifice yourself?

For reference, it was the Sky Eating Water and not the Scary Giant Cobblestone that
asked this question.

 Don't overdo it. Stop using your shield. It’s hard for the glutton too. Do you want to
faint again?

The Sky Eating Water was warning Cale so much about fainting that he could not use
his ancient powers properly.
Cale heard the Dragon half-blood's voice as he started to frown.

“…Did the black Dragon save me……”

He was speaking, not to anybody else, but to himself.

‘Shit.’

Cale started to frown.

Based on the Dragon half-blood's actions, he had a good idea about the answers to the
questions he was planning on asking him.

‘If my suspicions are correct, the Dragon half-blood, he… ’

He could not die right now.

“Ha.”

Cale let out a sigh.

Bang!

“Did you just sigh?”

Dorph responded to that sigh. The black orb he threw slammed on the shield.
However, Choi Han soon appeared in front of Dorph and swung his sword toward him.

"Cale-nim, I'm sorry for his being so loud.”

Choi Han innocently apologized before attacking Dorph again.

“Damn it! You persistent bastard!”

Dorph bit down on his lips.

He found it difficult to fight Choi Han. He had no idea how this human must have lived
in order for the attribute in his aura to be similar to his darkness attribute.
This was the reason his power of darkness did not work properly on Choi Han.

Furthermore, Choi Han kept attacking him and breaking his flow whenever he tried to
properly use the darkness Elemental's powers.
Choi Han calmly asked him a question at that moment.

"Why are you not using your strength properly? It feels like you are saving it for
something.”
“What? You're not giving me any time to use my full strength!”

Dorph who was shouting in anger could see Choi Han tilting his head in confusion.

“What nonsense are you spewing now? You’re saving your strength on purpose.”

Dorph’s frowning face slowly turned stoic.

“Oh, you were aware of it.”

Dorph then started to smile as if he had never been angry as Choi Han fixed his grip
on his sword.

‘The Lion King is saving his strength for some odd reason.’

The person who had cast the black wall to bother so many people was not doing that
right now. Furthermore, he was not using his berserk transformation either.

“Kekeke.”

He started to laugh as he responded.

“They’re here!”

Choi Han quickly turned his body to the right.

Paaaaat-

He saw a bright light along with people teleporting over.

Choi Han could see someone with red hair at the center of the light. It was the White
Star. He could also see Sayeru and the Illusionist.

“…Ha! I was thoroughly tricked.”

The White Star must have had to deal with some things before he came here as he
looked like a mess. He was covered in red sand as he stood there with a thunderbolt
in his hand.
It was obvious that they had rushed here. He started to smile toward Cale with
bloodshot eyes.
“How many times are you planning on smacking my back? Hmm?”

He glared at Cale and raised his hand that was holding the thunderbolt.
Choi Han started to run toward Cale at that moment.

“Keke, are you going to save your liege?”

He could hear Dorph laughter.

However, that laugh was quickly broken.

“Raon!”

Cale shouted and Cale’s group was soon covered in a bright light.
They were teleporting.
Choi Han was the last of the group to be covered in light as Cale waived at the White
Star who was throwing the thunderbolt.

“Bye-bye. You haven't found it in the desert yet, right?”

Cale had no plans on being dragged around by the White Star.

He smiled and said goodbye to the White Star.

“Then I’ll finish the search for you in the desert. I’ll find that power you are looking
for.”

Paaaat-!

The teleportation activated and Cale ignored the voice of the White Star that he could
faintly hear.

There was nothing the White Star could do about this.

He closed his eyes as his body started to teleport.

Once he opened his eyes…
Although he said he was going to the desert, Cale was actually in a secret room in the
basement of an antique building.

“Young master-nim, you’re here?”

“Long time no see, Marquis Taylor-nim.”

Taylor Stan. The patriarch of the Roan Kingdom's northwest region’s Marquis household
welcomed Cale.
As he mentioned, Cale had come to find the earth attribute ancient power that the
White Star was looking for.

It just happened to be in the Roan Kingdom's northwest region.

“I will lead you to your room first.”

“Thank you very much.”

Taylor smiled at Cale’s thank you before quickly leading them to another room.
They did not see anyone in the hallway as they left the underground room and moved
to their room.

Screeeech.

The door opened and a place that was set up like a meeting room appeared in front of
them.

“It’s over here.”

“Thank you very much.”

“It’s nothing, young master-nim. I will see you later.”

“Yes.”

Taylor stealthily walked away as he had done while guiding them here.

“Come in.”

Cale entered the room as if all of this was normal and everyone other than Choi Han
and the invisible Raon followed behind him with suspicion on their faces.

Click.

Beacrox closed the door to isolate them from the outside and started to speak.

“Why are we not in the desert?”

He asked before seeing the usual expression on the now visible Raon's face and Choi
Han's calm expression, making him nod his head with a bitter expression.

“Choi Han seems to know something as well. I guess there's a reason.”

“I don't really know either.”

“Is that so?”

Beacrox sat next to Choi Han at the table before speaking toward Cale who was at the
head of the table.

“Young master-nim, I know you suspected that the final earth attribute power would
be in the Roan Kingdom’s northwest region.”

The Dragon half-blood who was the only one here to hear this information for the first
time flinched.
His mind was still a chaotic mess, but he realized that he was hearing some dangerous
and secretive information and cautiously started to speak.

“…Is this okay for me to hear?”

Beacrox who received that gaze bluntly responded.

“Why wouldn't it be okay?”

“That’s right. It is as Beacrox mentioned.”

Cale agreed with it as well and the Dragon half-blood looked toward Cale with an even
more confused expression. However, his gaze then headed toward the children
averaging nine-years-old sitting around Cale.
To be more specific, his gaze moved toward Raon. He was fluttering his wings and
tapping Cale’s arm with his tail as if he was happy and he was smiling.
The Dragon half-blood’s gaze could not move away from that smile.

‘Aigoo.’

Cale sighed internally while watching this.

The answer seemed obvious even without asking about it, however, Cale could not just
keep standing there observing the Dragon half-blood.
“Young master-nim, are we here at the Roan Kingdom's northwest region and not the
desert because you located the earth attribute ancient power?”

He turned toward Beacrox who had asked the question. Beacrox who had asked in a
pressing tone thought they were wasting precious time.

‘We don’t know when the White Star will return to the desert. He might have
immediately returned there for all we know.’

That would mean it was likely for the White Star to notice Cale’s absence and turn his
attention toward the Roan Kingdom’s northwest region.

“You see, I…”

Cale started to speak at that moment.

He looked toward his friends sitting around the table.

In addition to the children averaging nine-years-old and the Dragon half-blood,

Beacrox, Choi Han, and Mercenary King Bud Illis were there.

“Yes, yes. You what?”

Bud looked toward Cale with an entertained expression.

Choi Han who was the only one other than Raon who knew that Cale would come here
chose to be silent.

‘…Is the earth attribute ancient power located in the Stan territory?’

However, Choi Han did not know everything either.

He had no way of knowing whether Cale had found the earth attribute ancient power
or not. He just waited for Cale to open his mouth which happened soon enough.

“Does anybody clearly remember the Henituse County's crest?”

“…Hmm?”

Bud looked toward Cale with a shocked expression.

The Henituse County's crest was the golden turtle. He knew that much, but he didn't
know the detailed crest on their County flag.
‘Who the hell would remember something like that?’

However, Bud was mistaken about this.

"Cale-nim, I remember it.”

“Human, I remember it! I will make a crest like that in the future too!”

“I know it!”

“I know it because Hans taught it to me!”

Choi Han and the children averaging nine-years-old answered as if it was an easy
question.

“Young master-nim, of course, I can draw something like that.”

Beacrox sounded annoyed to even answer such an obvious question.

“…Well, I can describe most of it even if I can't draw it out.”

Even the Dragon half-blood cautiously nodded his head.

This made Bud at a loss for words.

‘…What the? Am I the weird one?’

Cale continued to speak as Bud stood there unable to share his thoughts.

“Yes. As you all know, the Henituse County's crest is-”

“Young master-nim.”

Beacrox raised his hand and cut Cale off. Bud was waiting for Beacrox, who stopped
Cale who had gone off-topic from talking about the earth attribute ancient power to
the Henituse crest, to keep talking.
The person who had asked the question earlier to get the discussion started had been
Beacrox.

“What is it?”
Cale responded to Beacrox with a stoic expression and Beacrox answered with a
serious expression.

“It is not the Henituse County anymore. It is the Henituse Duchy now. Please use the
proper term especially in front of the children.”

Bud was at a loss for words.

He wanted to ask if that was the reason Beacrox had cut Cale off, but the look of pride
on Beacrox's face made Bud keep quiet.

‘…I should just stay quiet.’

Bud chose silence and Cale looked toward Beacrox in shock before continuing to speak.

“Anyway, the Henituse Duchy’s symbol is the golden turtle and it was used as the
family crest.
“I will show it to you! I remember everything because I am great and mighty!”

Raon used magic to create the Henituse crest at the center of the table.

A golden turtle was at the center of it as Cale mentioned.

‘That’s right. That is how it looked.’

Bud nodded his head at the crest he had seen a few times. He heard a whisper at that
moment.
It was Cale.

“What is the golden turtle carrying?”

There was something on the golden turtle’s shell.

“Human, I know the answer! It's a boulder, it's a stone mountain!”

Raon answered with excitement and Hong chimed in as well.

“Deputy butler Hans told me! He said it was a stone mountain on top of the golden
turtle! He said that the mountain was made of marble!”

“That’s right! You really are smart!”

“You're smart too, youngest bro!”

Bud nodded his head after hearing the children’s comments.

The Henituse County’s crest was a golden turtle with a marble mountain on top of it.

‘The territory is famous for its marble. That was the reason it became so wealthy.’

It was normal for the territory crest to have their symbol along with the item their
territory was famous for.

‘But why does that matter?’

Bud didn't know why Cale would bring that up right now.
It was at that moment.

“Ah. So……!”

Choi Han quietly gasped. Bud wanted to ask, ‘what's wrong with him?’ after seeing
Choi Han nodding his head, however, Choi Han could not pay any attention to that right
now.

‘Cale-nim was definitely looking at the file about the northwest region’s nobles at that
time.’

It was the day when the celebration had happened after the Henituse household was
promoted to a Duke's household. Choi Han had gone to find Cale in the corner terrace
where Cale was reading some documents.

Those documents were full of information about the northwest region's nobles.
Cale was looking at information on Marquis Stan’s household as well as all nobles in
the northwest region in addition to a map of the northwest region.

“Choi Han, did you figure it out?”

Choi Han who turned to see Cale who was smiling so much that his eyes were in the
shape of a crescent moon nodded his head, and Cale immediately continued to speak.

“My earth attribute ancient power can be said to be a type of ‘stone’ based power.”
Even its name was the Scary Giant Cobblestone.
Cale continued to speak just as Bud was about to frown at Cale changing topics again.

“There are only two noble families in the Roan Kingdom with ‘boulder’ or 'stone’ in
their crest.”

Bud found this to be odd.

‘Are there really only two households?’

“Only two noble households in this land of boulders has some kind of ‘stone’ in their
crest.”

As Cale mentioned, the Roan Kingdom had been called the Land of Boulder since a
long time ago.

"Furthermore, other than the royal family, no organizations are using any kind of stone
even now.

“Merchant guilds, associations… None of them have used any type of stone in their
crest.

“Do you think this is a coincidence?”

Cale took a small piece of paper out of his pocket as he asked. There was a crest drawn
on this piece of paper that seemed to have been ripped out of a book.

“…A snake?”

Beacrox saw a red snake on the paper.

“Ho!”

Bud lightly slapped his knees with his palms.

He could see the red snake as well.

It was another family’s family crest.

That red snake was wrapped around a stone mountain as it glared at someone with
its jaw opened.
This red snake symbolized only one family in the entire Roan Kingdom.
Even Bud who had been paying attention to the Roan Kingdom knew this crest
because he had been paying attention to this household that was one of the strongest
households of the Roan Kingdom.
Bud said that household’s name as he looked toward Cale.

“…The Stan March.”

“Yes. Only the Stan household and the Henituse household use a boulder in their
crests.”

Was this a coincidence?

That was the thought passing through Bud’s mind.

“But you see…”

Cale wasn’t done just yet.

“The Roan Kingdom is very unique. It has a large territory, but only the marble in the
east and the granite in the west are famous.”

The group all focused on the Stan household’s crest.

Unlike the Henituse crest, this red snake was wrapped around a thicker and darker
boulder. This probably represented granite.

“Is there anywhere else where the quality of the boulders is so clearly different? I also
found out one other thing.”

His quiet voice sounded extremely loud as everybody focused on Cale.

Knock knock knock-!

Someone knocked and Cale immediately got up and opened the door.

“Young master-nim, here is the item you requested.”

“Thank you, Marquis-nim.”

“Not at all. Something like this is nothing for you, young master Cale-nim. Then I will
be on my way as you are in the middle of a meeting.”
Taylor Stan quickly left after noticing the serious atmosphere in the room. Cale said
that he would come to greet him later and walked Taylor out.
He then returned to the table and opened up the item in his hand.

Chhhhhhhh!

It was a map.
The northwest region. This map clearly showed the northwest region with the Stan
March at the center.
This was the second most thorough map in the Stan territory other than the one used
by their troops.

Tap!

Cale pointed to a spot with his finger.

“A stone mountain filled with granite is in the Stan March.”

It was a rough mountain that was not comparable to the Ten Finger Mountains where
Cale had visited and met the Elves. It was made of granite and famous for the beautiful
scenery.
However, people rarely visited that place now because of the rough terrain, a scary
legend, and rumors about how it was dangerous.

“That scenery is said to look like a red snake wrapped around a stone mountain.”

Cale started to smile.

“And there is also a legend that says that a red snake gobbles up anybody who tries to
conquer the mountain.”

His relaxed smile reached the others.

“What do you think? Are you getting a feel for it now?”

They definitely were.

As he mentioned, they all had a certain thought come to mind.

"Cale-nim, are we going to this mountain?”

Choi Han asked for everyone and Cale answered without any hesitation.

“We definitely need to check out the places that have the highest chances of having
what we are looking for.”

Screeeech.

Choi Han got up and the others followed as well. Cale who was already standing made
eye contact with the others and looked ready to head to the marked mountain at any
moment.

“However, before that…”

Cale shook his head.

He started to speak in a serious tone to the others who were confused.

“We need to eat first.”

Cale who was hungry after not eating for a long time looked toward the children
averaging nine-years-old before looking toward Beacrox.

"We can’t starve the children.”

“…Ha, I suppose that is true, young master-nim.”

Beacrox shook his head and headed toward the door without saying anything else.

"Where are you going?”

He turned the doorknob and responded to Bud’s question.

“To make some food.”

He then headed out toward the Stan household’s kitchen without any hesitation. His
footsteps quickened after thinking about how dirty On and Hong had gotten in half a
day and because he was worried about Raon.
Beacrox did not seem to care about how shocked the Stan household's chefs would be
at this outsider’s visit.
The others who were blankly staring at his quick movement then heard Cale’s order.
 “Everybody head out for a bit.”

“Human! Do I need to go out too?”

“Yes. Everybody out. Ah, except you.”

Cale motioned for the Dragon half-blood to sit before pointing to the door for the
others. He saw the Stan household’s butler who had a shocked expression on his face
after probably seeing Beacrox.

“Ask that butler to show you where to rest.”

“Hey, what do you mean a place to rest, aren’t we in a hurry?”

Cale ignored the grumbling Bud and closed the door behind the others without any
hesitation.

 Human! See you later!

Raon who turned invisible after seeing the butler said goodbye, leaving only Cale and
the Dragon half-blood inside the meeting room.

Screeeech.

Cale sat down on the chair across from the Dragon half-blood. And started to speak.

“As Bud mentioned, we are in a bit of a hurry right now. So, I’ll give you thirty minutes.”

The Dragon half-blood subconsciously clenched his fists. His back was sweating. Cale
didn’t care as he asked the Dragon half-blood a question in a stoic voice.

“Do you know about the red egg?”

The Dragon half-blood’s pupils started to shake.

Cale observed the Dragon half-blood's shaking eyes with a stoic expression.

‘I have no reason.’

He had no reason to sympathize with the Dragon half-blood’s emotions. Who didn't
have stories in their lives? Cale had not forgotten the crazed anger in the Dragon half-
blood's eyes as he aimed for Raon who was unconscious as he was going through his
first growth phase.

Forget.

That was a word that Kim Rok Soo did not use many times in his life. However, it was
a word that the Dragon half-blood was familiar with.
His shaking mouth slowly opened to speak.

“My memories are not complete.”

The Dragon half-blood recalled his first memory.

It was the memory of a dark cave. Of course, his eyes quickly became accustomed to
the darkness as he did not have regular human eyes.

“My first memory is about a dark cave.”

The Dragon half-blood clenched his shaking hands together.

Inside that darkness where he couldn’t even see himself…

“I was in pain at the time.”

It was different than the severe pain he felt right now, but he had continuously felt
pain back then.

“It was because I was in the process of becoming a chimera.”

A Dragon was being mixed into a human's body. The Dragon half-blood's body was
being restructured at that time.

“I was turning into a monster that was neither a human nor a Dragon.”

He didn't remember how painful it had been. Through that pain, the Dragon half-blood
had only waited for the man in the white mask who visited him the most.
The torch that the man brought with him had been his only source of light. It was also
his only source of heat.

“The White Star would come and quietly look at me for a while before leaving. Now
that I think about it, he probably came to observe me. He wanted to see if the creature
that he had created was growing properly.”

The Dragon half-blood had not known who the man in the white mask was back then.
He was in so much pain that he didn't have time to wonder about the man’s identity
nor even his own identity. He was very young at the time. The pain alone was enough
to fill the child’s mind.

“One day, a terrible pain filled my body.”

That was the last step.

That was the last step for him to turn into a complete chimera.

“I recalled something as I suffered through that pain.”

The Dragon half-blood opened and closed his mouth a few times before continuing to
speak.

“That memory was not a memory I had as a Dragon half-blood, but one of my memories
as a human.”

It was not his first memory as the Dragon half-blood.

It was a memory from when he was still human.

“It was just a single memory.”

He had recalled a specific incident.

“…I had coincidentally run into the White Star nine hundred years ago. I presume it
was during his second or third reincarnation.”

Cale who was quietly listening twitched his eyebrow.

‘If it is as the Dragon half-blood described, then it was his life that was right after his
life as the last Dragon Slayer or the life after that.’

Based on the time frame, it needed to be around there for the Dragon half-blood who
has lived for 900 years to have met the White Star who has reincarnated for 1,000
years.
Cale had his hands interlocked as he looked toward the Dragon half-blood. The Dragon
half-blood continued to speak while still holding his shaking hands together.

“At that time, the White Star visited my, no, the village that I lived in as a human. He
gave a lot of food to the children and played with us.”

The Dragon half-blood's eyes lowered.

“However, he was probably looking for children like me who had the body he needed
to create monsters like me. Experiments that won't die even if he channeled a Dragon's
power into us.”

The Dragon half-blood bit down on his lips.

“And the village that the human me lived in was very poor. It was a slum outside the
city. He gave me a lot of food and told me a lot of exciting stories at that time.”

His heart was roaring as he continued to recall these memories.

"And then…”

The Dragon half-blood's mouth stopped shaking.

A dull voice came out of his mouth.

“And then, my real parents sold me off to the White Star.”

He could still remember how his parents had pushed him toward the White Star after
receiving a gold coin from him with two hands.

The final stage before he became a complete chimera…

The only memory that popped up during that terrible pain was the memory of that
incident.

How terrible must that have been…

How terrible must that have been that he only remembered that incident?
Friends from when he was young? Faces of his siblings?

He didn’t remember any of that. That incident was the only memory he had during his
life as a human.

“I remember it very, very clearly.”

He knew that he was being sold off at that time. However, he feigned ignorance and
tried to grab onto his father and mother’s sleeves.
Unfortunately, the thing that ended up in his hand was the White Star’s stiff hand.

That was how he left the village holding the White Star's hand and headed toward the
forest. The Dragon half-blood had looked back at the village for a while before
resigning himself to his fate and asking the White Star a question.

‘Are you my father?’

Are you my father from now on?

He had heard about how children who were sold off like this usually ended up being
sold again as slaves or died. That was why he was hoping that would not be it.

‘I'm not sure.’

The White Star was speaking gently to him even though he had purchased him with
money. However, it was only his voice that was gentle.

‘Think about it however you like.’

The child who had turned into a complete monster after coming out of the swamp of
memory had looked at the White Star smiling in front of him as he started to think.

“…Father.”

This person is my father.

No, he had to become my father. He said to think about it however he liked, so the
Dragon half-blood decided that he would treat the White Star as his new father.

‘But I couldn't treat him as my father in the end. I couldn't be accepted as his son.’

It was because he could not become a complete Dragon.

He was a half-Dragon whose limit was going through the second growth phase. He was
a chimera, a monster.

“Once the pain disappeared after the final stage, I realized that I had become a Dragon
half-blood. I had become a chimera. The White Star said the following to me at that
time."

The voice stopped shaking, but Cale could see the pupils that started to shake again.
The owner of those eyes continued to speak in a hoarse voice. He repeated what the
White Star had told him word for word.

“I shoved a red Dragon's heart into your heart.”

Cale closed his eyes the moment he heard those words. The Dragon half-blood
continued to speak.

“He also said the following. ‘Your heart has the blood of the last Dragon Lord. So, you
will definitely become a great Dragon. Become a Dragon and succeed me. I believe you
will be able to do both.’ ”

Cale held back a sigh.

The red Dragon’s heart.

And the last Dragon Lord's blood.

These two were enough to give him the answers.

All of his questions had been answered.

‘This bastard has Raon's sibling’s blood.’

Cale started to feel a headache coming. His temples were hurting.

The White Star had destroyed the red egg and killed Raon's sibling Dragon in order to
use his heart as an ingredient to give birth to the Dragon half-blood.

“I ate a few more Dragon hearts after that.”

“…Haaa.”

Cale ended up sighing as he brushed his face with both hands.

It didn't seem right to share his frustrations with the Dragon half-blood.

‘It’s not like this bastard was the one who killed Raon’s sibling.’

In the end, there was only one thing Cale could say.

“White Star, you motherf*cking bastard.”

No matter how many times he thought about it, it would be too easy to let that bastard
die a peaceful death. He needed to make sure the White Star died a painful death. Cale's
face filled with anger as he motioned toward the Dragon half-blood with his head.

“Tell me more.”

It was as if he was telling him to keep talking if there was anything else to say.

“I…”

The Dragon half-blood continued.

“After I went through my first growth phase, I could only leave the cave when the
White Star gave me an order. The White Star took me with him because I was able to
tell which Dragons were strong enough to become Dragon Lords or would end up
becoming strong enough in the future.”

That was why the White Star had taken the Dragon half-blood around with him and
killed the strong Dragons himself or ordered the Dragon half-blood to kill them.
Cale raised his hand and cut him off.

“Not that.”

“…Huh?”

“I don't want to hear about your life. Tell me what you know about the black egg.”

“Ah.”
The Dragon half-blood finally realized why Cale Henituse was calmly chatting with
him. The reason he was chatting like this with someone like him who tried to kill him,
his friends, and his people was because of the young Dragon.
He felt envious of the young Dragon but continued to speak with a different mindset
than before.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

His heart started to beat wildly and shake as he started to think about the young
Dragon.

“There was a punk named Redika who was my subordinate. You should know about
him as well. He was the middle-grade Arm member you first fought against.”

The Dragon half-blood started to tell Cale everything he knew about the black egg.
He started with how he had stealthily given Redika the orders to throw it away as well
as how Redika told him that he had thrown it away in a cave. He also told him how he
had no idea of knowing where the egg was after Redika’s death.

“Ha!”

Cale let out a sigh-like laugh after hearing everything. He started to speak toward the
Dragon half-blood with a look of disbelief.

“You left it with Redika?”

“Yes.”

Cale looked toward the Dragon half-blood who looked intimidated as he nodded his
head and started to think.

‘…How can things end up like this?’

He could finally understand how Raon was moved from the Eastern continent to the
Western continent and ended up being sold to the Stan household.
Cale started to oddly frown. His emotions were a mess right now. He looked toward
the Dragon half-blood with a stoic expression and started to speak.

“You told Redika to throw it away in a clear forest with a nice breeze in the Western
continent?”
“……Yes.”

“You told him to cast an illusion spell at the entrance?”

“……Yes.”

"And you asked him every so often if he threw it away properly? You asked him if it
was still in that cave?”

“……Yes. I needed to confirm that he threw it away properly.”

“Ho.”

Cale looked at the Dragon half-blood in disbelief.

‘Is that throwing it away? That’s hiding it to protect it! Aigoo.’

Cale’s headache became worse. Was this Dragon half-blood bastard such a silly fool?
However, he could understand why the Dragon half-blood who said he despised
Dragons would treat the black egg that way.

‘Aigoo, my head.’

Cale grabbed his forehead with one hand as he started to speak.

“You are a pretty smart bastard. I'm sure by now you know that Redika lied to you?”

“…I know.”

The Dragon half-blood bit down on his lips.

It had been about two years since Redika died. He had said that the egg had not
hatched yet. But this black Dragon was six years old already.

‘I am the great and mighty Raon Miru! I am six years old!’

If that was true, then that meant that he had been tricked by Redika. The Dragon half-
blood heard Cale's calm voice in his ear at that moment.

“Redika sold an egg to the Stan March. It was a black egg. The egg soon hatched, and it
was chained in an underground cave for four years living a life of torture while being
whipped and starved.”

The Dragon half-blood suddenly thought about the term, ‘rearing animals.’ He too had
been reared like an animal by the White Star.
Cale was speaking as he thought about that.

"And he didn't learn anything he should have learned as a Dragon. There were mana-
restricting chains around his neck. He had never even used magic properly.”

The Dragon half-blood opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally
deciding to ask.

“…Are you talking about your Dragon?”

That Dragon who was so innocent, happy, and seemed to have grown up full of love
had lived such a life?
He grew up chained, imprisoned, and tortured like that?
Cale shook his head as he looked into the Dragon half-blood's shaking eyes.

“Why is he my Dragon? Is he an item? He is Raon Miru, Raon Miru.”

Cale sighed before casually adding on.

“He is Raon Miru, the younger sibling to the red Dragon that is stuffed into your heart.”

The Dragon half-blood lowered his head.

“Haaa, so frustrating.”

Cale started to frown even more after seeing his shrunk and crumpled appearance.

What should he do about this?

Should he tell Raon?
More importantly…

Should he tell Sheritt?

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Cale’s finger that was tapping on the armrest stopped moving. The Dragon half-blood
who had his head down soon heard Cale’s voice.

"Will you meet the red Dragon's mom? She’s Raon’s mother.”

“…Huh?”

Cale could see the Dragon half-blood's blank expression that looked like a broken
clock. He jerked his head up and blankly asked, making him look extremely stupid.

‘Aigoo, my poor life.’

Cale pressed on his temples and started to speak.

“First of all. How much longer do you think you have to live?”

“…That.”

The Dragon half-blood who had been fidgeting ever since he mentioned Lord Sheritt
seemed very stupid right now.

“That, I, I don't really know.”

The Dragon half-blood really didn’t know how much longer he had to live. The pain
throughout his body was so terrible that it wouldn't be weird if he died at any moment.

“…But I can hold on.”

The Dragon half-blood looked toward Cale and answered.

He didn't realize it, but he was looking at Cale with a desperate expression.
Cale understood the Dragon half-blood's emotions that were behind that desperate
expression and the quiet yet urgent voice.

‘I'm sure he wants to meet her. He probably wants to meet Lord Sheritt.’

This was someone who had only been thrown away by people whom he had considered
parents in the past.

Of course, he didn't want to feel sympathy for this bastard.

He had done a lot of terrible things in the past.
That was why Cale did not think about how to keep this bastard alive. However, he
said something else instead.

“Stay alive. Persist. Hold on for as long as possible. You can’t die right now.”

Cale got up after saying that.

"The earth attribute ancient power. You'll have a chat with Raon and Raon’s mom once
I get that power. Keep your mouth shut until then. You know why, right?”

The Dragon half-blood understood why Cale was telling him to keep his mouth shut.
It was for the young Dragon. He opened his mouth and confidently responded.

“I know. This is a very important time for you guys, and I don't want to harm you in
any way.”

“Good. Don’t do anything to harm us. I don’t like you, so don’t cause us any more harm.
Do I sound cold?”

The Dragon half-blood sighed at Cale's comment.

“No, it does not sound cold at all.”

How could he find someone who was saying he didn't like him but also telling him to
persist to be cold?
If this was the White Star, forget having such a calm discussion, he would kill Raon and
Raon's mom in front of him before killing him in a cruel manner while saying that it
was the price of his sins.

He looked toward Cale Henituse and started to speak.

“You… really seem like a good person.”

Cale instantly started to frown.

‘He thinks I'm a good person?’

“What nonsense. Are you out of your mind? Is it time for you to die? You think I'm a
good person? What total nonsense. Do you think I'll try to find a way to keep you alive
if you say something like that?”
Cale was laughing as if telling him not to have such thoughts and that such things
would never happen. He could then see the Dragon half-blood who was faintly smiling.

“…I have no plans to live any longer. Just a little longer, I plan on holding on for just a
little longer.”

Cale was at a loss for words seeing the Dragon half-blood respond like this. However,
the Dragon half-blood didn't care as he quietly started to laugh. For some odd reason,
he couldn't help but laugh.

His heart felt at peace.

He also felt sorrow.
Why after all this time? No, why now of all times?

All sorts of thoughts filled his mind. The past, the present, and the future. All three
things mixed in his mind to cause him sorrow.
He continued to hear Cale's cold voice as he had that thought.

“Don't laugh weirdly like that. You will follow us for now. Got it?”

“Sure.”

The Dragon half-blood wanted to do that as well.

He wanted to follow Cale.
He needed to do that to see ‘him.’

Cale headed toward the door as he continued to speak.

"We are heading to the mountain right after we eat. Get ready.”

"Aigoo, you are going to that mountain? No, I can't do that. I can't guide you there!”

An old man waved his hands in front of Cale trying to dissuade him.

“You'll be bewitched if you go to that mountain, bewitched! You’ll be bewitched by a

ghost and fall off the cliff… you'll die! Do you know how many skeletons there are
under that cliff? Aigoo, you'll be in big trouble if you go to that mountain!”
The old man was honest with this feeble-looking merchant.

“Mr. Bob, a feeble person like you going there will instantly be bewitched and die. I'm
saying this because I'm concerned. Aigoo, but why do you look so feeble like you can’t
even finish a bowl of soup?”

Merchant Bob, no, Cale started to frown.

Cale had teleported with the others to arrive here.
This was the stone mountain they had seen on the map called ‘Nake Mountain.’

Cale recalled the conversation he had with Taylor before coming here.

‘Mm, what business do you have there……?’

Taylor Stan who had learned about their destination as he watched them leave
sounded concerned.
Taylor had tricked the White Star using keywords such as the Land of Death and
treasure, but he couldn't understand why Taylor, who didn’t know about the earth
attribute ancient power, would sound concerned.

‘Is there something fishy I don’t know about? Or, is there some sort of problem?’

Cale cautiously asked Taylor.

‘Is there a reason I shouldn't go there?’

He needed to talk things out with Taylor in order to make sure that there were no
problems as he would be moving around the Stan territory.

‘No. There’s no reason you cannot go there, young master-nim. There’s nowhere in the
Stan territory that you cannot go. However… ’

Taylor hesitated for a moment before quietly asking with an awkward smile on his
face.

‘You know about the legend of Nake Mountain, right?’

‘Are you talking about the story of the snake?’

‘Mm, even I do not know if that legend is true or not. But you see… This is a bit… ’
Taylor continued to speak with an awkward expression as if it was difficult to say.

‘W, we have people go missing at that mountain every year. And you cannot teleport
on that mountain.’

‘Excuse me? You can’t teleport?’

‘Yes. You can’t grab the coordinates of that location.’

A mage would need to gather the coordinates with magic to go from point A to Nake
Mountain.
However, Nake Mountain was a place where they could not use magic to grab the
coordinates.

‘Furthermore, it is covered in fog, so you’ll need to go with an experienced hunter.’

Taylor left for a moment before returning with a list of famous hunters around Nake
Mountain and cautiously started to speak again.

‘I don't know why exactly you are going there, but I'm sure it is to protect the Western
continent from that villain.’

Taylor who grabbed both of Cale's hands looked toward Cale with respect and
admiration.

‘Please return safely.’

Cale awkwardly smiled at Taylor’s comment that was full of both respect and concern
before the conversation ended as they left.

And now…
Cale who had teleported to the village closest to Nake Mountain felt awkward as he
listened to the old man who was said to be the most experienced and wisest hunter.

“Anyway, I'm acting like this because you all look so young! Mr. Bob, I don't know what
it’s for, but don't go to that cursed mountain! Hmm?”

“Senior, is there nothing that can be done?”

Hunter Bobe wanted to help this young merchant named Bob whose name was similar
 to his.

“Aigoo. I, Bobe, want to help you, Mr. Bob, especially since we have such similar names.
It’s just that this is a dangerous time right now.”

He pointed behind his house.

His house that was at the farthest part of the village was right outside the fog-covered
Nake Mountain.

“Half of the people who go into that damn mountain end up dying.”

Mercenary King Bud who had been quiet started to speak.

“But sir, doesn’t that mean the other half lived?”

“That’s because they went when the fog was not there, you naive young man!”

Bud who had instantly ended up as a naive young man touched his hair and kept his
mouth shut. He seemed a bit upset but Hunter Bobe, merchant Bob, and the others
around them didn't seem to care at all.

Pat pat.

 Hey Bud! Why do you look so sad? Are you upset? I am curious!

The silver Kitten just patted Bud’s leg with her front paws while the invisible Raon's
chatted in Bud’s mind.
Choi Han approached the hunter as Bud's shoulders slumped.

“Senior.”

Hunter Bobe flinched as Choi Han approached him. He felt the same way he felt when
he faced a large wild animal while he was out hunting.
He couldn’t help but look at the eyes of the young man that seemed very experienced.
Choi Han calmly asked for Bobe’s help.

“If it is difficult to guide us, please at least tell us the things we should be wary about.
We must go into that mountain right away. We need to hurry.”

“No, oh, this…”

Bobe scratched his head. It was at that moment. Merchant Bob who had been quiet
respectfully started to speak.

“Please sir, we will pay you handsomely for it.”

“Aigoo, it’s not that. I am not acting like this because of the money-”

“Ten million gallons. That is how much we will pay you for your help.”

The others looked toward merchant Bob, Cale, with shocked expressions after hearing
the extremely high amount. Cale didn't care as he looked toward the hunter with a
respectful gaze.
Hunter Bobe didn't shake after hearing the large amount and just stared at Cale with
his gaze that had stiffened with time.

“…Sigh.”

He then sighed as he walked into his house.

“Hey, it's obvious he’s not acting like this because of the money!”

Bud poked Cale’s side and scolded him.

It was at that moment.

“You must listen to whatever I say if you want to live.”

The hunter returned wearing leather armor along with his bow and arrows. The
hunter who had quickly finished his preparations to climb Nake Mountain made Bud
look at him in disbelief, but Cale bowed his head and responded respectfully.

“Thank you for your guidance.”

“Now then, where do we need to go? The top of the mountain?”

Cale answered the hunter’s question about their destination.

"The place that the snake is said to come out.”

Nake Mountain.
This mountain was known for a red snake that gobbled up any intruders.
That snake appeared the most when the fog covered the entire mountain and instantly
led people to their death.

“…Y, you crazy! I'm not an old man who is crazy for money!”

The hunter subconsciously raised his voice.

“You’re going to look for the snake? Do you wish to be bewitched?”

“Yes, sir. That is correct.”

“…Really? You don’t want to go under the cliff?”

“The top of the cliff please.”

“Ho-!”

If you hear the voice of a lost loved one through the fog…
It is said that you would find a beautiful snake covered in red scales if you follow that
voice.

If you follow that snake as if you've been bewitched, you'll end up stepping off the cliff
without realizing it.
Then you would fall to your death.

“Are you telling me to take you to that cliff?”

“Yes sir, senior Bobe.”

“Aigoo, who cares if we are Bobe and Bob! Why the hell do you need to go to that cliff?
All of you are so young!”

He was patting his chest as if it was disappointing.

It could not be helped.

“Have you seen the faces of the people who fell off the cliff and died? No, have you
heard the things they said? I've seen them, I have. Do you know how they died?”

Just thinking about it was terrible.

Hunter Bobe who knew Nake Mountain well had taken the families of the dead to the
bottom of the cliff many times.
There were times they found the bodies too late and they were already rotting or only
the bones remained, but there were a few times they found the bodies quickly.

Bobe had received a big shock after looking at the corpses during one of those times.

“They were all laughing! They were all laughing even though they died!”

Bobe had not gone around that cliff ever since looking at that expression.

"Senior, I'm not asking you to take us all the way to the edge of the cliff. Please just
guide us to the area around the cliff. We will take care of it from there.”

“…You want me to just watch people die? I can’t do that no matter how much you pay
m-”

“We are going to kill the snake.”

Hunter Bobe stopped talking after hearing Cale's comment.

‘Kill what? That snake? That ghost? How?’

Cale who saw Bobe's gaze put his hand on the shoulder of the person next to him. Choi
Han took out his sword after receiving the signal. He channeled a small amount of his
black aura onto his sword.

Bobe’s eyes opened wide.

He knew about sword masters and auras even though he lived in this small village
under the mountains his whole life.
The corners of the old man's mouth slowly started to rise after looking at the aura for
a long time.

“Hehehe.”

He closed the door to his house with that short laugh. He then looked toward Cale.

“I don’t need the money. I would be making a profit if I can help you hunt the biggest
prey of my life.”

The old hunter started to walk toward the dangerous fog-covered mountain.
 “Please follow behind me in a single line. We need to quickly get there before night
time, so we are going to use a narrow shortcut!”

Cale followed behind him.

 I am behind you!

The invisible Raon followed behind Cale, followed by Beacrox who was holding On and
Hong, then the Dragon half-blood, and then the Mercenary King.

“Are you okay?”

Bud asked the sweating Dragon half-blood with an odd expression as he didn't know
how to treat this guy. The Dragon half-blood quietly waved his hand and followed
behind Beacrox.
Choi Han was at the end of the group.

The hunter took out a bag and handed it to Cale before shouting loud enough for
everyone to hear.

“Please use the earplugs inside the bag to cover your ears if you don’t want to be
bewitched! Magic supposedly doesn’t work to prevent that noise!”

Cale looked inside the bag. He seemed to have brought as many as he had as there
seemed to be enough for the children averaging nine-years-old as well. Cale grabbed
his and Raon's earplugs before passing the bag to Beacrox. The old man continued to
speak with a serious expression.

“And one time is okay, but don't look at anything red a second time. You must not see
it a second time! Do you understand? Just look forward, just look at the back of the
person in front of you.”

“Senior, what about you?”

The hunter smiled at Bud's question.

He took a black cloth out of his pocket. He then covered his eyes. He also covered his
ears with the earplugs.

“I am the person who has survived through the fog-covered Nake Mountain the most.”
The old man then turned around once more. He then started to walk forward with
both arms out, touching the ground, boulders, and trees as he walked.
Cale realized he picked the right guide after seeing this. Everyone including the
children averaging nine-years-old covered their ears and only looked at the back of
the person in front of them as they entered the fog-covered forest.

The old man was quick.

They had wondered if he would be slow because his eyes and ears were covered,
however, there was no hesitation in the old man who had walked through this path for
tens of years.
Cale quietly followed behind him.

‘I like that he’s quick.’

He didn’t know when they would be contacted by the Dark Elves from the Land of
Death.

‘I'm sure the White Star immediately returned to the Land of Death.’

He and Choi Han would be there, but more importantly, he needed the earth attribute
ancient power.
That was making Cale concerned and anxious. Of course, the Dark Elves and Mary had
set up traps that should last for a few days as they waited for the White Star.
But variables always tended to appear. Cale could not help but be anxious.

Gulp.

His gulping noise sounded extremely loud.

He couldn’t see properly because of the fog. The only thing he could barely make out
was Hunter Bobe's back. The trees and weeds on both sides of the narrow path
hindered his walking, but he could not look around.

It was because he remembered the hunter’s warning.

Instead, he chose to organize his thoughts as he quietly walked while only looking
forward.

‘What kind of power could the final earth attribute ancient power be?’
 The first thing he thought about was about the power he might soon end up getting.

‘I'm sure it’s not a weak power-’

 I am a rock.

Cale heard someone's voice in his mind at that moment.

He didn't hear it through his ears, and it was a voice Cale was all too familiar with.

The Scary Giant Cobblestone. His low voice echoed in Cale’s mind.

‘…What did he say? Of course you are a rock, Super Rock. What else would you be?’

Cale's expression turned odd.

 Yes, rock. I am a rock. I was one of the first weapons in human hands.

‘Weapon?’

Cale who was looking at the old man’s back as he walked started to frown.

 Humans do not have sharp claws or legs fast enough to help them escape. That was
why they needed something in their hands to fight against their enemies. They needed
weapons.

They needed it to hunt, to kill their enemies, or even dominate and conquer others.
Humans needed weapons for everything.

 One of the first weapons was the rock. I, the Super Rock in your body, was one of those
first weapons.

The Scary Giant Cobblestone.

Cale had thought that scary was an odd term for the Super Rock.

 That is why I am the Scary Giant Cobblestone. Numerous living beings have died by
being hit by this stone.

However, he now felt as if he could understand why he had such a name.

 And I may be the Scary Giant Cobblestone, but I hoped that they would use the rock to
 build stone walls instead of throwing it at others.

I wanted everyone to live in peace without getting hurt in these stone walls. I wanted
to be a sturdy shield for them.
I didn't mind being destroyed in the process, I wanted to become the dirt on the ground
to be a field for new life to blossom or a place for people to rest for a bit.

Rocks are the things you can see the most around the world. He chose to fight against
the ancient White Star’s subordinates and other enemies in places with people who
did not have the means to buy expensive and strong weapons.

 However, the other earth attribute ancient power seems to have chosen to remain as
a weapon.

The earth attribute ancient power that the ancient White Star possessed.
The Scary Giant Cobblestone had to face that weapon head-on because he had been at
the vanguard during the final battle.

 Everything is said to die and return to the earth to turn into dirt. That is why the earth
is a place with a significant amount of death.

The Super Rock considered the earth to be a place of birth, but the other power did
not feel that way.

 Blood-drenched Rock. That is what I called the other earth attribute ancient power.

He didn’t know the power’s original name, but that was how the Super Rock had
addressed it.
It was red. It was a power that was like a rock that was drenched in red blood.

‘…What the-’

Cale felt chills on his back after hearing the vicious name.
It was at that moment.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

Cale suddenly felt chills throughout his body.

He heard a noise even though he had covered his ears.
However, it was not the voice of a lost loved one.
‘…He said once was fine, right?’

Cale's gaze headed toward the side.

He saw a red wall in front of him.
No, the red-scaled snake’s large body looked like a wall.

‘Shit!’

Cale quickly turned his head.

It was the snake.
That snake had appeared without any noise or sign.
Actually, he could still hear the stealthy noise of the snake moving.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

A snake with a body that was wider than Cale's height was moving next to Cale’s group.

‘Shit, this is a bit scary.’

Cale cowered a bit at this sight that looked like something that might come out of a
scary drama like the Hometown of Legends.
 ‘Only look forward. I'll only look forward.’

Cale's shoulders were curled in as he focused on Hunter Bobe’s back.

‘I thought it was meant to sound like a lost loved one to bewitch you, so why is it not
doing that to me?’

Cale did not get scared like this other than because of Ron or Choi Han. But he was
extremely scared right now.

‘This is weird.’

He did not see the snake's head nor its entire body because he turned his head back
quickly, but the wiggling body of this large snake was much larger than Cale had
expected.
Even the luster on the red scales was oddly bright.

‘But that’s not the issue.’

Cale was not scared because of the red scales nor the large body of the snake. He just
felt fear as soon as he looked at it.

‘Why is that?’

Cale started to frown as he had never felt something like this before.
The Super Rock chimed in at that moment.

 Someone will be bewitched. It will bewitch someone.

His voice was full of certainty and stiff unlike usual.

‘Are you saying I will be bewitched?’

 No. You won't be bewitched. Absolutely not.

‘What? I won’t be bewitched? Why?’

However, the Super Rock did not answer Cale's question. It just quickly said something
else instead.

 Anybody who is bewitched by that snake will die or try to kill someone.

There wasn't even an ounce of hesitation in his voice.

 You have a lot of people with you right now and each of them is strong. That shrewd
snake who knows that will make the bewitched person kill someone. That is the way
for it to cause more deaths. It will make the bewitched person crazy for blood.

‘Is it like a cursed power or item that comes out in fantasy novels?’

 …It's more than that. Be careful.

‘Be careful of the snake?’

 No. Be careful of the sword of your bewitched ally.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

The moment he heard the snake move and the Super Rock's voice at the same time…

“Ugh!”

Cale suddenly felt his body being pulled back. Cale felt pain as the hand that pulled his
shoulder was tightly grabbing on.

“What the? What is-”

Cale’s eyes opened with and he shut his mouth. The invisible Raon followed by
Beacrox with On and Hong in his arms should have been the order behind him.
However, he could see that the line had turned into a mess.

“Hey!”
 Mercenary King Bud was shouting toward Cale. Cale couldn’t hear because of the
earplugs, but he quickly figured out the situation based on the shape of Bud’s lips and
the messed up line.

"Shit, Beacrox, that bastard!”

Cale pushed Bud’s hand off his shoulder and headed toward Beacrox.

“Ah, damn it!”

Bud frowned at that before quickly rushing toward Hunter Bobe. He needed to grab
Bobe who was disappearing into the fog.
Cale who was approaching Beacrox was stopped by someone. He turned his head to
see Choi Han standing there. He was looking at Cale with a gaze that seemed to be
saying, ‘be safe.’

However, Cale just turned back toward Beacrox.

 Human! Beacrox is acting weird!

As Raon mentioned in his mind, Beacrox had left the group and was entering the forest.

“…Mother……”

He had a blank expression on his face and only repeated the word mother as he
walked. Cale became certain after seeing this.

‘He’s bewitched!’

He was certain Beacrox was bewitched by the snake.

Beacrox was not someone who would make such stupid movements with the children
in his arms. Cale then saw something else.

 Human! Why is Beacrox heading into that forest when there is nothing there?

Both Raon and Choi Han did not seem to have noticed it.
But Cale saw it. He also heard it.

Ding ding.
 He heard a bell.
There was a small bell at the end of the large snake's tail that was shaking and ringing
slightly away from the direction Beacrox was walking.

Ding.

Beacrox took a step every time the bell rang.

Cale instantly started to frown.

‘Why was this stoic bastard the one to get bewitched?’

 He returned home after fifteen years and it was to the place his mother passed away.
He is bound to be more emotional than usual, whether that is with joy, sorrow, or
contentment.

‘Damn it.’

Cale was thinking that the Super Rock’s response was accurate.

“…Mom.”

It was because Beacrox was calling for his mom as he headed over there. Cale realized
he missed Beacrox's current mental state before coming here but could not just stand
still.

Ding ding.

On and Hong were in Beacrox's arms as he continued to follow the sound of the bell.
That made Cale even more anxious.
The two Kittens could not get out of Beacrox's arms to escape. It could not be helped.

‘…It’s red!’

Once Beacrox had suddenly changed directions and could not snap out of it no matter
how many times Hong smacked his arm… Hong saw something red in the direction
Beacrox was heading.

“…Red-!”

However, Hong who was subconsciously shouting did not see it properly before he had
to lower his head.
Hong slowly raised his head a little later. His sister On was holding him with her eyes
closed tightly. Hong quickly closed his eyes as well.

‘He said not to look at it twice!’

They might end up seeing the red scales as the two of them escaped. Furthermore,
they couldn't leave Beacrox behind, so they chose to keep their eyes closed while
holding onto Beacrox’s clothes.

‘What do I do?’

Choi Han looked at On, Hong, and the blankly walking Beacrox and bit down on his lips.

‘Should I grab Beacrox right now?’

He was worried that something might happen if he made a rash move.

That meant that he needed to assess the situation first, but that was the problem.

‘I can’t see it!’

He didn't see the snake and he didn’t hear anything.

He could not figure out where the enemy was located.
It was at that moment.

Swoosh!

Choi Han could see Hunter Bobe throwing his blindfold away. He then shouted toward
Beacrox with a frown.

“Shit! I knew it would be like this!”

He quickly took an arrow out of his quiver and quickly aimed his bow. He then looked
around. He didn't seem afraid of looking at the red snake.

“Where are you? Where is the damn red snake bastard?! I can see it once!”

Hunter Bobe raised his voice on purpose and acted as if he was going to fight the red
snake. He was going to run in the opposite direction as soon as he saw the red scale
 and take that bewitched person with him.

‘Good. I won’t be bewitched because my ears are plugged. There are a lot of strong
people, so it shouldn't be difficult grabbing that bewitched person and running away.’

Old man Bobe glared as he looked around the fog.

The old man subconsciously lowered his bow and started to shout.

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

Bobe who had forgotten to use a respectful tone because he was shocked could see
merchant Bob.

Plop. Plop.

Cale had removed the earplugs and thrown them to the ground with a stoic expression.

 Human! You'll be bewitched as well!

“Cale-nim.”

“Hey!”

“Mm.”

He could see the concern on the other people's faces, but Cale was just annoyed.

Ding ding.

“…Mom……”

Beacrox was probably bewitched after hearing his mother’s voice right now. He had
returned home to the place his mother had passed away after fifteen long years.
That had created an opening in that stoic person's heart that the red snake bastard
used to bewitch him.

‘…So annoying.’

Cale was very angry right now.

 Human! That’s dangerous!

He let Raon's comments in one ear and out the other.

He had already removed the earplugs and had seen the scales twice. He had not seen
the snake’s head yet, but so what?

‘I just need to do what I want to do.’

Ding.

Once the bell rang once more…

 Aren't you overdoing it?

He heard the Sky Eating Water's voice and Choi Han who was shocked at his actions
tried to grab his arm. However, Cale was moving quickly.

Shaaaaaaaaaaa-

A thin spear made of water left Cale’s hand and flew forward.
The spear flew in a straight line toward something, until…

Baaaaang!

It slammed onto the bell on the snake’s tail.

“Huh?”

The rest of the group opened their eyes wide after seeing the exploding water spear
and hearing the loud explosion.
Cale then quickly ran toward Beacrox through the group of shocked individuals.

“…Mom, ugh!”

He then smacked the back of Beacrox’s head refreshingly. It shouldn't hurt that much
no matter how hard Cale hit him, but Beacrox groaned as if he had been shocked.

“Ugh, who suddenly-! Ugh!”

Then a round water bomb drenched Beacrox.

Meeeeeow.
Meeeeeow!

On and Hong and quickly jumped out of Beacrox's arm before that.

“Cough, cough!”

Beacrox coughed as he glared at Cale with a disgruntled gaze. He didn't seem to

remember anything that had happened while he was bewitched. That suspicion was
correct.

“I'm relieved.”

Beacrox looked toward Cale who was patting his wet hair with a disgustingly gentle
expression after smacking his head and blasting him with a water bomb as if he was a
crazy bastard.
However, Beacrox soon turned pale.

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!

He heard a terrible shriek. It was so loud that the earplugs were useless. A shocked
Bud turned his head to see something that almost made him shriek as well.

“W, what is that?”

The snake’s tail that was covered in red scales. He could see the cracked bell at the tip
of the tail.

‘That’s where Cale just threw his water spear!’

The Mercenary King's gaze quickly turned toward Cale. Cale raised his head and
looked up.

The shriek had come from above.

He saw the fog-covered forest. Cale then found the large snake’s head that was looking
down at him through the fog. The eyes that were as red as the scales looked ready to
gobble Cale up.
The snake opened its mouth at that moment.

Screeeeeeeech-!
 Bud covered his plugged ears with his hands as well.

“Ugh!”

He turned pale as well.

His body had curled up on its own after hearing that loud screech.

‘What is this? Why am I acting like this?’

He didn't need to think about it for a long time.

‘I'm scared.’

He felt fear for some odd reason after hearing that noise.

Mercenary King Bud was not the only one who felt this way.

“Ugh! I’ve, n, never heard this noise before……!”

“Ugh.”

Bobe curled up his body while shaking and the Dragon half-blood was barely still
standing.
On and Hong jumped back into Beacrox’s arms as they shook in fear.
Cale started to frown as he watched this happen.

 H, human! I, I'm a bit scared too! I'm scared even though I'm a great and mighty Dragon!

‘Damn it.’

After he heard their youngest, Raon’s voice, Cale tried to activate an ancient power in
his body again.

‘I'm scared.’

He was scared as well.

Cale felt more fear as the screech continued to get louder without stopping.
However, he could not just stand still.

“…It's super scary.”

 He didn’t like this unknown sense of fear.

 It’s because it is blood.

He heard the Super Rock's voice at that moment.

 It is because it is the Blood-drenched Rock. It is the earth where the dead are buried.
It is the weapon that kills humans and other living things. It is normal to be scared.

The Super Rock was saying it was normal to be scared.

 Do you know why people feared the ancient White Star?

Part of the reason was because the White Star had the sky attribute power and because
he was strong, but…

 That earth attribute power used as a weapon makes people feel the instinctual fear of
death.

The people of ancient times felt fear at the ancient White Star who controlled this
power and had to submit.
Just like how all dead things return to the earth, people instinctually felt fear about
this earth attribute power that had turned into a weapon by focusing on the attribute
of earth that welcomed the bodies of the dead.

Cale finally realized why the White Star had been searching so long for this earth
attribute ancient power.

Domination.
There was nothing better than this power to rule with fear.

‘Then what should I do?’

Cale started to frown.

 Cale.

The Super Rock started to speak again.

 Do you know why I took the weak Nelan Barrow with me? Do you know why I tried so
 hard to keep him alive?

Nelan Barrow. The first Dragon Slayer and the Korean person named Choi Jung Gun.
Cale’s mind quickly started to move after suddenly hearing about him. The Super Rock
would not bring it up for no reason.
The Super Rock continued to speak as Cale started to think.

 I did protect him because he was young, but… That punk had a useless bluffing power.
It was a power that was perfect for scamming. But you see…

“Ah.”

Cale let out a gasp.

 That power that is called a bluff is also called courage at times.

The Dominating Aura.

The power that he thought was perfect for scamming and bluffing.

 That punk… He was always bluffing but he had the courage to stand up against fear.
And that courage turned into an aura. We were able to fight against this fear when we
were with that punk's aura.

Cale finally understood why the Super Rock said that there was no chance of his being
bewitched by the snake.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The Dominating Aura inside Cale’s body slowly uncurled his body.

 Share your aura with the others.

Cale started to smile.

Everybody turned to look at that moment.
They had felt a strong aura. They felt the aura of an overlord and felt as if they suddenly
had a strong pillar of support.

The group who had trembled at this unknown fear slowly lowered their hands that
were covering their ears and opened up their curled shoulders after feeling this aura.
This strong aura was giving off an odd sense of warmth and courage instead of fear.
 They felt this invisible force that seemed to be telling them to trust and follow it.

 Human! I'm not scared! But human, you look extremely strong right now! You’re so
feeble but you look reliable!

Cale listened to Raon's comments as he surrounded his body with the Dominating Aura.
He then lifted his head.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

Cale looked toward the snake that was glaring at him and started to speak.

“Hey snake bastard, I'm going to kill you.”

Another water spear shot toward the snake’s tail at that moment.

Baaaaang!

The water spear slammed into a tree and exploded.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

The snake's tail that had dodged the spear shot up into the air before heading down
again.

Baaaaang!

Its large body started to move toward Cale with a large explosion.

“Good, follow me. You’re just a snake bastard who is not even as red as gochujang!”

The Sound of the Wind surrounded Cale's body and he quickly headed toward a
direction.
He was heading toward the top of Nake Mountain. The mountain peak was covered in
granite.

Cale heard Choi Han's voice behind him at that moment.

“Cale-nim.”
"What is it? Don't bother me! I can only get the ancient power by fighting it alone!”

He couldn't even look at Choi Han as he ran toward the peak.

He needed to take the snake away to a spot with the least amount of people. Cale who
had a lot of things to do started to think about the plans for the future as his feet
quickly moved.
Choi Han chased after Cale and ran next to him even after being told not to bother him.

“Choi Han, I told you I need to do it on my own.”

“Won't the balance in your plate be destroyed?”

“…What?”

“You're aware of it too, Cale-nim.”

Cale was at a loss for words.

Cale’s plate had become balanced after barely managing to gather all five attributes.
However, Cale was planning on getting another earth attribute ancient power right
now.

Cale looked toward Choi Han who had a sad smile on his face.

“Cale-nim, are you planning on sacrificing yourself again?”

Cale was at a loss for words again.

Choi Han’s gaze as he looked at Cale, who was at a loss for words, was firm. He looked
determined or almost stubborn to not shake no matter what Cale said.

“…You-”

Cale who barely managed to open his mouth made eye contact with the large snake’s
red eyes over Choi Han’s shoulder.

“Damn it! Follow me for now!”

Cale started to run toward the top of the mountain again. Choi Han followed right next
to Cale.

“Please don’t overdo it.”

He then picked Cale up like a stack of hay and started to run.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing?!”

Choi Han calmly responded to Cale's shocked voice.

“Cale-nim, you've been using your ancient powers without even being able to rest
properly. Even if you took a short rest during the meal, you will faint again if you keep
pushing yourself too hard.”

He heard Cale's laugh of disbelief behind him, but Choi Han held onto Cale even tighter
as he lured the snake chasing them to the peak.
He then heard Cale's voice again.

“Hey! I'm going to get sick and vomit! Just carry me on your back or something! Ay,
damn it! I feel like the meal I just ate is going to come back up!”

“Ah.”
Choi Han gasped with an idiotic expression on his face. The terrain that was covered
in rocks became rougher as they headed toward the peak. Cale who was being carried
over Choi Han’s shoulder felt like vomiting as his head was almost upside down
looking back and forth between the large snake and the shaking ground.
It was to the point that Cale had subconsciously said, ‘hey!’ to his friend’s paternal
cousin once removed.

“One moment please.”

Choi Han quickly moved Cale as if he was handling a doll and Cale was soon on Choi
Han’s back instead.
Choi Han then immediately started to run toward the peak again.

“Ah, this is nice.”

Cale finally felt relaxed as he glared at the snake chasing them.

“Screeeeeeeeeeech-!”

The snake opened its mouth and screeched, but Cale who was surrounded by the
Dominating Aura did not feel scared at all.
However…

‘This snake bastard, it’s super big.’

He was just overwhelmed by the snake’s size. He was also feeling awkward about Choi
Han who was carrying him so that he could peacefully climb to the top of the
mountain.
Cale who could not be rude to his friend’s paternal cousin once removed cleared his
throat and tried to negotiate.

“Choi Han, you read senior's story too.”

“…Senior?”

“Yes, senior. You are Choi Jung Soo’s paternal cousin once removed, so I can’t call Choi
Jung Gun who is more senior than you so informally.”

Choi Han who had been at a loss of words for a different reason started to speak again.
“…Please just call him Choi Jung Gun. I think that is best to not get it mixed up.”

“Really? Then I will do that. Anyway, you saw Choi Jung Gun's memoir.”

“…Yes. I di-!”

Choi Han stopped talking and quickly dodged after feeling a strong power coming
from behind him and turned around.

Baaaaang!

The snake’s head crashed with a loud explosion where Choi Han had just been
standing.

Chomp, chomp.

Choi Han noticed the stones in the snake’s now raised head crumbling into pieces.
There was red liquid falling from the snake’s mouth as it swallowed the crumbling rocks.

It was as red as blood.

Choi Han immediately headed toward the peak again without looking back.

‘This is dangerous!’

He was able to overcome most of the fear because of Cale’s aura, but he still felt an
unknown source of fear coming from that snake.
He heard Cale’s voice in his ear at that moment.

“You remember Choi Jung Gun’s comments? It is most efficient if I do it.”

Choi Han closed his eyes and opened them back after hearing the word, ‘efficient.’

He faintly remembered the information that had been written in Korean inside Choi
Jung Gun’s memoir.

<The final battle against the White Star who wanted to become a god. That battle would
have been impossible without the Guardian.>

<Although the sky looks down at everything from above, the place where everything
lives on is the ground. Even the birds in the sky end up sleeping in their homes on the
ground. Thunderbolts, rain, and even meteors all fall to the ground. Yet the ground
stays firm without breaking.>

<We were able to defeat the White Star after the Guardian of Boulder blocked all of
the White Star's sky attribute attacks.>

‘The Guardian of Boulder. Cale-nim has carried on that power.’

<This battle was extremely difficult because the White Star had both the sky and earth
attribute ancient powers. However, if… Hypothetically speaking… If the White Star did
not have the earth attribute ancient power… If Mr. Super Rock had both of the earth
attribute ancient powers in the world… >

<Although the earth cannot defeat the sky alone, an easier battle would have been
possible with the help of people who possessed the other attributes.>

Choi Jung Gun had emphasized the fact that the earth attribute ancient power was
important many times, which made it difficult for Choi Han to forget about it.

<As a result, I believe that it is most effective for a person with the earth attribute
power to fight against the sky. If that person gathers both earth attribute ancient
powers and fights against a sky attribute user in the future… >

Choi Han started to think.

He imagined Cale with both earth attribute ancient powers fighting against the White
Star.

<Yes. It might sound cruel, but… If we sacrifice the person with all of the earth
attribute powers, wouldn't the others be hurt less and the world be more at peace,
making it easier on everyone else?>

Choi Han heard Cale's relaxed voice.

"We need to move in the most efficient manner. You agreed with me back then too.”

Pat. Pat.

Choi Han subconsciously started to speak after feeling Cale patting his shoulder as if
he was consoling him and letting him know that Cale understood what he was thinking.
“Yes, Cale-nim. I did. I did agree with you. However, I agreed when I didn't know it
would be this difficult.”

“…Choi Han.”

“I realized it after using an ancient power myself. I realized how much pain and
suffering you’ve endured, Cale-nim!”

The fog became thinner as they headed to the peak. Choi Han continued to jump across
the sturdy boulders as he ran up.
He raised his voice as if to let out his frustration as he moved in a zigzag pattern to
dodge the snake.

“I also realized how you've kept all of that pain and suffering to yourself! And then you
keep pushing your tired body to do more things for the sake of the future! How heavy
your tired mind and body must have felt! I'm saying I understand all of it now!”

Cale was weaker than Choi Han.

His plate was said to be like glass as well.
Thinking about that made Choi Han think that he was a terrible person for not
thinking about how hard it must be on Cale until recently.

It must have been very, very hard.

However, he also understood Cale's desire to sacrifice himself. He was someone who
had lost his family, watched the world turn to ruin, and lost all his friends as well. How
precious must these moments be for someone who had lost everything?

Choi Han could now easily notice the friendship and gentleness underneath Cale’s
stoic expression and blunt tone.
That was why he wanted to do it this time. Although he couldn't carry the same weight
as Cale, he wanted to carry at least half of it.

“I can’t watch you suffer and be in pain by yourself anymore, Cale-nim. I know I am
being stubborn, but please step back this time. Don’t you always say something like
this, Cale-nim? Children need to leave things to the adults.”

Choi Han had never spoken in such an uncompromising way to Cale before. However,
once they earn this earth attribute ancient power, they would properly start to
prepare for the final battle against the White Star.
 That was why he needed to act like this now. If he didn’t do this now, he couldn’t
imagine how Cale would act during that battle later, nor what Cale would try to
sacrifice.

“I am more of an adult than you in terms of age, so Cale-nim, children like you should
leave it to adults like me. Do you understand?”

Cale listened to Choi Han's rambling before sharing his honest sentiments.

“No, I'm not in much pain-”

“Ah, please!”

Cale slightly curled up in fear.

‘Did he just get angry at me?’

Cale was a bit scar, no, shocked.

However, he was telling the truth. Cale was not in much pain because of the Vitality of
the Heart. There were a few times he had been in pain, but overall, it had not been
very painful.

‘I’m not in much pain right now either.’

“And please, don't try to do everything on your own! Please?”

“…No, we’re all doing it together now?”

“Please! Please!”

Cale shut up after hearing Choi Han’s stern voice.

It was at that moment.

 …The two of you should not argue.

‘Why is he chiming in now?’

The Super Rock suddenly acted all serious as he started to speak to Cale.

 Did you know about this?

 ‘Know about what?’

 Us ancient powers figured out an amazing truth. Are you curious as to what it is?

“Cale-nim, you're giving up, right? I'll be in pain with you from now on.”

‘Ah, why are they both acting like this?’

It happened as Cale was about to frown.

 You and the White Star have completely opposite powers.

“Huh?”

“Cale-nim, please don’t go, ‘huh?’ while feigning ignorance. I won't be fooled.”

Cale ignored Choi Han for now. He then focused on what the Super Rock was saying.

 The White Star's Fire of Natural Disaster and your Fire of Purification.

Although the cheapskate was called the Fire of Destruction, his attribute was
purification.

 The Sky Eating Water is a spear. Then there is the White Star's water wall. It is the
shield. Your Sound of the Wind is 'storm and movement’ while the White Star's is a
wind wall. I don’t know about his wood attribute ancient power yet.

As the Super Rock mentioned, they didn't know about the wood attribute ancient
power yet, but for some odd reason, all other attributes were opposites.

 Finally, the rock that tries to defend and the blood-drenched rock.

The Super Rock calmly continued to speak.

 You're afraid that your balance will be destroyed by adding another earth attribute
ancient power, right? Your friend here seems to be worried about you as well.

 He’s probably afraid that your balance will be destroyed by adding another earth
attribute ancient power, right?
 His calmness had a warmth to it as if he understood everything.

 We worry about you as well. Of course, we know that you weren’t in as much pain as
that guy over there seems to think. However, we want you to not be in any pain at all.
Anyway, we came up with a solution for you.

‘A solution?’

The Super Rock sternly started to speak as Cale’s eyes opened wide.

 Take them all!

‘Hmm? Did I hear correctly?’

 Once the White Star is dead, take all of his ancient powers as well. It’s up to you
whether you take the sky attribute ancient power or not, but grab the other attribute
ancient powers. Wouldn’t your body be back in balance then?

His body would be balanced as he would have two of each attribute.

 You do everything and become the strongest. Then the White Star would be gone, and
you will be strong. Nobody would be able to touch you even if you lived your life as
trashy as possible! What do you think?

‘What kind of-’

Cale almost blurted his thoughts out loud but held it in.

 Ahem, hem. Of course, we thought about how you will be in pain because your body
would not be in balance until you get those powers. But you haven't forgotten, right?

The Super Rock sounded full of pride.

 You have me and the Vitality of the Heart.

There was a time when the Scary Giant Cobblestone had turned Cale's body sturdy for
three days in fear that his plate would be broken.
The restoration ability of the Vitality of the Heart had helped Cale survive as well.

 And I will suppress my strength. You can consider it almost as being sealed. I can do
 that much for you.

Furthermore, if the Super Rock suppresses his strength to the point of sealing himself,
the new earth attribute power coming into Cale’s body should not be that much of a
burden.

 Take it all and do as you wish! Hahahaha!

Cale started to think as he listened to the Super Rock’s refreshed laughter.

‘…That’s a good idea.’

It was a very good idea.

Telling him to take everything, it was an extremely large-scale suggestion that made
Cale who didn’t care about power nor fame and only cared about money in order to
live his slacker life start to get excited.
These odd punks he had not expected anything from had given him a great idea for
the first time.

However.

 What do you think?

“…Cale-nim.”

The Super Rock and Choi Han who were waiting for Cale's response finally heard him
speak.

“I have a method too.”

 Huh?

“…Excuse me?”

“No, I'm saying there is a way for me to get that power without breaking my balance
and not being in pain.”

Tap.

Choi Han who had arrived at the peak at some point had a blank expression on his
face.
He did not understand what Cale was trying to say.

‘Is there really such a method?’

Cale quietly whispered at that moment.

“Choi Han, you remember team leader Lee Soo Hyuk, right?”

“Ah.”

Something flashed through Choi Han's mind at that moment.

“I got one of the team leader’s abilities. Which one do you think I got?”

“Ah.”

Cale continued to speak to Choi Han who could only make that one noise right now.

“Put me down.”

Choi Han immediately put Cale down.

Cale stood on the ground and looked around. He could see the fog-covered mountain
as well as the distant scenery.

“Screeeech-!”

He then turned his head to look at the snake that was chasing him. The large snake’s
eyes were looking at Cale as if it wanted to rip him into pieces, and Cale calmly started
to speak as he looked at it.

“I'm someone who prefers to not be in pain if possible.”

He really was that kind of person.

Cale was not planning on using any ancient powers from here on.

Rustle, rustle.

He undid his top button and the buttons on his sleeves. Cale quietly started to mumble
to himself while thinking about team leader Lee Soo Hyuk.
“Team leader, you knew I would do this, didn’t you?”

Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk.

A strong individual who was known for his multiple abilities.

He had a characteristic called, ‘slash,’ and another incompatible characteristic.
It was something that did not suit someone like him who was always carrying a sword.
Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk had used a single word to describe that power.

Embrace.

Whether it was a tangible item or an intangible power. This ability allowed him to
store anything in a set location.
It was completely different than his slashing ability that cut things.

“Alright, come to me.”

Cale opened his arms and welcomed the red snake.

Kim Rok Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk. The two of their powers that coexisted in Cale’s body
started to move.
Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk.
Cale started to think about him.

The company that Kim Rok Soo had worked for would have been worth nothing without
team leader Lee Soo Hyuk.
That was how influential team leader Lee Soo Hyuk was as one of the legends and
heroes of the Korean ability users’ world.

‘Me?’

One of the other employees had once asked team leader Lee Soo Hyuk what kind of
person he was before the world flipped over.
He had been curious to know what kind of this person with so many achievements
had been.

‘Mm, I was average.’

‘What was your job?’

‘Me? I was a slacker with no job.’

‘Oh, really?’

‘Wow, look at this little punk, Kim Rok Soo. He chimes in because we are talking about
being a slacker!’

Kim Rok Soo who did not usually participate in these get-togethers and had come for
the first time in a long while was interested about hearing that the team leader had
been a slacker.
The team leader who was laughing as he looked at Kim Rok Soo shrugged his shoulders
at the employee who was asking if he really was a slacker.

‘Yes. I really was a slacker. A slacker with many dreams.’

‘Boo, too boring.’

The employee lost interest in team leader Lee Soo Hyuk's response and moved away.
The table soon became loud and there was only one person who paid any attention to
the team leader who was drinking on his own.

‘What are you looking at?’

‘Team leader.’

‘What is it? Our rude youngest punk who speaks to me so informally.’

‘…I am not the youngest.’

‘Once the youngest is always the youngest. Anyway, what's up?’

‘What was your dream?’

Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk picked up a shot of soju instead of responding to Kim Rok
Soo’s question. He then stared into the soju inside the transparent shot glass as he
started to speak.

‘To become an actor.’

‘…Team leader, you wanted to be an actor?’

‘Is it hard to believe? I'll be honest with you. My dream was to be an actor for an action
movie. Doesn’t that sound cool?’

‘Action movie actors are cool, but you aren’t cool at all, team leader.’

‘Ha! What an honest little punk.’

Lee Soo Hyuk chuckled before gulping down the shot of soju. Kim Rok Soo had a
thought at that time.

It suits him well.

He was thinking that team leader Lee Soo Hyuk would have been quite successful as
an action movie actor. He had a muscular body and his face was perfect for the main
character of a thriller or an action movie with a mysterious past.
Of course, Kim Rok Soo didn’t say such praise out loud.

‘Well, the subordinate of the evil villain would have been a perfect role for you.’

‘Aigoo, is that so?’

Lee Soo Hyuk stared at Kim Rok Soo who was spewing such nonsense next to him
instead of getting along with the other team members before continuing to speak.

‘You see, here’s the thing with actors. They need to be able to store everything.
Sometimes they have to be the judge, sometimes a murderer, and sometimes even the
only main character. They have to be able to store the character’s story and their life
inside them each time. That’s the only way to become that person.’

He started to laugh before looking embarrassed as he continued to speak.

‘It’s something I realized while being a slacker! It’s all just nonsense, pure nonsense.
It’s just shit coming from a bastard who never even made it as an extra, hehehe.’

Kim Rok Soo had asked while looking at the laughing team leader.

‘Team leader, isn’t that your ability?’

Lee Soo Hyuk turned toward Kim Rok Soo.

‘The power to store anything.’

Smirk.

Lee Soo Hyuk started to smile.

‘That’s right. That is my ability. Remember it well. I will teach you how to use it in
return for keeping a drunk superior company.’

He filled Kim Rok Soo's glass.

‘The moment the thing you are trying to store comes at you… That is your chance.’
Kim Rok Soo, no, Cale, slowly drifted away from the memory of the past and faced reality.

Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk had not been drunk at all during that time. He had just
shared the way to use his ability, something that others would have kept as a secret,
with this punk who couldn't get along with others at the get-together.

“Screeeeeeeeeech-!”

Boom, boooooom!

The large snake charged toward Cale with its mouth open.
However, it was not just charging forward.

Crunch, crunch.

The snake was gobbling up all of the granite in its way. The snake's scales turned even
redder and resembled blood the more he gobbled up.
The snake's body started to get larger as well. It looked as if the large snake would
cover the entire peak and crush Cale.

Drip. Drip.

The red liquid coming out of the snake’s mouth was dying the mountain peak red.

“…Cale-nim!”

He heard Choi Han's voice, but Cale only focused on the snake charging toward him.
That made Choi Han bite down on his lips and move back.

Cale’s reddish-brown eyes were observing the enemy like Kim Rok Soo's reddish-
brown eyes had done back on Earth.
Cale was recording the snake right now.

‘I need to trust him.’

Choi Han decided to trust Cale as he stepped back. However, he was ready to jump in
to save Cale from the snake at any moment.

Cale did not see any of that at all.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

His eyes were recording the Blood-drenched Rock, this red snake every time his heart
beat. How it was moving, what it was destroying, what noise it was making… Cale was
seeing and listening to everything as he recorded it in his mind.
He recalled Lee Soo Hyuk’s voice he had heard at the get-together.

‘Kim Rok Soo, the opportunity came knocking on its own, right?’

‘Yes, sir. The opportunity has come, team leader. The snake is coming to me.’

‘In that case… ’

The snake came closer. The snake that was now as large as a large building was
destroying the boulders as it moved.

‘Take a good look. You're better than me when it comes to looking.’

‘Yes, sir. I'm looking at it. I'm still looking at it now. I am recording it. I am recording
everything about this snake.’

‘Then you'll be able to see it. You'll be able to see the center of the bastard you are
trying to store.’

Cale waited.
He looked at the approaching snake and felt his heart beating as he waited.

He waited until he could see the center of this snake.

That was because this snake was still an ancient power!

The Sound of the Wind was a top underneath a boulder surrounded by whirlpools.
The Indestructible Shield was a pit under the tree.
The Scary Giant Cobblestone was a stone in the Super Rock villa.
The Fire of Destruction was a sculpture at the center of the magma.
The Vitality of the Heart was a stone pillar at the center of a whirlwind.
The Sky Eating Water was a chained spear.

"What are you?”

This red snake was not it’s true body.

‘Blood-drenched Rock, what is your true appearance?’

The existence that hindered a person from earning an ancient power. Ancient powers
always existed at the center of that obstacle.

‘Alright, Kim Rok Soo. What do you think? You should be able to see it, right?’

Cale, no, Kim Rok Soo repeated Lee Soo Hyuk's voice in his mind as he focused on the
red snake.

Boom- boom!

The large snake was getting closer while destroying the mountain peak. The snake
continued to gobble up boulders as it approached right in front of Cale.
Yes, it gobbled up the boulders.

Where would those boulders have gone?

Cale started to smile.

‘Can you see it?’

‘Team leader, are you drunk?’

‘Hey, can you see it?’

‘Yes, team leader. I can see it now.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds…

He recorded the snake's appearance every second.
That record and the present was being compared in Cale’s mind.
He could then see it.

The snake’s body that continued to get larger.

The snake’s scales that continued to get redder.
The red liquid that was slowly starting to drip out in larger amounts from the snake's
mouth.
"Screeeeeeeeeech!”

And then, once the snake finally raised its body and lifted its head in front of Cale…
Once it raised both its head and tail and tried to gobble Cale up…

“I found it.”

Cale had finally found it.

He looked toward the snake’s tail.

The cracked bell.

The bell that cracked after being hit by Cale's spear.

The crack continued to get bigger as the snake moved roughly.

Craaaaaaack.

And finally, once that crack went from the top to bottom…

He could see the small rock hiding inside the bell.

A red rock caught Cale’s attention.

‘That must be it.’

‘Alright, Kim Rok Soo. You can see the center, right? In that case… ’

Cale’s body started to move.

"Screeeeeeeeeech!”

The snake’s open mouth moved down toward Cale.

‘Run toward it. Got it? Kim Rok Soo, run toward the center. Then, your Embrace power
will start to run wild.’

‘You mean your Embrace power will run wild, not mine.’

‘Ah, come on! Listen when I'm telling you about my great ability! Hmm?’
Baaaaaang!

The snake’s head slammed down on Cale.

“Cale-nim!”

Choi Han’s shocked shout could be heard through the loud noise.

"Screeeeeeeeeech!”

The snake also screeched in anger as well.

The snake’s mouth was only full of broken rocks. The snake’s red eyes started to move.
He noticed the running human.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Cale ran.
He didn't use the Sound of the Wind. He felt like he would faint if he used any more of
his ancient powers.
He didn’t get Choi Han's help either.

‘I can’t get any help if I want to have full control of this power.’

Cale's mind started to quickly move as he was running so fast that he was almost out
of breath.

It was observing. It was recording.

It was anticipating.

‘It’ll come at me again!’

The snake charged toward him again as Cale anticipated.

He started to imagine the snake’s movement. He didn’t need much data. There were
only a few ways that such a large body could move on this narrow mountain peak.

‘It also needs to aim for me!’

“Ugh!”

The debris from the broken rocks started to leave scratches on Cale's body. However,
Cale had already anticipated when the snake’s scale would twitch.

‘3, 2, 1.’

Cale counted down and kicked off the ground.

He jumped up as far as this feeble body could jump.

“Cale-nim! Behind you!”

He heard Choi Han's voice.

Cale felt a warm breath behind him. It was the snake's rough breathing.

Drip. Drip.

Red liquid fell on Cale's head.

However, Cale didn’t care.

“Got you.”

His scratched up two hands were holding onto the snake’s bell. One of his fingers then
touched the red rock through the crack on the bell.

‘After that, just leave it to the ability. The Embrace ability will take care of everything
for you as it shoots up from your heart. What do you think, doesn’t my ability sound
amazing?’

‘It really is, team leader.’

Cale could feel a strong power shooting up from his heart. The power flowed through
his two hands. It then passed through his fingers to touch the red rock.

‘I'll be honest with you. I gave it the name Embrace, but… Ah, I'm only telling you,
okay? That ability is more of a binding than an embrace? No, hmm, is there no better
word for it? Ah, right, dominance!’

Lee Soo Hyuk had laughed as he continued.

‘That power is like dominance. It dominates the target and binds them into your hand.’
 ‘…Isn’t that too violent to call it Embrace?’

‘Nah, even such a power can be an embrace if I use it for good. Isn’t that right? I only
use it for good.’

Cale started to laugh.

It was similar to Lee Soo Hyuk's laugh from his memories.

“Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!”

The snake started to screech in pain. Its large body started to twist.
The snake started to shake around trying to get Cale off its tail.

“Ugh!”

Cale clenched onto the bell and the red rock tighter as the snake flailed.

“Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech-!”

That action seemed to make the pain worse for the snake that could not even twist its
body properly. The ‘embrace’ that came out of Cale’s hands was surrounding the red
rock as time went on.

Craaaaaaaack, crack!

The bell broke into pieces.

“Screeeeeeeeeech!”

The snake’s screeching became worse and Cale heard an unfamiliar voice in his mind.
He was hearing the voice of the ancient power like the others now that the obstacle
was gone.

 Nice to meet you.

Cale’s lips started to twist up.

The owner of the Blood-drenched Rock. That was the ancient White Star.

 Since you looked for this earth attribute power, are you trying to use it to drive the
world into fear? That is a great idea-.
 “What f*caking nonsense.”

 What?

Cale recalled the end of Lee Soo Hyuk's explanation.

‘To finish it off, just place the power you've embraced into a location of your choice!
Then tada, the process is complete!’

‘I'm sorry, team leader. I'm not someone who can do something like an embrace.’

One corner of Cale’s lips twisted up into a wicked smile.

The red rock that was surrounded by a transparent aura was inside Cale’s right hand.
Cale put his left hand into his robe and pulled something out from the chest area of his
shirt.

It was something that was on his commander uniform.

It was a golden turtle badge that symbolized that he was part of the Henituse county,
no, the Henituse duchy.
Cale moved his left hand with the badge toward his right hand.

The red rock and the golden turtle badge touched each other.

 W, what are you trying to do right now? You dare to-!

“I dare? This trash bastard is really saying whatever the hell he wants.”

Ooooooo-

Cale could feel the power roaring in his hands. Red light burst out of the gaps between
his fingers. It was the power of the red rock. However, that power could only send out
the light as the Embrace ability was holding it back.

 U, ugh, aaaaaaaaaaaah-!

He heard the ancient White Star’s shout.

However, that noise slowly disappeared.

And once the red light disappeared, the Embrace ability disappeared, and Cale could
only feel the badge in his hand…
 “Cale-nim.”

He smiled at Choi Han who approached him and started to speak.

“I'm done.”

“Ha, haha-”

Choi Han laughed at that. It was a laugh of relief.

It was at that moment.

 Human!

“Meeeeeow!”

“Cale!”

He could see the others running to the mountain peak. Hunter Bobe, who was in the
front, opened his eyes wide as soon as he arrived.

“The snake, the snake is-!”

He couldn’t finish his sentence as he watched the red snake start to fall to the ground.

“Ah.”

He then gasped.
The red scales started to fall off the falling snake. The scales that were falling like
flower petals started to spread out because of the wind.
The falling snake disappeared without a sound as the scales dispersed.

That sight looked extremely beautiful to Hunter Bobe.

They had made it to the peak by walking through the fog.
The sun was setting, and the red scales fluttered toward the sunset.
Cale was standing at the center of those red ‘flower petals.’

“F, for that snake to really disappear…”

The old Hunter who had to avoid the snake his whole life started to tear up.
He could see the rest of the group heading toward the red-haired man.
 Human! Are you okay? Did you get the power? Are you not going to faint? You look
fine!

“Meeeeeow!”

“Hey, you did it!”

Cale turned away from the others and looked down at the Henituse badge in his hand.
He then started to smile.

‘Team leader, what do you do after storing the power?’

‘After that, well, you just take it out whenever you need it. Shouldn’t you be able to use
your things as you please?’

‘Oh, that sounds good.’

Yes, it was very good.

He gently caressed the badge.
He was planning on using it any time he needed it.

‘Should I use Embrace on the White Star's other ancient powers?’

Cale who was thinking about using them in a way that did not fit the 'embrace’ name
then heard the Super Rock's cautious voice.

 Y, you're not going to cage us up, right? Right? Hmm? Think of all of our lovely memories
together!

Raon's voice appeared in Cale's mind at that moment.

 Human! We got a call from Dark Elf Tasha!

The Land of Death where the White Star should be. They had received a call from there.
 Cale motioned to Bud with his eyes before picking up the call.
Bud immediately walked toward the old man.

“Senior, why don’t we have a nice chat as we stare at the sunset?”

“Hmm? What kind of chat?”

Hunter Bobe who was enjoying the sunset before the approaching night started to
frown at this naive young man that covered his view.
However, Bud just smiled and put his arm around the old man's shoulder as he slowly
started to pull the old man away.

“Oh, come on, please come this way.”

Cale received the video communication device from Raon after seeing Bud winking at
him and distracting the hunter away from the others.

“…Ha. I can't believe I was bewitched.”

Beacrox whose pride was hurt was blankly mumbling to himself in a corner, but Cale
ignored this and focused on the connecting video communication device.

 Young master-nim, did you take care of everything you needed?

“What’s with your face?”

Cale instantly started to frown while looking at Tasha’s face.

 Ah, it’s a bit dusty, isn’t it?

“Not a bit dusty, I thought you were a giant piece of dust.”

 Ay, look at you joke like that.

 “I mean it.”

 …Is it that bad?

Tasha wiped her face after seeing Cale’s serious expression. She then started to frown
after seeing her dusty palm.

 …That Bear bastard, I need to f*ck-

“Ahem.”

Cale quickly coughed to prevent Raon, On, and Hong from hearing, and Tasha awkwardly
smiled before shutting up.

 That’s right human! We need to f*ck that Bear King up too!

Cale started to frown after hearing Raon’s voice that only he could hear. Tasha noticed
the frown and quickly started to speak.

 Young master-nim, as you mentioned, the Bear King and the White Star who were
entering the desert with their subordinates teleported away not long after you left.

That was probably when they received Lion King Dorph's call and quickly headed
toward the second secret base.

 He really did return after a few minutes too.

“Is that so?”

The White Star had returned to the desert chasing after Cale who waved his hand
while saying, ‘bye bye.’

 Yes! After that, mm.

"What happened after that? Did something happen?”

Tasha had an awkward smile on her face.

 He is running wild as if he has gone crazy. What did you do-, he seemed extremely
angry.
 Tasha recalled the White Star going crazy in anger.
She had watched at a far distance while hiding her presence. Although it might be
normal to wonder where she could hide in the desert, the desert was a place where
multiple hills were created throughout the day.
That was enough for the Dark Elves who knew the desert better than anybody else to
observe from a distance.

 He seems to have stopped his cut left arm from bleeding, but… Anyway, he was flipping
things over with a pale expression. It really…

The White Star had looked like…

 He just looked like a crazy bastard to me.

He had seemed too vicious.

That was why Tasha had taken the Dark Elves who were hiding nearby and Mary who
was by her side and quickly went into hiding.

 I thought it wouldn't be good for us to run into him in such a state, so I grabbed Mary
and the Dark Elves and hid in the Underground City again.

The old and young Dark Elves who couldn't fight as well as the humans of the
Underground City had evacuated already.
Furthermore, they had destroyed all entrances into the Underground City except for
one that the Dark Elf warriors and Mary knew about so that their enemies could not
find them.
Finally, they had set the one remaining entrance to explode if the enemies tried to
force it open.

 We have sent the Wind Elementals to observe the White Star for us. He still seems to
be searching through the desert. He seems to be with the black mages and focusing on
the areas where the power of earth is stronger than normal.

Tasha who had been reporting for a while flinched after looking at Cale’s face.

 …Young master-nim?

He was smiling.
Only one corner of Cale’s lips was up as he smiled wickedly.
 “Hehe, you're saying he’s acting crazy? He, he must be very angry.”

Tasha had never seen such a refreshed look in Cale’s eyes before. Unlike his wicked
lips, his gaze seemed like a puppy who was excited to feel the spring breeze.

“Very good.”

Cale was indeed feeling very refreshed as Tasha thought.

That was why he planned on continuing this feeling.

“What about Eruhaben-nim?”

 He is still in the Dubori territory. The Caro Kingdom's forces are there as well.

“Alright, I got it. Stay underground as long as possible. I will visit the palace and then
head over before midnight.”

 Yes, sir. Hiding is not hard. But what do you mean by the palace?

Tasha was not the only one. The others who were confused after hearing the palace
were looking at Cale as well.

 Human! We are not going to the desert right away?

Cale shook his head and said one last thing to Tasha before hanging up the call.

“I will be there by the end of the day, so see you later. Ah, don’t forget to eat as you
work.”

Cale handed the video communication device back to Raon before starting to walk. He
was heading toward Hunter Bobe who was slowly pushing away Bud’s arm that was
around his shoulder.
The two of them looked very friendly with each other.
Cale could hear their conversation.

“No, senior! I really mean it! I'm an extremely famous and amazing person! Sadly, I'm
just an errand boy over here though.”

“Ahem, anyway, I heard you were that merchant-nim's secretary.”

“Ah, yes, I am his secretary. But I am actually an amazing person! I have many
subordinates!”

“Ho, my goodness. Such a young man is so good at telling jokes without turning blue
like your hair color.”

“Ah, mister. Isn’t my hair color cool?”

“…Well, it's bearable.”

“Wow, you’re so cold!”

‘What is he doing?’

Cale started to frown more as he heard Bud’s voice, but he quickly calmed himself
down.

“Huh? You’re here?”

Bud noticed Cale behind him and started to smile. Hunter Bobe used that moment to
move away from Bud and approached Cale.

“You really did defeat the snake.”

Bobe was looking at Cale with sparkling eyes.

The sword master had been at the peak as well, but for some reason, he felt as if it was
Mr. Merchant Bob who had been at the center of the snake’s scales who had defeated
it.

“I've always been avoiding that snake and praying that it would disappear someday,
thank you for resolving that life-long prayer for me. Mr. Bob, thank you very much.”

Nake Mountain was still rough and rugged but able to show off its beauty now that the
fog was gone.
Bobe was sad that he could not see it anymore now that the sun had set. However, he
could smile as the fog would not cover the mountain anymore tomorrow, the day after
tomorrow, nor any day after that.

“I think a lot of people will visit this mountain now. The scary legend will disappear
as well.”
“Mr. Bobe.”

The old man who was sharing his sentiments with a satisfied expression turned his
head after hearing the merchant's voice.

“…Gasp!”

He then gasped so hard that he almost died.

“N, no way?”

He looked toward the merchant, Cale, with his eyes open as Cale gently smiled while
handing the item in his hand over to Bobe.

“I am thorough with my deals. I need to keep my promise.”

“T, this- such-!”

Bobe’s hands were shaking.

“One… two… Five… T, ten……! Ten!”

Ten 1 million gallon checks were placed in Bobe’s hand.

Furthermore, the checks had been created by the Flynn Merchant Guild, the famous
and most discussed merchant guild in the Roan Kingdom right now.

“This is the payment for your help.”

Cale had given him the 10 million gallons he had promised.

Bobe looked toward merchant Bob with shaking eyes. Although the night was here, it
looked as if there was a bright light shining behind Cale.

“I never expected you to really give this much……! That’s okay. I don't need the money.”

“Please take it. I am rich.”

“Excuse me?”

“I'm rich. I'm very wealthy.”

“…Ah.”

Bobe who seemed to be unable to think properly snapped out of it and started to
speak.

“Let’s first head down the mountain as it will be harder once it gets completely dark!
I will provide you with tea and dinner! We can, uhh, talk more about this money over
dinner!”

“No thank you. I must leave now.”

“Excuse me?”

Bobe noticed a bright light suddenly appear in the air.

It was a teleportation magic circle.

Merchant Bob and the others who had come looking for Bobe’s help were already
gathered together by that light. Bobe started to tap his foot with anxiety as Cale took
the checks from Bobe's palm and coolly stuffed them into the hunter's shirt pocket
before stepping onto the teleportation magic circle with a smile.

“Then we must be off now.”

“No, wait-!”

Paaaaat!

Bobe reached his hand toward Cale, but he had disappeared before Bobe could touch
him.
He blankly stared at the sky before taking out the checks from his pocket.

“…J, jackpot.”

Cale appeared in the middle of a beautiful garden filled with fall flowers. He sat down
on a bench while looking at the stylish sculpture fountain.
 Human, the way it sparkles is so pretty!

As Raon mentioned, the sparkling magic fountain brightened the area. It was nighttime,
but the magic lights around the garden were giving it a different kind of beauty.

“Hey, I didn’t expect you to really give him all that money. Ten million gallons. Aren’t
you being too generous?”

Bud who was plopped down on the ground looked up at Cale and asked.
Cale caressed On and Hong’s heads that were on his knee as he responded to the
question.

“He placed himself in danger of being bewitched and dying for us, so I should give him
the money I promised. Oh, also…”

“What is it?”

“Can you deploy some mercenaries around Mr. Bobe and Nake Mountain?”

“Is this a commission?”

“Yes. It is a commission. I need someone to make sure the hunter doesn't say anything
weird to others and to protect the hunter and that village in case the White Star drops
by.”

“How thorough of you. I got it. I was planning on properly building a Mercenaries Guild
on the Western continent as well, so I might as well bring some of them over to slowly
get that rolling.”

Cale started to speak as the way Bud was responding did not make him look trustworthy
at all.

“You better do it prop-.”

“Hey! You, you-!”

However, Cale was cut off and someone else’s voice filled the area around the fountain.

“You, you-!”
 The person huffing and puffing as they headed over to the fountain was pointing a
finger in disbelief at Cale while touching their forehead with the other hand.

You, you-”

That person heard a voice in their mind at that moment.

 Hey crown prince! Why do you keep going, ‘you, you-!’ like that? It's only been a few
days, but it is nice to see you again! Do you not have any cookies today?

Alberu Crossman.
He clenched his eyes closed after hearing the voice of the young but great and mighty
Dragon.

It had happened while he was having a serious conversation with his close confidants
a moment ago. Rosalyn had come looking for him, telling him that it was something
urgent.
She had then said the following.

‘Young master Cale is here.’

‘…Excuse me?’

Alberu had subconsciously responded foolishly. Rosalyn pretended not to have noticed
and gently answered him.

He's in the garden behind the palace right now. I kept young master Cale’s visit a secret
from everyone else.’

‘This is driv, no, I will head over.’

Alberu had called the meeting off right away and headed to the garden.

“Oh, Miss Rosalyn, you managed to call his highness over so quickly.”

Cale happily greeted Rosalyn who was entering the garden behind Alberu. Alberu had
a serious frown on his face as he listened to Cale.
The gentle and handsome crown prince was nowhere to be found.

Cale made contact with Alberu at that moment. The crown prince could see Cale’s
relaxed smile.
Cale was even waving his hand as he started to speak.

“Hyung, have you been well?”

‘Ow, my head.’

Alberu felt a headache coming on.

“…Cale Henituse.”

He briskly walked toward Cale. Alberu had messy hair and wrinkled clothes, unlike
his usual appearance. Cale's relaxed smile slowly disappeared while looking at Alberu's
heinous face and powerful walk.

‘Why is he like this?’

Alberu Crossman walked up and lifted the paper in his hand in front of Cale’s face as
Cale started to frown.

“Huh?”

Cale’s eyes opened wide while looking at what was written on the paper.

“What is this?”

He read the first line of the text.

“…The White Star has started a war with the Caro Kingdom. Hero Cale Henituse has
saved the Caro Kingdom and disappeared into the Land of Death with the White Star.
I, crown prince Valentino, am seeking helped from our allied kingdoms……?”

Crown prince Valentino had urgently sent this document around. The Caro King's
stamp was on the document as well.
At the end of the document was crown prince Valentino’s urgent and eager statement.

<I, Valentino, and the Caro Kingdom have decided to make sure that we defeat the
White Star after seeing Cale Henituse and other great heroes sacrificing so much in
their battle. It is for the peace of the Western continent. I ask for your help. Let’s all
fight together.>
‘…When did crown prince Valentino send something like this?’

However, it was the contents that were complicating things in Cale’s mind.

‘The Caro Kingdom's war against the White Star… Doesn’t the fact that they are seeking
help from the other kingdoms in the Western continent mean that he's asking pretty
much the entire Western continent to raise their weapons toward the White Star? Did
the scale just grow significantly all of a sudden?’

Cale looked away from the document and slowly peeked toward Alberu. Alberu started
to speak with an annoyed expression.

“Where the hell is the punk who said he was just going to go lightly smack the White
Star from the back and why the hell did the Caro Kingdom that said that they would
just sit back and watch, declare war on the White Star? Furthermore, why is the hero
who is said to have disappeared in front of my eyes? Hmm? Dongsaeng, talk to me.
Hmm?”

Alberu had a vicious glare.

“No, why is the punk who said he was just going to light a bonfire causing a fire through
the entire continent? The Roan Kingdom is getting calls from all over the Western
continent right now. They're asking if the person responsible for the Indomitable
Alliance and the Mogoru Empire's black magic is aiming for the Caro Kingdom. They’re
asking if we need to band together to rise up and fight.”

Cale slowly avoided his gaze and stared to speak.

“Mm, why did the scale suddenly get so big?”

“You're driving me nuts.”

 Alberu Crossman stared at Cale, who was avoiding his gaze, with a piercing gaze.

 Hey crown prince, is the Western continent going to war again if this continues?

He listened to Raon ask the question in a cute voice as he organized the mess in his
mind. However, the words that actually came out of his mouth were simple.

“I'm going to go crazy.”

“Mm.”

Cale pretended not to hear the crown prince. However, his mind was a complicated
mess right now as well.

Crown prince Alberu had given Cale the golden plaque to ask for the Caro Kingdom's
understanding, thinking that Cale was going to pull a fast one over the White Star in
the Land of Death.

That was what Cale had expected at first as well.

‘Who knew it would be like this?’

However, things didn’t go as Cale expected.

Cale and Valentino had felt a giant earthquake and seen a large pillar of fire in the
Dubori territory as soon as their conversation ended well.
That was the beginning of Cale having to fight against the White Star in the Dubori
territory, unlike his original plan, while Valentino had to lead the Knights Brigade to
the Dubori territory as well.

Furthermore, crown prince Valentino had pulled in troops from the nearby territories
as well, surrounding the Dubori territory with a large number of troops.
Valentino had then faced the White Star's group who were attacking the territory and
the residents of the territory once he entered into Dubori.

‘…I guess crown prince Valentino and the Caro Kingdom saw that as the White Star
declaring war on them.’

It was indeed a declaration of war.

The White Star’s original plan was to use Illusionist Elisneh to control the territory
lord and blame Cale for everything.
However, that had failed, leading the White Star to earn the wrath of the Dubori Lord's
relative who was a strong power player in the Caro Kingdom. He had also earned
Valentino’s wrath.

“Dongsaeng, why are you not saying anything?”

Cale faintly smiled toward Alberu who was standing with his arms crossed while
looking at him. As Alberu became even more flabbergasted and was about to scoff…

“Your highness.”

Choi Han interjected into the conversation.

Alberu greeted Choi Han.

“Oh, instructor-nim, how many days has it been since we saw each other?”

“Your highness, please speak normally.”

“But I am speaking normally, instructor-nim.”

Cale and Choi Han made eye contact.

The two of them realized that Alberu was upset because of this complicated mess. Choi
Han coughed before starting to speak to Alberu again.

"It looks like crown prince Valentino revealed most of the White Star’s evil deeds
through this document he sent around the Western continent?”

“Correct. He seemed to have been in a rush or extremely angry. Well, maybe he was
filled with a desire for justice as he wrote about pretty much everything the White Star
has done.”
 Only vague rumors about this existence known as the White Star had spread to others
who were not closely involved with the situation.

The information about this evil White Star had been publicly revealed after Valentino's
document went around.

Choi Han started to speak.

“That must mean that the other kingdoms are chaotic right now too.”

“That’s right. They must be scared.”

The White Star’s actions that were now revealed to be true and not just rumors had
caused fear, anger, and anxiety in the other kingdoms.

The person who was responsible for the Western continent's Indomitable Alliance.
Add on the black magic that had placed the Mogoru Empire into chaos.
He was the start of the chaos on the Western continent that had been peaceful without
any large wars for a long period of time.

"That must be why everybody is contacting the Roan Kingdom.”

“They probably want to gather around our Roan Kingdom at the center again since we
were the vanguard in the war against the Indomitable Alliance.”

That was the reason Alberu had been in a meeting until such late hours.

These calls symbolized the fact that the Roan Kingdom had become that strong of a
kingdom, but it also meant that the Roan Kingdom might get swept up in the atmosphere
and place themselves in a disadvantageous position.

“Anyway, what happened to the White Star?”

Alberu plopped down on the bench next to Cale as he asked Choi Han the question. He
then took something wrapped in a handkerchief out of his pocket and opened it on his
lap.

 Wow! Thanks crown prince!

“Meeeeeow!”
“Meeeeeow!”

He had grabbed random cookies on his way to the garden.

The noise of the children averaging nine-years-old eating the cookies filled the area,
and Choi Han watched them for a moment before starting to speak again.

“The White Star is currently running wild in the Land of Death.”

“Running wild?”

“Yes, your highness. He is running wild as if he has gone crazy.”

“…Why?”

Choi Han looked toward Cale and Alberu's gaze naturally turned that way as well. Cale
started to smile. It was a mischievous smile that made Alberu nod his head right away.

“Looks like you at least managed to smack him from behind.”

“The back and the front. I hit him from both sides.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, your highness.”

Alberu who had never seen Cale speaking in such an excited manner observed Cale
who was about to keep speaking.
Cale continued speaking with joy.

“First, I cut off one arm from the Bear King who is his right arm. I also cut off the White
Star’s left arm. Hehe, I crushed both of his secret bases too, kehehe.”

Cale definitely saw it.

He saw the corners of crown prince Alberu, the man with a terrible personality, start
to twitch and go up.
To be more specific, it twitched and slowly went up more each time Cale described
how he had smacked the White Star around.

Choi Han asked Alberu a question at that moment.

“How do you plan on proceeding?”

“Who knows?”

Alberu had a headache.

He and the Paerun Kingdom’s Clopeh Sekka had been the ones spreading those vague
rumors about the White Star.
This was so that they could gather as many allies as possible should there be a battle
against the White Star in the future.

However, that was for the future when they were prepared for war, not right now.

“All of the other kingdoms are riled up because of what happened in the Caro Kingdom.
They can't help it because there’s nowhere on the Western continent that has not been
stabbed in the back or harmed by the White Star.”

As he mentioned, the northern kingdoms, the Jungle, the Whipper Kingdom, the Breck
Kingdom, the Roan Kingdom, the Mogoru Empire, and the Caro Kingdom. All of them
had been stabbed in the back or harmed by the White Star.

Of course, there were smaller nations, free cities, and principalities that had not been
harmed by the White Star, but they had received indirect harm from the wars such
that they were showing strong support for the large kingdoms’ actions.

“They're all so riled up that they look ready to fight right away. But there will be a lot
of casualties if we fought right now.”

That was the reason Alberu had a headache.

The White Star and his subordinates were not people they could easily defeat.
Alberu wanted to keep the damages as low as possible. That was why he wanted to
think calmly and slowly prepare to destroy the White Star's forces at once rather than
responding to the riled up emotions right now.

However, slowly preparing was no longer possible after what had happened to the
Caro Kingdom.

Of course, the Roan Kingdom could take a step back and join the battle after finishing
preparations, but the Roan Kingdom currently had the image as a strong nation and a
leader among the Western continent's kingdoms.
He could not lose that identity either.

It was no wonder his mind was a complicated mess.

“Hyung-nim.”

He saw Cale who was smiling annoyingly at that moment.

It made him upset that he started to frown again.

“Why don't you call me your highness?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“…What is it?”

Alberu could see Cale start to smile brightly at his question.

“What you are afraid of right now is not that you'll lose to the White Star, but that you'll
receive a lot of damage in the process, correct?”

“……Yes.”

The information he heard about the White Star from Cale helped him understand that
the White Star's forces were strong, but there were many strong individuals on the
Western continent as well.
They should be able to win.
He was just fearful of how they would win.

Why did the ancient times end after that final battle?

The battle between the ancient White Star and the strong individuals had only left
destruction for both sides.
The world would have needed to greet a new era in order to be able to rebuild.

“Your highness, there is a solution.”

Alberu looked toward Cale's firm gaze that was telling him there was a solution.

“What is it?”
Cale was not someone to bluff about something like this.
Alberu was waiting for the solution with a small level of hope. Cale calmly started to
explain.

“Grow the playing field even more.”

‘Hmm? Did I hear some nonsense?’

Alberu thought he had heard something weird.

“I'm saying we should grow the playing field even more.”

However, that was not it.

“…What did you say?”

“Grow the playing field even more. The Eastern continent is a mess right now as well.”

“…What’s going on where?”

Why was he suddenly talking about the Eastern continent?

“No way, are you-. You mean to pull in the Eastern continent as well when you say to
grow the playing field?”

Cale smiled and pointed to someone.

That person quickly walked in front of Alberu and greeted him.

“We met last time, didn't we? Bud Illis at your service, your highness.”

The Mercenary King who had been crouched in the corner suddenly got involved.
Alberu opened his mouth after seeing Bud, but the Mercenary King didn't give him any
time to say anything as he continued to speak.

“We attacked the White Star's faction, Arm's secret bases on the Eastern continent
today. In addition, Cale Henituse learned about one important piece of information.”

Alberu flinched after hearing Bud say that they had attacked the secret bases before
turning toward Cale after hearing, ‘important piece of information.’
Cale started to speak.

“One of the White Star’s subordinates is an Illusionist.”

“So what?”

“That person cast an illusion on the Dubori lord and controlled him. The Caro Kingdom's
nobles and the royal family will be angry at this Illusionist.”

Nobles who cared so much about face would feel extremely angry at the fact that one
of their own was controlled.

“By the way, that illusionist is from the Eastern continent.”

Alberu's eyes clouded over. Cale was not someone to say useless things.
In that case…

“…Who from the Eastern continent?”

“Elisneh the 1st, the monarch of the Molden Kingdom, one of the strong kingdoms on
the Eastern continent.”

“Ha!”

Alberu’s eyes sparkled.

“We might be able to grow the playing field by quite a bit at this rate.”

One of the White Star's subordinates or cooperators was the leader of a kingdom.
Alberu could not believe that fact. It was something similar to the Mogoru Empire.
Cale started to speak at that moment.

“The Eastern continent has many strong kingdoms that have friction with each other.
Arm was a source of pain for them. So, how would the other Eastern continent's
kingdoms and factions react if they find out there is a monarch who is on the same
side as Arm and a part of the organization that controls black magic?”

Cale pointed toward Bud once again.

“Furthermore, the person who provided the most manpower to attack Arm's secret
bases was the Mercenary King.”

The Western continent’s Roan Kingdom’s future king Alberu Crossman and the leader
of the Eastern continent’s Mercenaries Guild, Mercenary King Bud Illis.
The two individuals shook hands with each other.
Bud started to speak.

“On the Eastern continent, only the Mercenaries Guild knows about the White Star
who is behind Arm. However, I plan on letting others know now.”

"Sounds good.”

“I will grow the playing field quite a bit.”

Alberu quickly started to think.

The Eastern continent and the Western continent.

If both continents started to move at the same time to push the White Star’s forces out,
even the strong White Star would not be able to last.

Cale smirked before starting to speak.

“Your highness. Let’s use the numbers advantage to push the White Star out.”

Alberu slowly started to smile.

“Call me hyung.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

He would be very busy from here on out, but Alberu was relaxed knowing he had
found a way to reduce the damage as much as possible. He asked Cale a question with
a relaxed expression.

"So, why is my dongsaeng who should be in the Land of Death over here? Did you need
something? Do you need another golden plaque?”

Cale smiled and responded.

“I came to tell you something just in case an unexpected situation might happen.”
“What is that? Feel free to tell me anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cale nodded and continued to speak.

“The White Star may come to the Roan Kingdom later on. Specifically, to the northeast
region.”

“…What did you say?”

“I mentioned that the White Star was looking for a power, right? I got that power this
time. The White Star shouldn't come to the Roan Kingdom if things go as planned, but
the situation at the Caro Kingdom let me realize that things don't necessarily go as I
planned.”

Cale continued to speak with a relaxed heart.

It was probably not going to happen, but he was telling Alberu just in case it ended up
happening anyway.

“So, I came to tell you to be prepared just in case, sir. You don’t have to worry though.
My friends and I will quickly follow him if he does come and kick the White Star out.”

“Son of a…”

“Excuse me?”

“…I understand so just go, go away.”

“Yes, sir. I am leaving now.”

Alberu looked toward Cale as if his insides were flipping over. However, he sighed and
started to speak as he watched Cale step onto Raon's teleportation magic circle.

“Cale Henituse.”

“Yes, your highness.”

 Alberu observed Cale who looked like a mess before continuing to speak.

“Don’t overdo it. The Roan Kingdom is probably the kingdom that is most prepared on
the Western continent to fight against the White Star.”

Alberu had worried about the Roan Kingdom's citizens getting hurt by the White Star
ever since learning about his existence. That was why he had continued to prepare
without letting go of the tension, and, although it might be difficult to defeat the White
Star, he had prepared enough to fend him off without any damage for at least a short
duration of time.
Alberu smiled toward Cale who was looking at him.

“Stop getting hurt so much. You are my dongsaeng.”

Cale was also a citizen of the Roan Kingdom.

Not only Cale, but most of his group were Roan Kingdom's citizens.

“You are all Roan Kingdom’s citizens, so come home if things get tough.”

Alberu was someone with the task of protecting the kingdom’s citizens.

“Don't do anything that puts your life in danger.”

Alberu could then see the group starting to teleport away.

 Don’t worry, crown prince! We’ll come back safely!

He thought about Raon's bright voice and the smiling people who teleported away
before turning around.
He headed back to the meeting room without any hesitation. He had a lot of things to
do.

Cale opened his eyes in a new spot.

He heard Raon's voice in his mind.

 Human! Let’s make it so that the White Star can’t go to the Roan Kingdom! We can’t let
our house or the crown prince’s house be destroyed!
‘Of course.’

Cale had just gone to warn the crown prince for a potential situation; he had no plans
on letting the White Star step on the Roan Kingdom’s soil at all.

"Tasha, Mary.”

“Young master-nim!”

“You're here, young master-nim?”

That was why Cale had returned to the Land of Death.

He then lifted his head. He could see the ceiling of the empty Underground City.

“Young master-nim, there is one hour left!”

There was now one hour left as Dark Elf Tasha mentioned.

The Land of Death.

The desert where dead mana smoke rises for a few days a year.

There was one hour left until dead mana smoke started to rise on this black desert.

Cale grabbed the golden turtle badge in his hand.

Ooooooong.

The badge started to vibrate at the sealed Blood-drenched Rock's scream.

“What is that?”

The approaching Tasha looked toward the badge in Cale's hand.

“The Henituse badge.”

“…It doesn’t look like such a normal item though?”

She had never seen a badge vibrate like this. An item that did not give off any sense of
magic or Elemental powers vibrating on its own like this was naturally eye-catching.
Tasha could see Cale start to smile at that moment.

Smirk.

The corners of the lips that leisurely went up seemed full of mischief.

“Why, do you want it?”

“No. I absolutely, definitely, do not want it.”

Tasha had gotten rid of all interest in the badge the moment she saw Cale's smile.
Cale looked at her for a moment before turning back to the badge.
It was very difficult for others to identify any powers that were sealed with the ‘Embrace’
ability. In fact, it was close to impossible.
Cale shook the badge slightly as if to tell it to stop vibrating before putting it in his
inner pocket and speaking to Tasha, Mary, and the Dark Elves around him.

“This is a bomb, a bomb. A time bomb.”

“…A time bomb?”

“Yes. It is currently ripening.”

Mary immediately took a step away from Cale.
Cale looked toward her as he had not expected this reaction, and the GPS-like voice
started to speak from under the black hood.

“Young master-nim, I heard you telling the great and mighty Raon-nim to either run
away from or beat down and destroy dangerous things.”

“That’s right!”

Raon who was no longer invisible clapped his two front paws together to agree with
him.

“You must either run away from or beat down and destroy dangerous things as good
Mary said!”

“That’s right. I believe that is correct. I could not beat you down and destroy you,
young master-nim, so I stepped back.”

Cale could not see Mary’s face underneath the hood, but he responded with a blank
expression after hearing her oddly satisfied voice.

“……I see. Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

Cale, who had temporarily been at a loss for words because of Mary, flinched.

Lalalala-

He heard a child’s voice.

He stuck a finger in his ear to clean it out.

“Why is there such a cute singing in this cold place?”

Lalalala-

The cute child’s voice echoed from all directions.

“…Is there something like that snake here too?!”

“Meeeeeow!”

“Meeow!”

“It’s a weird noise! We must cover our ears!”

Beacrox quickly covered his ears in shock while the children averaging nine-years-old
looked around.
The Underground City was empty after the humans and the Dark Elves who could not
fight had evacuated. The water was still flowing and the green plants were visible
around them, but it had a cold and odd feeling.

Hearing a child’s singing in such an environment made the group who had been
shocked because of the red snake tensely look around.
It was at that moment.

“It’s the alarm.”

Mary answered calmly like a GPS.

"We made it so that an alarm would go off throughout the Underground City thirty
minutes before the dead mana smoke starts to rise in the desert.”

Cale could see Beacrox’s face turning as red as gochujang. He wanted to compare it to
a better-known comparison like a tomato, but his face that instantly turned red
reminded him more of gochujang.
He quietly walked over to Choi Han and whispered in his ear.

“Choi Han, doesn't he look like gochujang?”

“Pffft!”

Choi Han barely managed to hold himself back from laughing out loud. However, he
soon had to face Beacrox's angry gaze.
Beacrox's eyebrows twitched on his red face.

He had been bewitched by the snake.

Beacrox was embarrassed that he was tricked by something even the children would
not be tricked by and sorry that he had almost put the Kittens in danger.
That was why he had overreacted to the alarm just now.
‘…He’s laughing?’

He changed that embarrassment to anger toward Choi Han.

Choi Han who received that gaze quickly ignored Beacrox. Cale who felt guilty about
the situation slowly took a step away from Choi Han.
He then asked Mary a question.

“Why is it a child singing?”

Tasha responded to the question instead.

“We didn’t want the elderly or the children in the city to get scared if we had a loud or
scary alarm. That is why we made it a bright and energetic voice. Isn’t it great?”

Forget great, it was even scarier.

Hearing a child singing in an empty city in the middle of the night… that was a scene
straight out of a horror film.
However, Cale couldn't share that sentiment. It was because Tasha continued to speak
with an embarrassed expression.

“They recorded my singing when I was younger and have been using it ever since.
Everybody said that I had a great singing voice.”

Cale who could not share his sentiments with the embarrassed Tasha quickly changed
the mood.

30 minutes.

Dead mana smoke would rise in the Land of Death for a few days after that time.

“What’s the White Star’s current status? No, where is he right now?”

“Ah, you see…”

Tasha started her report. Cale grabbed the golden top's whip at the same time. He
could then hear the Wind Elementals' voices.

‘Long time no see. Destruction, chaos, love.’

‘It hasn’t even been a day, how is that a long time?’

Cale started to listen to Tasha and the three Wind Elementals’ reports.

“The White Star is currently investigating the center of the desert in two teams with
the Bear King leading the other team.”

‘That’s right, that’s right! We didn’t see the Lion King though! The Illusionist wasn’t
there either!’

Cale started to speak.

“The White Star and the Bear King. You're saying they’re moving separately, right?”

“Yes, sir. There were also some strong individuals we had not seen until now.”

‘That’s right. We also saw some strong individuals who were not part of Arm, the Lion
tribe, nor black mages. They all seemed to be people with unique abilities. Chaos,
destruction, love.’

Cale had a pretty good idea about who they were.

‘I guess they are the bastards who were at Arm's second secret base.’

Arm members wore black outfits with one white star and five red stars surrounding
it.
Cale had noticed that many of the people roaming around the second secret base were
not wearing Arm uniforms.

A portion of them must have come with him.

‘The second secret base was a place that was imitating the Dragon Slayer village. That
must mean that the White Star gathered strong individuals from around the continent,
similar to what the first Dragon Slayer had done.’

Cale made sure to remember that the White Star had another source of strength before
wetting his lips with his tongue. It was at that moment.

‘Chaos! No, urgent! Urgent news!’

“Young master-nim!”
‘Cale, this is big!’

He heard the shocked Wind Elementals’ voices and could see a whirlwind surrounding
Tasha. Tasha seemed to have heard something urgent from that wind.

“Young master-nim!”

She then started to smile.

“The White Star supposedly fell into the final trap!”

It was an urgent but excited voice.

Cale turned his head. He looked toward Tasha and the other Dark Elves who were
covered in dust. They were all smiling.

‘Uhehehehehehe! Destruction, chaos, back, front, and sides!’

The Wind Elemental who had acted solemn was laughing in excitement. Both
nervousness and anticipation filled the area.

“What is it? What is the plan? What is the final trap?”

Only Bud who didn’t know anything looked around in confusion. Mary approached
him.

“The residents of the Underground City all worked together in order to create a trap
before the White Star got here.”

This was the one thing that the entire Underground City had helped to do.

“…What is it?”

Bud was intrigued and asked with anticipation. Mary’s head that was covered by the
robe turned toward Cale.
Bud quickly looked toward Cale as well. Cale didn't answer Bud’s question and gave
an order to the others.

“Everybody move out.”

The White Star was smart.

These past two days made him look really stupid, but he was actually quite smart.
Such a bastard was unable to find Cale in the desert. In that case, where would the
White Star and his right arm, the Bear King start to look?

“It’s the final plan.”

Cale gave an order to the focused group.

“We will kill the White Star if possible. If not, we destroy.”

Bud's eyes opened wide.

‘Destroy? Destroy the White Star? Or is there something else?’

Cale continued to speak at that moment.

"The other underground area. We will destroy that place.”

Bud's jaws dropped.

He finally realized what it was that the residents of the Underground City helped to
create.
His gaze moved around the underground area he was standing inside.

“…They created another place like this?”

They did all of that to drag one bastard in there?

Bud made eye contact with a smiling Tasha.

“It’s not the size of this Underground City but about half the size. Oh, and we did not
create it for the White Star.”

The population inside the Underground City had grown exponentially through the
years. The Dark Elves naturally increased their numbers in this peaceful environment,
but the humans who had escaped from the Dubori territory had grown in numbers
while staying in the Underground City as well.

The population of the Underground City grew even more as the Dubori territory
became almost inhabitable due to the taxes the past few years. That was why they had
decided to build a new Underground City three years ago.
The place they were in right now was large, but the residents who had to live in hiding
in this city wanted a wide and pleasant area.
That was why they started to build a new city even though this Underground City was
not at max capacity yet.
However, that plan had ended up failing.
Tasha recalled when that happened.

‘It was a major headache for the administrative officials. Of course, that was all before
we met young master Cale.’

After they met young master Cale, to be more specific, after they participated in the
Roan Kingdom’s war, the Dark Elves were able to roam freely above ground.
The escaped humans were able to stealthily head up with the Dark Elves to get some
fresh air every so often.

“There is an underground area we didn't finish building. We plan on using that this
time.”

“Why did you stop in the middle?”

Tasha and the other Dark Elves smiled at Bud’s question. Tasha gave a short response.

“We realized it too late that the ground in that area could easily crumble.”

Bud's eyes clouded over. He could see Cale starting to open his mouth again as he
looked over.

“Let’s go.”

The people in the empty Underground City started to move to their respective
destinations.

“I found it.”

The White Star started to smile. He raised his only remaining hand to brush the sand
away.

Swipe, swipe.
The mysterious desert where the sand is red during the day and black during the
night. The White Star was able to find more of the hidden black entrance door as he
brushed the black sand away.
The circular plate made of iron was locked shut and showed the depth of time.

“You finally found it.”

Bear King Sayeru who had been sitting next to the White Star was smiling as well. The
two teams had gathered here after finding this spot.
Sayeru looked toward the White Star and asked.

“Can you feel the power of earth?”

“No.”

“What?”

Sayeru instantly started to frown but the White Star’s smile became even thicker.

“I never felt the attribute of the ancient power right away for any of the ancient White
Star’s powers. They were always hiding and I could only feel it once the obstacles
disappeared.”

The White Star lifted the hand that was brushing the sand away and touched his
opposing shoulder. Only a wrapped up stump was there instead of an arm.

“The fact that I cannot feel the power of earth means that Cale Henituse has not
acquired that power yet.”

Sayeru finally nodded his head and brushed the door with his palm. He too was using
his one remaining hand. His hand then stopped somewhere.

“It’s broken?”

The handle to the circular iron gate was broken. There was also the debris of the
broken chain by the iron gate.
Anybody would be able to tell that someone had gone inside and broken the handle in
order to make it difficult for others to enter.

"They weren’t in the sky nor on the ground.”

Cale and Choi Han. The Dark Elves, necromancer, and Cale’s other group members as
well. They had searched the sky and the desert for them but did not manage to find
them.

“The only thing left is under the ground. They must be underground.”

Sayeru turned toward the White Star and asked.

“What do you want to do?”

“Open it.”

Sayeru gestured toward their subordinates after hearing the White Star’s response.
Some of the Lions quickly came over and lifted the heavy iron gate.

Sccccccccc-

The iron gate was lifted completely while making a chilling noise.

“Oh.”

A large circular path appeared. That path was heading deep underground and they
could not see properly because it was so dark.
However, it seemed quite wide and sturdy for a path in a land where nobody lived.
There must be a reason for it.

Sayeru looked toward the White Star with excitement.

“What should we do, head right in?”

It was at that moment. The White Star started to frown.

“What is it?”

“Hold on.”

The White Star suddenly crouched toward the ground and put his hand through the
sand.

“What are you doing?”

The White Star closed his eyes without responding to Sayeru. He then started to speak
with confusion.

“…Why is there dead mana flowing out through the sand?”

“What? Dead mana? I don't feel it.”

Midnight had passed and it was a new day.

The dead mana smoke was slowly rising from the black sands in the desert. The White
Star was the first to notice the small amounts that were rising to start.
However, he soon realized that the rising dead mana smoke was getting thicker. He
thought that it would soon be at a level that others could notice it and a level that
would be dangerous for normal people.
The White Star's eyes soon clouded over and he licked his lips before mumbling to
himself again.

“This could end up being very advantageous for me.”

It was at that moment.

On a sand hill far from the White Star…

Clack, clack.

A tiny skeleton monster made of black bones so that it was hard to distinguish from
the black sand was observing the White Star.
The small skeleton monster that was the size of a rat was buried under the sand and
not moving at all.
However, the black lights in the spots where the skeleton monster’s eyes should have
been were transmitting what it was seeing to its master.

“The White Star has arrived. He ripped the entrance door open.”

“I see.”

Cale smiled at Mary’s report.

“It looks like the White Star will soon come down the passage to the underground trap.”

Cale looked around after hearing Mary’s calm report. Most of the group were scattered
and only Raon, the Dragon half-blood, Cale, and Mary were together. It was at that
moment.

“Young master-nim.”

Mary hesitated for a moment before starting to speak again.

“…The White Star is smiling.”

As Mary mentioned, the White Star was smiling. The faint smile slowly became thicker
until he started to laugh out loud as well.

“Ha, haha! How did I not know about this?!”

His eyes were sparkling.

Shhhh, shhhh.

He continued to grab the sand with his hand. The black sand fell through the cracks
between his fingers as soon as he grabbed them, but the White Star did not care.

He lowered his body and took a breath.

“…As I expected.”

The White Star started to smile after feeling the dead mana entering his nose.

He then lifted his head. The ground and the sky were both dark because it was nighttime,
but he started to feel the presence of death throughout the desert.

“Damn it!”

Bear King Sayeru who saw the White Star's actions quickly covered his nose with his
sleeve. The White Star and Sayeru made eye contact.

‘What are you going to do?’

The White Star pointed toward the passage that was as dark as the sky after seeing
the question in Sayeru's gaze.

“Everybody other than the black mages will go in.”

The black mages were excited rather than upset that everybody else except them were
going in. They weren't as certain about it as the White Star, but they too had started to
notice the dead mana smoke rising in the desert.

Dead mana was the source of power for the black mages. It was more beneficial for
them to stay here and gather dead mana as the earth attribute power wouldn't be
theirs even if they went down with the White Star.

The White Star approached a black mage.

“Thoroughly figure out what is going on in this desert.”

“Yes, my liege.”

The White Star turned away from the black mage and looked around the desert.

‘How interesting yet weird.’

The White Star had lived for 1,000 years. Naturally, he had lived in the Land of Death,
one of the Western continent's five Forbidden Regions during one of his past lives.

‘I've passed through here too.’

He didn't remember which life it was, but he had crossed through this desert with
flight magic to head to the shore when he was a mage.
He had not noticed anything odd during that time. He just found it interesting that the
color of the sand changed during the day and night.

However, dead mana smoke was rising from this place.

It felt as if he had found an unexpected treasure.

“Hmm?”

The White Star then turned after feeling a foot touching his calf.

Tap, tap.

It was Sayeru’s foot. He was standing there with his nose and mouth covered and a
frown on his face. He was gesturing to quickly enter the passage.

Unlike the White Star, dead mana was poisonous for Sayeru. It was the same for the
Lion tribe and the other subordinates as well.

They all looked as if they wanted to go into the passage as quickly as possible.

The faint smoke was slowly increasing, and they wanted to get away from it before
they subconsciously breathed it in.

The White Star looked toward the subordinates and started to give orders as Sayeru
could not speak right now.

“We will head into the passage in order. Once we get to the bottom…”

He stopped for a moment before continuing to speak.

“Don't touch anything. If you touch or move anything, I will kill you on the spot.”

They all nodded their heads with stiff expressions.

They had seen how the White Star had ripped a subordinate to shreds when he was
getting the ‘Water Wall’ ancient power because that subordinate had taken a single
step without being told he could move.

That was why they were planning on listening to whatever the White Star told them
to do this time.

The White Star had brought the people who had seen that sight with him on purpose.

‘Fear is a useful tool.’

People who were full of fear listened to the White Star's orders well.

‘That is why I really need this final power.’

This earth attribute ancient power was harder to find than even the sky attribute
ancient power.

Cale Barrow. The White Star who recalled his forgotten past name started to think
about the human who gave him the last name of Barrow. He was the person who
handed the Dragon Slayer's powers, position, and duty to the White Star.

‘The ancient era’s White Star? You're curious about him?

That person had answered little by little every time the White Star had asked about
the ancient White Star. That person's intentions were to inform the White Star that the
ancient White Star was evil, but the White Star had become drunk by stories of the
ancient White Star's strength.

‘According to the records, the ancient White Star is said to have all five major attributes
in addition to the sky attribute.’

The story that the first Dragon Slayer had told his successor had been repeated and
passed down to future generations of Dragon Slayers as well.

‘Defense, offense, protection. There were a lot of different types of powers. Ah, he
apparently had a power of fear as well.’

‘Fear?’

‘Yes. According to the second Dragon Slayer's diary, the first Dragon Slayer emphasized
over and over that they needed to be cautious of that fear.’

The first Dragon Slayer, Nelan Barrow. There were many Dragon Slayers who wrote
memoirs following his example.
The White Star had not been able to get the first Dragon Slayer, Nelan Barrow's memoir,
but he had the other Dragon Slayers’ memoirs or diaries on him.

The information in them had helped him become even greater than the ancient White
Star.
The dead Dragon Slayers would roll over in their graves, but the White Star did not
care.
Either way, thanks to those pieces of information, the White Star had tried to get the
Water of Judgment in place of the ancient White Star’s water attribute ancient power,
however, Cale had taken it before he had a chance to do so.

However, he was able to realize what the final earth attribute ancient power was after
gathering the other four major attributes.

‘Fear.’

The remaining power was fear.

That was the power the White Star needed more than anything else.

‘…I will change the world the moment I gain that power.’

The White Star was desperate for this final button to commence his real plan. That
was why he had come here even though he had just lost his arm yesterday.

“Enter in order. I will enter last; black mages, close this entrance once I enter.”

The White Star ordered the Lions who were nearby to enter first.

His actions were not done to help his subordinates quickly avoid the dead mana smoke
or to be wary of enemies who might suddenly appear.

He had sent them down first to figure out if there were any traps or hidden enemies
inside.

It was because he expected Cale’s group had already entered.

His actions seemed to not care about his subordinates at all, but the Lions who were
ordered bit down on their lips before entering the passage.
They all started to enter into the passage after the first Lion slid down as if he was on
a slide.

Once even Sayeru headed down and only the White Star was left…

The dead mana smoke was now thick enough to be easily noticed.

Huuuuu.

The White Star sucked in some of the dead mana smoke.

One of the black mages walked over with a kissing up type of smile on his face. The
White Star smirked at the black mage who approached him as soon as the Bear King
had headed down.

The black mages did not have a leader after the Alchemists’ Bell Tower's Tower Master
had died. That was why all of them were doing everything they could to try to get on
the White Star's good graces and become the leader.

“My liege, I truly hope that you are able to obtain the power you seek. Although we are
not able to be with you down there, we will definitely figure out the secrets of this
dead mana smoke. I pray that our investigation would be beneficial to you, my liege.”

The White Star chuckled at the obvious flattery and nodded his head.

“It's annoying and costly to kill people for the dead mana we will continue to need. It’s
better to use a place like this if we can.”

“Yes, my liege! We will thoroughly investigate it. We will also guard the gate properly.”

The White Star nodded his head and headed toward the passage. He then stopped and
looked toward the black mages. He stealthily said something to the black mage he had
just chatted with.

“Tell Dorph to thoroughly investigate it as well.”

Lion King Dorph was currently at the second secret base fulfilling one of the White
Star’s orders.

The black mage gulped after seeing the vicious look in the White Star's eyes. The White
Star looked at him and continued to speak.

“Whether Cale Henituse approached the Gate to the Demon World and looked inside.
Tell him to investigate that properly.”

The White Star recalled what Dorph had told him.

‘I purposely said that I would throw Cale Henituse and his friends into the Gate to the
Demon World to see their reaction. I don’t think they’ve even been around the Gate to
the Demon World at all.’

‘Still, look into it.’

‘Of course. Anyway, you know I'm extremely observant, right? Don’t worry.’

Dorph had brought up the Gate to the Demon World on purpose during his battle
against Cale to see his reaction.

However, it still required a thorough investigation as that was an important issue, and
the White Star's gaze slowly became colder as he thought about it. The black mage
quickly bowed and responded.

“Of course, my liege. I will immediately deliver that order to him.”

“……Good.”

The White Star finally seemed satisfied and entered the passage. His body disappeared
into the underground passage as if he was on a slide.

The black mages quickly covered the entrance back up tightly with the iron gate once
they did not see the White Star anymore. It would be bad if the dead mana smoke
followed the passage down to the Bear King and the others.

“I will contact Lion King Dorph so the rest of you look around and investigate this
smoke!”

“Yes, sir!”

The other black mages started to move after receiving the first black mage’s orders.
The black mage who gave the order also quickly took out a video communication device
to do as the White Star ordered.

The area quickly became rowdy.

That was why they did not notice something.

They didn't notice that wind was blowing on a sand hill near the gate to the underground
passage.

Shaaaaaaa-

The sand was swept by the wind and a bit of the bottom of the hill was revealed.

A small video communication and recording device hidden under the sand was
revealed.

There were some creatures who were shocked by that.

‘Ah, hide it!’

‘We need to take this to Cale! That crazy bastard that shouts chaos and destruction
will go nuts if we don’t do it properly!’

Shaaaaaaa-

The two Wind Elementals quickly channeled some wind again. That wind moved the
sand and covered the combination of the video communication and recording device,
leaving only a small gap for it to continue to record.

Cale who had been watching the video communication device in his hand started to
speak.

He had seen everything the White Star had done through that hidden video
communication device after hearing Mary’s report.

There was something that made him feel iffy.

“Is there something in the Gate to the Demon World?”

He looked at the Dragon half-blood who blankly stared at Raon for a moment before
flinching and responding.

“I don't know either.”

“…You don't know?”

The Gate to the Demon World was one of the Eastern continent’s Three Restricted
Areas.

The White Star definitely seemed interested in knowing whether Cale had seen or
entered the Gate to the Demon World. That meant that the Gate to the Demon World
was an important location.

However, the Dragon half-blood did not know about the Gate to the Demon World?

Even though the secret base was nearby and the Dragon half-blood had stayed in that
base?

The Dragon half-blood who received Cale’s gaze quickly continued to speak.

“I really don't know. The White Star only took Dorph, Sayeru, and a select few with
him and put some devices to make sure that the others could not go there. He killed
anybody who went near it.”

“…Why didn't you tell me about such a place before we went to the second secret base?”

“Sorry. I did not think about it.”

The Dragon half-blood who was apologizing looked as if he really had not thought
about it.

Cale who became at a loss for words at this reaction just tapped his thigh with his finger.

“The Gate to the Demon World……”

Cale had heard that the Gate to the Demon World was just a giant sinkhole that was
given its name because it looked scary. However, he was starting to feel iffy about it
now.
 The Demon World.

The Demonic race.

Cale started to recall the information related to the Demon World. He then recalled
the information he had read in ‘The Birth of a Hero’ about the Demonic race.

‘The Birth of a Hero’ had explained about dead mana as well as how to cure mermaid
poison.

It was the information he had recalled while fighting against the mermaid with the
Whale tribe at Hais Island.

<… There were a few records about the Demonic race left in ancient text. According to
the records, the Demonic race dyed living human hearts with dead mana as they
enjoyed creating hearts that continued to beat after death.>

Why did this record suddenly pop up in Cale’s mind?

Cale was about to recall what the black mage had just said to kiss up to the White Star.

It was at that moment.

 Cale-nim.

He heard Choi Han’s voice from the other connected video communication device.

 That bastard has arrived.

Choi Han was reporting that the White Star had arrived at the underground area.
Cale stood up from his seat.

He needed to go welcome the White Star.

Raon approached Cale who was starting to walk to meet the White Star.

“Human! There’s something I'm worried about!”

“What is it?”

Cale brusquely responded as the Dragon half-blood peeked toward the concerned
Raon's puffy cheeks.

"In my intelligent opinion, we need to fight to f*ck the White Star up!”

Cale flinched before starting to speak.

“…How about we leave words like, ‘f*ck him up,’ out of it?”

“Alright! To chop his neck off-!”

“Not that.”

“To kill!”

“Mm.”

“Then to finish him!”

“I guess that’s better.”

Cale started to think that he needed to consult someone else about the children
averaging nine-years-olds’ vocabulary.

‘Ron? Eruhaben-nim? No.’

He needed to avoid those two.

Otherwise, the children may end up shoving lemons everywhere or calling someone
they just met an arrogant little punk. Cale decided he needed to meet with Countess
Violan when he returned home next time.
Raon continued to speak as he had that thought.

“Fine! Anyway, human. In order to finish the White Star off, we need to fight in the
underground area!”

“Right?”

Raon looked toward the calmly responding Cale as if he was weird. The young Dragon
was being serious.

“Human, listen carefully.”

“Okay.”

Cale, who had been bored because the walk to meet the White Star had been quiet,
happily nodded his head.
Both Raon and the Dragon half-blood looked toward Cale who was so calm in such a
pressing situation as if he was weird.

“Human! The foundation of this underground area is very weak! The ceiling is even
weaker! So the underground area will definitely break while we are fighting against
the White Star!”

Even without Choi Han and Bud who used swords, Cale, Raon, and Mary’s attacks all
covered large areas.
That was the same for the White Star's side, so their fight was bound to impact the
underground area.

“And if we can’t kill the White Star, the bombs that the gentle Tasha planted will explode
and break the underground area!”

“Isn’t that our plan?”

“That’s right!”

The original plan was to destroy the underground area if they didn’t manage to kill the
White Star.

“That is why it is weird!”

Raon could not understand this plan at all.

“Human, I somewhat understand using bombs to destroy the underground area! But
what happens if the underground area breaks while we are fighting?”

The moment the underground area breaks while they are fighting…
The moment the sturdy-looking yet weak foundation and the ceiling breaks…

“The dead mana smoke on the desert will instantly fill the underground area! Then we
might all end up breathing some dead mana smoke!”

Raon could teleport the group away as the bombs exploded if they used Tasha's
bombs. Then there was almost no chance of the dead mana smoke impacting the group.
However, things would be complicated if the area broke in the middle of a fierce battle.
The chances of breathing in dead mana became much higher in such a situation.

Even the quiet Dragon half-blood chimed in.

“I heard that you guys saw the White Star use his fire attribute ancient power properly
this time. I also heard that the White Star is not in a normal state right now after losing
one arm.”

The White Star had used a lot of ancient powers already and his body was not in a
stable condition either.

“That is why you guys haven’t seen that bastard fight seriously yet.”

“That’s right, human! We haven’t even experienced the White Star's wood attribute
ancient power either!”

Raon was pounding his chest with his chubby front paw as if he was getting frustrated
at how calm Cale seemed to be. There was a simple reason for it.

‘The human would not do anything to make us get hurt!’

There was no way Cale had not thought about the things that Raon had just mentioned.
Furthermore, Cale hated whenever his people got hurt. He was the person who said
to run away and come back later to aim for their backs if it looked like someone on
their side was going to get hurt. That was why Raon could not accept Cale's current
actions right now.

“Pfft.”

Cale chuckled. He looked toward Raon and the Dragon half-blood who were looking
at him with similar expressions and started to speak.

“The White Star happily sacrificed his arm to save the Bear King.”

The White Star had thrown away many subordinates until now. But they had seen him
make a move to save a subordinate for the first time.

“This time, he entered the underground area with that Bear King he tried so hard to
save.”

Cale stopped talking at that point. He then quietly looked forward.

The incomplete Underground City. The bleak and empty sight filled his eyes. He looked
at it for a while before turning back to look at Raon and the Dragon half-blood.
Their eyes still looked full of questions.

"Are you curious about my thoughts?”

He smiled as he asked that question.

“Ho! There was such a place underground? My liege, isn’t this amazing?”

Bear King Sayeru could not hide his admiration at this large Underground City.
The White Star's group had seen this large city after sliding down the long underground
path. Of course, it was not a regular city.

First of all, it was located underground.

“How bleak.”

It was a completely empty city with some places starting to fall apart. The buildings
that they couldn’t tell whether they were unfinished or broken filled the city.
However, the road seemed to have been built strategically as it was wide and long.
There were dry trees around the city as well.

“It feels like a city that was abandoned a long time ago.”

It was a bleak Underground City where no traces of humans could be felt.

He took one step and turned his head. He could see the White Star.

Everybody other than himself and the White Star was currently waiting by the passage
entrance. Only Sayeru had received permission to move around.
The others were not allowed to take a single step inside.

“…I don't feel anyone in here. There are no traces of people either.”

Sayeru looked around the area. There were no traces of anyone living in nor having
passed through the abandoned city.

‘So the chances of Cale Henituse having come through here is high.’

The lack of traces made Sayeru even more certain that Cale Henituse had been here.
There were not many who were skilled enough to erase all of their traces like this.
Sayeru reached out his hand.

Crumble.

A small part of the building broke and fell to the ground as he touched the wall.

“It looks very old.”

The entire city looked quite old. It seemed as if it was an ancient ruin that had been
left alone for hundreds or thousands of years.

‘This is the type of place where the ancient power that the White Star is looking for
would be.’

Sayeru started to smile with anticipation.

“No.”
It was at that moment. Sayeru turned around after hearing the White Star's voice.

Pssssss-

He saw a rock that turned into dust in the White Star’s hand. It seemed to be debris
from the building.
Sayeru flinched and his shoulders started to shake after seeing the White Star’s gaze.

‘This is dangerous.’

The White Star looked as he usually did when he was extremely angry. However, his
voice was calm.

"This place was built not too long ago.”

“This place? That’s impossib-”

Sayeru who was about to retort the White Star's comment quickly shut up without
finishing his sentence.
It was because he saw the White Star caressing a dry tree branch. Smoke coming out
of his hand covered the dead branch.

“This branch died less than a week ago.”

Sayeru gasped after hearing the White Star's comment. There was no way the White
Star would say something wrong, so that meant that it really had been less than a week
since this branch had died.

“…But there’s no water here?”

Trees needed dirt, sunlight, and water to grow.

There was a destroyed drainage way, but it showed no signs of water having ever
flowed through it.

‘But the fact that a tree grew means that there was water here. But that water
completely dried in a week?’

There was no way that was the case.

Then there was only one answer.
“They brought over a dead tree from somewhere else?”

“Yes.”

The White Star was calm as he answered Sayeru’s question. The White Star looked
around.

“Based on the condition of these trees, this place was created in the last few years.
However, they created it to look like a city that was abandoned thousands of years
ago.”

“…Who did?”

"Why are you asking such an obvious question?”

Sayeru shut his mouth at the White Star's brusque response. However, he soon started
to speak again.

“…This is a trap? A trap that Cale Henituse created?”

This large Underground City was Cale Henituse's trap?

A trap to kill them?

Sayeru could not accept that.

There was a simple reason for it.

"This is not something that can be created in a short amount of time! You need at least
a few hundred people, materials, and at least a couple of years to create such a large
underground city!”

Sayeru started to frown the more he spoke.

They heard some footsteps at that moment. Both Sayeru and the White Star had
noticed the footsteps.

Step. Step.

The person walking without hiding their presence was walking in a relaxed manner.
However, there was anger in Sayeru's eyes as he looked toward the person.

“You bastard……!”
“How's your arm?”

Cale who warmly asked that question had a relaxed smile on his face.
Cale, who walked toward them from the center of the underground city and not the
entrance, looked peaceful.

Sayeru looked around Cale. He didn't see anybody else. However, Sayeru believed that
the others were hiding nearby.

“Why are you looking around like that?”

Cale’s question made Sayeru look back toward him. The two of them made eye contact.
Sayeru suddenly felt his shoulder with the missing arm turn cold.
It was not from the pain of losing an arm.

There was only one thing that filled his mind right now.

“…You, did you create this place and lure us down here?”

“Mm.”

Cale had an awkward expression for the first time. He had already heard the White
Star and Sayeru's conversation as he walked over.
Cale was completely flabbergasted.

‘I didn't think he would figure it out right away.’

He never expected the White Star to realize this place was created not too long ago so
quickly.
Of course, it was not just because he thought the White Star would be crazed and
focused on finding the final earth attribute ancient power that he would not think
properly.

‘Young master-nim, we even used our Elementals to create the place.’

This fake Underground City was created extremely well, as Tasha had mentioned that
anybody would think that it was a place that was abandoned at least a couple hundred
years ago.
But the White Star had figured out right away that it was a lie.
 ‘…He used the tree to figure it out.’

Cale recorded how the White Star had just used the dead tree to figure out the truth
about this city. He then started to get a headache.

‘What do I do?’

Cale was planning on tricking the White Star to believe the final earth attribute power
was located here.

 Human! What do we do? It looks like the White Star knows this isn't where the earth
attribute ancient power is located! Then won't he aim for the Roan Kingdom?

‘Exactly.’

As Raon mentioned, the White Star would aim for the Roan Kingdom once he realized
that the Land of Death did not have the earth attribute ancient power.
Cale wanted to prevent the White Star from charging into the Roan Kingdom.

 Human! What if the White Star immediately teleports over to the Roan Kingdom? Let’s
destroy this place right now! Choi Han is asking for you to quickly give orders!

Cale was thinking the same thing.

The White Star who realized this was a trap could not head to the final potential spot,
the Roan Kingdom.
Cale who was listening to the young Dragon’s urgent voice slowly opened his mouth
to speak.

‘I guess I have no choice. Let’s just be honest.’

"Cale Henituse, why are you not responding? Why did you drag us into a trap?”

Cale immediately responded as Sayeru asked the question again.

“I'm the curious one. How did you realize this place was fake? I never expected you
bastards to realize it so quickly.”

Cale noticed Sayeru start to frown in response.

 Human! Tasha and Mary are also asking what they should do. As for the Mercenary
King, he's a total mess! The Mercenary King is so loud!

He ignored Raon’s comments and focused on Sayeru’s change of expression with a

stoic expression on his face. Of course, he was just putting on a poker face.
It was at that moment.

“Amazing. Very amazing.”

The White Star gasped in admiration.

Cale turned his gaze to see the White Star who was glaring at him viciously.

“Since when?”

“What are you talking about?’

Cale subconsciously asked after hearing the White Star's unexpected question.

“Ha! He’s feigning ignorance!”

Then Cale ended up receiving Sayeru’s extremely angry response.

‘Why is he like this?’

This isn’t the first time we’ve smacked each other in the back.
Cale found it odd that Sayeru looked so angry. He was hearing the reports from the
others through Raon at the same time.
Sayeru could not hide his anger as he asked at that moment. He was extremely angry
right now.

"Since when have you been thinking about taking us down? It would take at least a
few years to construct an Underground City like this. This trap should have taken you
years to create! Do you think we don’t know that?”

Nobody could create such a large area in a short amount of time.

Of course, creating a place that looked like a city could be done quickly, but creating
an underground area like this was something that required a lot of time.

‘That’s not it.’

The exploration and selection of a location. This place required a long period of thorough
planning to create.

“Cale Henituse, the Land of Death. Why would you create an Underground City like
this in the useless desert? Especially a city that looks as desolate as this! You would
not create such a place for no reason unless you were crazy!”

This was definitely created as a trap or for an underground evacuation center.

Sayeru got the chills as he figured that out.

'Cale Henituse is a bastard who was known as trash until just two years ago. So, when
would such a bastard have created an Underground City like this?’

The things that Cale had done until now quickly passed through his mind.

Cale Henituse had appeared exactly as the White Star was about to use Arm and black
magic.
Furthermore, he also coincidentally had many different ancient powers.
Finally, he had a bunch of strong individuals around him that made people question
how he had gathered such a group.

Could it all have just been a coincidence?

Was all of this the result of a trash bastard in a time span of just two years?

Sayeru wondered if Cale Henituse had been hiding his strength for a much longer time
after seeing this Underground City.

‘No, even if it was not just his strength, this bastard did not manage to do all of this in
just two years!’

He probably had been preparing for a very long time.

He had prepared to defend against the White Star.

‘But why? Why did Cale Henituse make such preparations? What did he know? And
how did he know?’

Sayeru started to question everything.

‘It has been weird, now that I think about it.’

Cale Henituse had been involved with each and every one of the White Star’s plans. At
first, he had thought that it was a coincidence. But it was easier to accept that these
were not coincidences and that the White Star had failed over and over again because
Cale Henituse had planned this long in advance.

‘How could there be a bastard like this?’

There was a slight trace of fear in Sayeru’s gaze as he looked toward Cale.
That was why he covered that fear with anger. Sayeru raised his voice.

"Since when have you been thinking about taking us down? 2 years! We’ve only been
hearing your name for the past two years! But how long have you actually been aiming
for us?”

Cale blinked his eyes.

‘This is weird. Things are progressing in an odd direction.’

He heard the White Star’s voice at that moment as well.

“I knew it was weird no matter how many times I thought about it. You might be useful
for me, but I have been wondering how a bastard like you suddenly appeared to block
my every move.”

He had a look that seemed to say that he finally understood.

‘…Uhh, mm. It’s true that I suddenly appeared?’

Cale who had suddenly ended up in The Birth of a Hero's world had started all this
just to avoid being beaten to a pulp by Choi Han but ended up here.
He wasn’t planning on getting in the White Star’s way from the beginning.
It just happened that this bastard was in his way of living a slacker’s life and that this
bastard’s way of doing things annoyed him enough for him to somehow end up here.
However, Cale quietly listened to the White Star's comments.

‘It looks like it's a positive situation for me though?’

Things seemed to be going well in an unexpected way.

The White Star was looking at Cale with a different gaze than before. He was looking
at Cale like he was a good rival. He was also looking at Cale with wariness about someone
 whose identity he could not fathom.

"Cale Henituse, someone whose time is warped. You didn't suddenly appear. In fact,
you’ve been planning for this since a long time ago. Since when have you been aiming
for me?”

Cale found this situation quite amazing.

He wondered how the White Star realizing that the Underground City was recently
created led to this explanation.

 Human! What nonsense are the two of them talking about? Human, you are someone
without a plan who just looks like you have a plan!

‘I know, right?’

Cale could see the White Star’s stiff face before he heard Sayeru’s angry but slightly
shaking voice.

“…You, how long have you known about us to prepare all this?”

‘Isn't this great?’

Cale put on a satisfied smile while looking at the two mistaken people.

“You, you……!”

Sayeru was at a loss for words after seeing Cale’s twisted smile instead of a response.
However, even though Cale didn't say anything, an alarm went off in his head after
seeing Cale's gaze that seemed to be saying he had been aiming for them for a very
long time.
The White Star, Bear King Sayeru, and Cale.
Mercenary King Bud Illis who was listening to the three of their conversation while
hiding blinked his eyes a few times before starting to speak.

“Doesn’t it look like they've made a weird mistake?”

His head quickly turned to look at Choi Han who was crouching next to him.

“Doesn’t it?”

“…It does seem that way.”

Bud looked toward Choi Han who was responding calmly but had an odd expression
on his face.

“…Ho.”

He then gasped.

"So, basically…”

He started to organize the thoughts on his mind.

“They think that Cale Henituse has been preparing to stop them in secret for many
years?”

“It does seem that way! Mercenary King!”

Raon who was next to Bud fluttered his wings and agreed.

“…Ho.”

Bud gasped once more before shaking his head. However, he could understand how
they could make such a mistake.

‘Even I would be suspicious about how long someone has been playing if someone
suddenly appeared and got in my way every time I tried something.’

And was Cale just a small obstacle?

To be honest, Cale Henituse and his group were like a large disaster. If anybody wondered
how Cale gathered such strong individuals together, it was understandable after
hearing their stories.

‘He gave me something to eat! He brought us home!’

‘He said don’t come because it was dangerous but gave me a lot of food!’

‘The human saved my life! I saw the night sky for the first time thanks to the human!’

Starting from the children averaging nine-years-old…

‘Well, Count Henituse and his family have been extremely gracious for our father-son
duo.’

‘I learned how to cook from the Henituse household. The young master-nim used to
be trash in the past, but he was still a good boy from time to time.’

Ron and Beacrox.

‘I had nowhere to go. No, forget nowhere to go, I had nothing at all.’

‘He showed me the world.’

To Choi Han and Mary.

Bud had wondered how he had gathered people with such sob stories every time he
heard one of their explanations. He found it amazing that Cale managed to put people
with such sad pasts within his fence.

‘He's someone who doesn't plan!’

The more he heard about Cale's progress, the fewer plans there seemed to be.
The few places he heard about where Cale found the ancient powers were huge
coincidences.
Of course, Cale's group might have happened to grow by chance, but he was quite
strategic about the ancient powers.

Unfortunately, Raon was the only one who knew about this.

“…Is it because he is a good person?”

Bud wondered if Cale was so lucky because he was a good person.

However, he quickly got rid of that thought. Cale had this unexplainable side to him
that was cheeky and annoyed people too much to say he was a good person.

‘He is cold-hearted as well.’

Bud who was organizing his thoughts recalled the cold-hearted Cale he had seen from
time to time. He then had a, ‘what if?’ question and asked Choi Han a question.

“Cale hasn’t been planning this for a long time, right?”

Bud could see Choi Han instantly start to smile. It was an innocent-looking but oddly
cold smile. Bud put on an awkward smile and mumbled as if he was talking to himself
the moment he saw that smile.

“Hahaha! A person shouldn’t have such useless curiosities!”

He then slowly avoided Choi Han's gaze.

Choi Han looked at Bud who was avoiding his gaze with an odd expression.

‘Good.’

However, it was good.

Choi Han had no answer for Bud’s question.
He couldn't honestly say, ‘Cale-nim has changed so much in the past two years because
he is my nephew's friend, Kim Rok Soo, from another world. That person named Kim
Rok Soo was quite eccentric and was the same as he is now in his original world as
well.’

“But what do we do now?”

Choi Han heard Bud's mumblings and was about to respond to him.
It was at that moment.
“Hahahaha-!”

Loud laughter echoed through the empty underground city.

Cale was slightly bent forward as he quietly observed the laughing White Star.

Bear King Sayeru who had been angry at Cale quietly closed his mouth after seeing
the White Star’s reaction.

“Hahahaha, ugh, hahaha-!”

Cale started to frown.

‘Did he go crazy?’

The White Star was laughing as if he had suddenly gone crazy. Cale had always called
him a crazy bastard, but he really seemed like a crazy bastard now.

‘His eyes are red.’

His eyes were bloodshot and the veins in his neck were clearly visible as if he was
holding back his anger.

“Hahaha-, ha, shhh.”

The White Star laughed for a while before wiping his mouth with his hand and looking
toward Cale.

“I found it weird.”

“What is weird?”

Cale leisurely responded to the White Star's statement and moved one hand behind
him. Someone who was focused on his back at a distance received Cale's message.
However, Cale looked toward the White Star as if he had not done anything. The White
Star started to speak as he looked at Cale.

“Both Choi Han and you have your time warped as I do.”

Cale recalled the battle at the Alchemists’ Bell Tower in the Mogoru Empire's capital.
The White Star had said that their time was warped when they first met him.
“But even though I can tell that your time is warped, I couldn't tell how it was warped.”

“Why is time warped for me? What nonsense are you spewing?”

“No. I did not speak nonsense. Rather, it must be that you are hiding something.”

‘What?’

Cale who was going to play along with the White Star flinched after seeing his extremely
calm demeanor.

This was what the White Star had said to Choi Han in the past.

‘Time is warped for that swordsman.’

He had said it into Cale’s mind so that nobody else could hear.

‘He is not from this world.’

He then looked toward Cale and had said the following.

‘Furthermore. You, just like that black-haired child as well as like myself.’

The common factor between the White Star, Choi Han, and Cale.

‘Time is warped for you.’

Cale pushed aside the memory of the past and looked into the White Star’s eyes.

“The first Dragon Slayer who suddenly appeared in the world. Furthermore, Choi Han
whose time is warped and similarly had suddenly appeared in the world. I was able to
see the answer once I put the pieces of the puzzle together.”

The White Star knew that Choi Han was not from this world. Once he had a small clue,
he was able to connect the first Dragon Slayer Nelan Barrow and Choi Han.

That clue was ‘language.’

The language that nobody on this continent was able to decipher other than Choi Han
and Nelan Barrow.
He realized it once he had this clue.

Nelan Barrow and Choi Han came from a world that uses that language.

"That was why I tried to capture Choi Han.”

Tasha, Bud, Mary, Beacrox, On, and Hong who were hiding and listening all looked
toward where Choi Han was hiding with shocked expressions.

They were not shocked about this time being warped business they did not understand
but at the fact that the White Star had aimed for Choi Han.
They had not known about that at all.

Not only did Cale and Choi Han not talk about it, but they also did not know the details
about the illusions at the Dubori Lord's Castle.

“But you see. Cale, I can’t see through you. Your time is warped but I cannot see how
it is warped.”

The White Star was no longer smiling as he observed Cale.

This bastard was not someone who came from another world like Choi Han.
This bastard was not someone who reincarnates as he does.

Then what could it be?

Why couldn’t he see this bastard’s time?

Some information he had forgotten about filled the White Star's mind and made him
have another thought.
Cale started to speak at that moment.

“How are you so sure about time?”

Whether time was warped or not. How did the White Star know about it so well?
Even Eruhaben had not noticed anything about Cale. But although the White Star
couldn’t completely tell Cale’s true identity, he could feel that something was different.

‘No, it’s not at the level of feel. He’s certain.’

The White Star was certain about it.

 Cale suddenly recalled how the White Star had caressed the dead tree to realize the
truth about this place.

‘…Perhaps.’

Was it possible?

‘Does the White Star have a time-related ability? How? With which power?’

The only one of the White Star's ancient powers Cale had not seen was the wood
attribute ancient power. But that was related to time?

‘Even though it is the wood attribute?’

The chance of that being the case was low.

Then, what could it be?
Cale started to get an ominous feeling.

It was at that moment.

Smirk.

Cale could see the White Star start to smile.

He then heard the White Star's voice in his mind at that moment.

 Who are you?

Cale got chills on his back.

There were many people who had asked about his identity until now.

Alberu Crossman had asked about it, the World Tree had asked about it, and the White
Star had asked about it the first time they met as well.

However, this question felt different than all the others.

The White Star continued to speak in Cale’s mind.

 You're a transmigrator, aren't you? Who are you that is inside Cale Henituse's body?

‘Damn it. He found out.’

Although he was anxiously swearing internally, Cale's face looked calm.
The White Star started to speak again. It was out loud again.

"From body to body. You moved around while preparing. For a very long time.”

‘Hmm?’

Cale flinched.

The White Star’s eyes sparkled even more after seeing Cale flinch as he continued to
speak.

“You continued to live while jumping from body to body like that.”

The White Star was slowly getting more confident about his suspicions.

Cale whose time was warped.

He was not someone a dimension traveler like Choi Han nor a reincarnator like the
White Star. That meant that the only remaining options were that he was a transmigrator
or a regressor. That was why the White Star first went with transmigration which
would make it possible for Cale to have prepared to stop the White Star for a longer
period of time.

And Cale had reacted to that.

The bastard with a poker face had finally flinched at something he had said.

The White Star had experienced many of Cale’s fake expressions until now. Even if he
couldn’t tell through Cale’s fake expressions, he could recognize Cale’s real expressions.

Cale’s shocked expression as he flinched…

‘That’s real.’

The White Star was confident that he was right.

Cale was indeed shocked as the White Star was thinking.

‘Wait, this is a bit weird, isn’t it? How does he come to such a conclusion?’

Cale was shocked at the White Star's train of thought.

 Transmigration was correct, but he was not someone who moved from body to body
while trying to stop the White Star’s desire for world domination.

He just fell asleep while reading a book and had ended up in this world.

“Hehe. Yes, your thoughts and actions are not things that a mere eighteen or twenty
years old could do.”

‘I guess that’s true?’

He had his life as Kim Rok Soo as well.

“What do you think? Am I right?”

Cale honestly answered the White Star's question.

“No?”

“Feigning ignorance again. Pfft.”

‘Why is this bastard acting like this?’

Cale had been so shocked until now that he wasn’t even shocked anymore.
However, Cale’s expression quickly turned cold. He saw the White Star raising his right
arm. He had a bad feeling about it.

“That bastard-!”

Cale could see the fire rising from the White Star’s right palm. It looked ready to shoot
out the ceiling at any moment.

 Human! It looks like the White Star is going to destroy this underground area! He's
going to do it even though the Bear King is here!

‘Exactly!’

The dead mana smoke was poisonous for the Bear King. Cale subconsciously turned
toward Sayeru. He heard the White Star’s laughter at that moment.

“Hehe. I guess I made a mistake.”

“Aaaaaah!”

Sayeru started to scream.

The White Star mumbled in response.

“Shut the hell up.”

“Okay.”

The wind created a square wall and surrounded Sayeru. Sayeru smiled and shut up as
Cale noticed the White Star’s fire sword shooting up toward the ceiling like an arrow.

“No!”

Cale’s shout echoed through the area.

The White Star turned to face Cale.

“Why can’t I do it?”

As the White Star said that and started to smile…

“It’s not that you can't do it. It’s just that I wanted to do it first.”

“What?”

Baaaaaang!

A loud explosion filled the White Star’s ears. In this large underground city… The city's
dome-shaped ceiling… A part of that large dome had exploded.

“This is the beginning.”

Once Cale’s comment reached the White Star’s ears…

Craaaaaaack.

Cracks started to appear on the edges of the dome ceiling.

Baaaaaaaaaang-!
The fire sword then stabbed into the center of the dome ceiling, causing another large
explosion.
That was the beginning. The explosions continued.

Baaang, baaaang- baaang!

Explosions continued on the edges of the ceiling.

“Cale Henituse-!”

The White Star could see Cale who was smiling while looking at the exploding ceiling.

Then the ceiling of this abandoned underground city crumbled down.

Ancient Dragon Eruhaben was quietly standing on the walls of the Caro Kingdom's
Dubori territory while looking forward.
The soldiers could only peek at him but could not approach him. It was because he
was giving off a presence that made it hard to approach.

Shhh.

Eruhaben hair fluttered in the wind.

The wind that had been blowing from the sea to the land during the day and changed
direction from land to sea as soon as midnight passed and a new day began.

‘Eruhaben-nim.’

Dark Elf Tasha had explained to him about this sudden change in the wind when she
snuck out in the afternoon to see him.

‘The wind always blows from land to sea when the dead mana smoke is rising in the
desert.’

That was why it was rare for the dead mana smoke that started at the center of the
desert to reach the Dubori territory.

‘Furthermore, the Dark Elves also have members who use Wind Elementals and mages
to make the wind stronger in order to be careful about any potential changes.’

Eruhaben had thought that the Dark Elves were very nice when he heard that.

The Dark Elves were living underground as they were hiding from humans and other
races who tried to kill them.
But according to Tasha, they had worked hard for a long time to make sure the dead
mana smoke didn't reach the Dubori territory.
‘That is not the case. Eruhaben-nim, this is not for the Dubori territory nor the
humans. It would be bad if the secret of the desert was revealed and the Caro Kingdom
ends up finding us while investigating it. We did it because we were afraid we would
lose our home.’

Tasha was saying that it was not for the other living beings, but the fact that there were
humans living happily in the Underground City showed that the Dark Elves were
generous beings.

“Leader-nim.”

He turned his head after hearing a voice.

Shaman Gashan, the chief of the Tiger tribe, smiled while looking at Eruhaben.

Gashan could not call Eruhaben by name nor call him Dragon-nim right now, so he was
temporarily calling him leader. Eruhaben slightly bowed to the person he saw once
Gashan took a step to the side.

Crown prince Valentino was standing behind Gashan. Behind him were some of the
nearby territory lords with stronger forces.

“How dare he in front of his highness! This, that arrogant-!”

One of the territory lords in the crown prince's faction was starting to get angry at the
fact that Eruhaben's actions were rude, but Valentino waved his hand to stop him.

“Enough.”

“Your highness! But look at the way that guy greeted you! He dares-”

“Enough.”

The noble shut his mouth at Valentino's repeated response. He knew there would be
no benefit if he argued about it once more.

“I wish for all the territory lords to head down. I have something to say to him in
private.”

The territory lords looked confused at Valentino’s comment but they soon bowed and
headed down from the city wall.
Valentino, whose complexion had gotten significantly worse over a single day, looked
toward the nobles with a tired expression before turning toward Eruhaben.

“I don’t know how to address you.”

“Whatever is easiest for you is fine, sir.”

“…Sure.”

Valentino thoroughly observed the only two members of Cale’s group that were left at
this castle.

The shaman, Gashan. He treated Valentino in a very respectful and cheeky way even
though he was quite old. However, Valentino could tell that Gashan was a strong
individual through his gentle demeanor.

His large stature gave off a natural sense of pressure, but he had also seen how Gashan
had controlled the crows in the Dubori territory. Furthermore, he could not treat him
like his own subordinates after learning that he was a Tiger and expecting that he
would have extreme physical strength as well.

‘But that guy is still easier to deal with. As for this mage in front of me-!’

Valentino looked toward Eruhaben with an odd gaze.

He had seen how Gashan acted around Cale. That was how he could tell how much
Gashan respected Cale. However, that person was even more humble to this mage.

‘He is at minimum a highest-grade mage.’

That was the determination the Caro Kingdom's mages had about this mage in front
of him.
It was shocking that such a strong individual was by Cale’s side, but Valentino was
more shocked at himself.

‘Something is weird. I can’t easily handle him.’

Eruhaben had given quite a rude greeting to the crown prince of a kingdom, but
Valentino's intuition had told him to let it be.

Eruhaben had a thought on his mind as he looked at Valentino.

‘He has a pretty good intuition.’

Eruhaben had completely suppressed his Dragon Fear. Even still, this crown prince
was being wary of Eruhaben and cautiously treading around him.
Valentino was using an informal tone as he did with the others, however, he was
keeping quiet about Eruhaben's actions that could be seen as arrogant.

He also enthusiastically approached Eruhaben.

This was a human with a strong intuition.

“I will simply call you mage then.”

“Please do.”

“Okay.”

Valentino who stopped talking for a moment as if he was thinking cautiously continued
to speak.

“Have you received any communication from Commander Cale?”

Valentino who asked the question felt as if his mind would overflow with complicated
issues right now.

The Caro Kingdom had sent a declaration to all of the Western continent's kingdoms,
principalities, and free cities. It was actually more of a request for cooperation than a
declaration.
He had done it because he decided he couldn't just let things be.

Valentino recalled what the Dubori lord had said once he came back to his senses.

‘Your highness. I didn't even know I was bewitched! I swear! Do I look like someone
who is crazy enough to drag such a person into my territory? He's someone connected
to black magic!’

The scared Dubori lord begged to Valentino. Valentino, as well as the rest of the Caro
Kingdom’s political world, felt significantly concerned after seeing his reaction.

That was fear that the Northern Kingdoms… Then the Mogoru Empire… And then the
Caro Kingdom and everywhere else would all be swept away by this White Star bastard
in the future.

They also felt anger.

‘How dare he…!’

He dares to control the Caro Kingdom as he wishes?

What the White Star tried to do was not to attack the Caro Kingdom but trick it and
play with it.
That fact made Valentino even angrier.

The entire Caro Kingdom was full of anger and fear as well and they agreed that they
should do whatever is necessary to overcome this situation.

That was why the kingdom had chosen to display its power openly.

Each territory will start to gather troops starting tomorrow and the mages and knights
who were spread out had to return to the capital.

The other kingdoms that had received the declaration showed support for the Caro
Kingdom's actions. There were many who were still feeling chaotic or that the Caro
Kingdom was going overboard, but everybody agreed that they needed to do something,
whether that be big or small.

He had received a letter from the Roan Kingdom's crown prince Alberu Crossman not
too long ago.

<Let’s meet in the next three days.>

The influential people of the Western continent would gather to the Roan Palace.

‘It’s only right for the Roan Kingdom to take the lead.’

Valentino knew the strength of the Caro Kingdom. That was why he handed the reins
over to the Roan Kingdom even though they were the first to step up.
He had no complaints about it. Instead, Valentino recalled what crown prince Alberu
had added to the end of that message.

<Please take care of Cale Henituse, my sworn younger brother.>

The story about how Alberu Crossman took Choi Han as his instructor and Cale as his
sworn brother was famous throughout the Western continent.
However, something else had caught Valentino’s attention instead of those words.

Cale Henituse.

Valentino had been swept up in an indescribable emotion when he read that name.
That was why he left the strategy tent and headed up the wall. He had then asked this
mage in front of him if there was any contact from Cale.

However, the mage did not give Valentino the answer he desired.

“No, your highness. We have not received any contact from the young master-nim yet.”

Valentino bit down on his lips. He could not hold back the frustration building up
inside him and started to speak.

“…For dead mana smoke to be rising from the desert……!”

He had tried to follow the White Star who had chased after Cale into the desert.
He could make that decision because numerous troops had come to the Dubori
territory and more were on their way. However, all of the troops could only stay in the
Dubori territory after Eruhaben stopped them and informed them about the dead
mana smoke.

Of course, Cale had discussed with the Dark Elves about this in advance before
revealing the information to Valentino.
They were originally not going to reveal this information, but they had no choice
because the White Star had charged into the Dubori territory and the Caro Kingdom’s
forces were gathered there.
They couldn’t just let the Caro Kingdom’s troops in the Dubori territory charge
forward into the desert.

Tasha had laughed about this.

‘Well, that’s good. Nobody should come to the desert anymore because they are afraid
of the dead mana smoke.’

She was correct.

The nobles who were shouting loudly to kill the White Star were the first to withdraw.
Valentino looked toward the desert.

He could not see the dead mana smoke properly because of the dark night sky and the
black desert.
But he thought he could faintly make out something that looked like heat simmer.

He would have thought it was a mirage in the past, but knowing what it was made him
afraid.

That was why Valentino could not help but ask.

“Commander Cale is going to fight inside that black smoke?”

Humans will die if they absorb dead mana.

Cale should know that as well. But he was willing to place himself into that deathtrap?

“Yes, sir. The young master-nim is fighting in the desert.”

Valentino looked toward the calmly responding Eruhaben and asked again.

“The Dark Elves and necromancer are one thing, but won't Commander Cale and the
sword master be in danger if they absorb the dead mana smoke?”

“Of course.”

“…Even though young master Cale said he would be safe and that he had a way to
fight…”

Humanely speaking…
Forget his position as a crown prince; Valentino started to get emotional as he felt
thankful and sorry to Cale in a humane way.
He was sad, but he was also filled with anticipation.
He felt sad thinking about Cale who would suffer, but he was excited at a potential
future without the White Star.

‘Hmm.’

Eruhaben observed Valentino whose emotions were completely visible on his face as
he caressed his chin.
‘It’s true that Cale Henituse is suffering. That unlucky bastard is always wearing himself
out… Should I help him out?’

Eruhaben started to speak for that unlucky bastard.

“Your highness.”

“Is there something you wish to say?”

Valentino looked toward Eruhaben with curiosity as this was the first time Eruhaben
called out to him to speak. Eruhaben who received his gaze continued to speak in a
calm voice.

"There is a way for a living human to fight effectively in dead mana.”

Valentino's eyes instantly opened wide.

“What is it? What is the method? Quickly tell me!”

He wanted to head out to the desert with his knights if there was such a method.
Eruhaben looked at Valentino's eyes that clearly showed what he was thinking and
continued to speak.

“That is to spray or cover your entire body with life force.”

“…Life force?”

“Yes, sir. Life force.”

Tiger shaman Gashan flinched and looked toward Eruhaben.

The method Eruhaben was describing was a very stupid and very scary and sad
method.

‘I guess he really is a Dragon.’

Gashan thought that Eruhaben saying it as if it was nothing made him very Dragon-
like.
However, he kept his mouth shut and did not interrupt their conversation. He knew
Eruhaben must have a reason for doing this.
Valentino looked toward Eruhaben and started to speak.

“How does life force help fight against dead mana?”

“Dead mana is, as the name indicates, a dead presence. The opposite and incompatible
presence to that is a living presence, life force. That was why dead mana cannot
approach someone who is covered in life force.”

“Then what is that life force? If it is the opposite of dead mana, is it regular mana?”

“No, sir. We are talking about the opposite and incompatible force to death. It is not a
discussion of mana.”

“Then?”

Eruhaben said one word without any traces of a smile on his face.

“Blood.”

Valentino’s whole body instantly stiffened.

However, Eruhaben didn’t stop there.

"Dead blood will not work. It needs to be the blood of the living. Only that is the
opposite of death.”

Valentino felt his heart beating wildly.

He felt as if he had heard a secret he shouldn’t have heard.
He felt as if something was stabbing at his heart.

"What is the symbol of human life force? That is the blood pumping out of the beating
heart.”

‘Ah!’

“It also cannot be a small amount of blood. It needs to be a significant amount of blood.
That is why it is mentioned that a person would first die from blood loss when fighting
with such a method.”

That ‘conscience’ inside Valentino was stabbing at him.

“Anyway, the most effective way for a human to fend off dead mana is to stab his own
heart with a knife or fight with injuries all over their bodies.”

Valentino started to frown as he looked toward Eruhaben who was saying this without
any emotion.

“…No… that……”

He couldn't say anything. His mind was a mess of words but he could not say anything.
Valentino noticed the faintly appearing smile on the mage’s face. It was a sad smile.

“Isn’t it such a sad method?”

Sad.

Hearing that word made Valentino think about Cale Henituse's face.

Finally…
He finally understood the weight of fighting inside the dead mana smoke.

He had no way of knowing whether Commander Cale would fight while being covered
in blood or use a different method. However, dead mana was extremely dangerous and
poisonous to people and he could feel that fighting an enemy in such conditions was
terrible.

Valentino who was holding onto the railing let go. His hand was shaking.

Step.

Valentino took a step away from the railing.

‘He’s stepping back.’

Eruhaben looked at him with a stoic expression.

Valentino had subconsciously stepped back after hearing Eruhaben’s story even
though he was full of admiration for Cale. It was an instinctual fear.
However, he needed to feel the scolding of his conscience the moment he realized what
he had done.

Eruhaben looked around.

The nearby soldiers and the nobles who had been eavesdropping on their conversation…
He saw all of them taking a step back.
Eruhaben looked toward them and started to think.

‘Now there should be fewer people who try to enter the desert.’

The chances of the Dark Elves’ Underground City being discovered should go down.
But more than that…

‘They should understand at least a little bit about how hard it is for Cale.’

There were many who said that Cale was a hero…

Many who said that he was amazing.
However, how many of them knew the details of the path he was walking?

‘It’s not just Choi Han.’

Choi Han, Mary, the children…

Many of them were fighting against the White Star in the face of death.
Eruhaben thought that people should at least know a bit of that weight.

‘The Caro Kingdom should give that unlucky bastard at least something now.’

The Caro Kingdom would give something to Cale for his suffering. They would
probably give him a lot of material goods as he hates fame and power.
Of course, Eruhaben had not said these things because he wanted them to give Cale a
reward or understand his suffering.

‘…I don’t have much time.’

He didn't have much time left.

The White Star should be gone before his time was up, but he had no way of knowing
how the world would be after he died.

That was why he was letting people know in advance.

Do you understand how hard it is to do what Cale is doing?

If you feel sorry and thankful, stop making him do things.
He, that punk, has earned the right to rest and live a happy life.
So, don't push the difficult tasks to him in the future because he is a so-called, ‘hero.’

Don't use his kindness to your advantage.

This was the reason Eruhaben had spoken loud enough for Valentino, as well as the
nearby nobles and soldiers, to hear.
Things like this were bound to spread quickly.

‘I guess I am a selfish Dragon in the end.’

Eruhaben sighed internally thinking that he too was selfish for only thinking about his
children.
However, his expression quickly stiffened.
Boooooooom!

The ground started to shake.

“Aaaaaah!”

“What, what is it?”

The shocked nobles grabbed onto the railing.

“W, what is that?”

A scared Valentino pointed toward the desert as he looked at Eruhaben.

Eruhaben who was already looking in that direction started to frown.

Boooooooom! Boooom!

The ground rumbled a few more times. A loud noise could be heard in the distance.

And then, at the center of the desert… There was a black whirlwind roaring there.

It was so large and black that everybody could see it.

The whirlwind seemed to shoot up to pierce through the sky.

Eruhaben started to float.

“W, where are you going? W, what about us?”

One of the nobles who noticed Eruhaben floating urgently asked while Eruhaben
ignored him and started to speak to Valentino.

“I will go up to take a better look, sir.”

“S sure.”

Eruhaben left Valentino in Gashan's care as he shot into the air. His gaze was focused
on the black whirlwind… On the center of the desert.

That was where the fake underground city was located.

 2

Boooom! Boom!

Boulders started to fall into the underground city as the ceiling crumbled.

“Aaaaaah!”

"Dodge them! Stop blanking out and dodge!”

“My liege!”

The Lions and the rest of the White Star’s subordinates were dodging or destroying
the boulders without knowing what to do. It was not that they were afraid of the
crumbling underground city.
They were afraid of the dead mana smoke that would soon fill the area.

There was already a small amount of dead mana smoke coming in through the crumbling
ceiling.

However, their liege did not even look toward them.

"Are you going to run?”

Cale looked toward the White Star in disbelief. Next to the White Star was Sayeru, who
was surrounded by the wind walls, as well as the black mages who had been up above
ground.

“Isn’t that losing too much face?”

Cale mocked him while the White Star calmly responded.

“I don’t think you have any right to say that as you retreat into a teleportation magic
circle.”

Cale had started to head toward the center of the city as soon as the ceiling started to
crumble.

Ooooooooooong-
 Furthermore, Cale’s body was already wrapped in a teleportation magic circle. He was
not the only one.
Teleportation magic circles were activated throughout the city to teleport everyone.

Cale shrugged his shoulders.

“I know, right? Originally, one of us was supposed to die here.”

Cale would have moved according to the original plan if the White Star had not
realized that this place was fake.
That was because the White Star would have fought against Cale with bloodshot eyes
to find the earth attribute ancient power. However, the White Star seemed to have no
intention of fighting against him right now.
He didn't try to stop Cale nor the others who were trying to escape.

So, Cale had no reason to fight against the White Star with this dead mana smoke here
now that his plan had become completely messed up.

 Human! Let’s hurry! I teleported everyone else! The dead mana smoke will reach here
soon!

The center of the underground city was slightly lower than the entrance.
That was why Cale had moved away from the White Star who was near the entrance.

“Aaaah!”

“Run away inside!”

The White Star's subordinates started to run toward where Cale was to avoid the dead
mana smoke.

 Human! Let’s go!

Everybody except Cale and Raon had teleported on Cale’s side.

However, Cale had not left yet.

"Why aren’t you leaving?”

The White Star asked and Cale shrugged his shoulders.

“I was planning on leaving right now.”

Cale said that and gave Raon the signal.

Paaaat!

A bright light surrounded his body.

Cale recalled the last thing he had seen as he teleported.

‘The dead mana smoke seeped into his body.’

The reason that Cale had stayed there until the very last moment.
He had seen the dead mana smoke touching the White Star.

That black smoke had seeped into the White Star's body as soon as it touched him.
The black smoke disappeared into the White Star’s skin without a trace like metal
scraps sticking to a magnet.

‘…I need to look into it.’

He really needed to look into the relationship between the White Star and dead mana
now.
He felt as if he needed to do that to resolve all questions and completely get rid of the
White Star name that had continued on since ancient times.
Most importantly…

‘The Gate to the Demon World.’

He felt iffy about that gate.

Bright light covered Cale's eyes.

Paaaat-!

Nothing was left where he had been standing.

A black mage approached the White Star who was staring at the empty spot.

“My liege, we will teleport now.”

The White Star raised his hand at the black mage’s comment.
“Hold on.”

The White Star stretched his hand. The dead mana smoke gathered toward him and
created a large black whirlwind.

That smoke slowly disappeared into the White Star.

The black mage looked on as if this was marvelous. He didn’t even look at the Lions
and the few Arm members who had absorbed dead mana and died.

He also clicked his tongue as if he was disappointed.

‘I didn't even get a small amount of the dead mana smoke.’

The dead mana smoke that had been around the White Star was completely absorbed
by him.
The black mage was disappointed that there was no more black mana smoke for him
to absorb while Sayeru finally breathed out in relief and leaned on the wind wall.

“Sayeru.”

“What is it?”

“…It looks like I need to visit the Gate to the Demon World.”

Sayeru’s face stiffened up and he started to speak toward the White Star who was
absorbing the dead mana smoke.

“Why?”

“Cale Henituse. I think I need to ask about that bastard’s identity.”

The White Star responded calmly but Sayeru’s eyes were shaking.
There were not many questions they needed to go to the Gate to the Demon World to
ask.

“…Do you think, Cale Henituse, he…? No way, right?”

Sayeru asked with concern while the White Star didn't respond to him and said
something else.
“I need to confirm whether he is a bastard the other side prepared.”

“Nah, no way.”

“…Furthermore, I might not be the only one who has received a power from another
world.”

Sayeru who was shaking his head shut up after hearing the last thing the White Star
mumbled.

The ancient White Star.

The existence that suddenly appeared and almost ruled the entire world.
Only the White Star, Sayeru, and Dorph knew about his secret.

Sayeru bit down on his lips.

If the White Star’s suspicions were correct, then Cale Henituse was someone extremely
dangerous to them and an enemy they must get rid of.

The White Star stopped absorbing the dead mana and ordered the subordinates.

“Let’s go.”

“You’re not going to absorb all of it?”

The White Star raised his head. He could feel the dead mana smoke that his whirlwind
had not reached yet being pushed out toward the sea.
It was because of the wind.

Mana was causing a strong wind to prevent the White Star from absorbing the dead
mana smoke.

“The ancient Dragon has made his move. It's more urgent to look into Cale Henituse
than to absorb this tiny amount of dead mana smoke.”

The amount in the desert was minuscule for him anyway.

The White Star needed to look into this more important thing first.

The White Star, Sayeru, the black mages, and the remaining subordinates who were
still alive soon left and the underground city became silent.
 Chhhhhhhhhh.

A couple of video communication devices rolled around the bodies of tiny skeleton
monsters.

Those tiny skeleton monsters then headed toward ancient Dragon Eruhaben as their
master, the necromancer, ordered.

 Goldie gramps! The human says to grab the video communication devices and come
with the White Tiger!

Eruhaben nodded his head at the little kid’s message.

 Your highness! There was a large explosion in the desert!

“What?”

Alberu subconsciously jumped up from his seat.

He was not the only one. Everyone in the meeting room could not hide their shock.

The Captain of the Kingdom's Knight Brigade walked up to Alberu and asked for
permission before raising his voice toward the video communication device.

"What do you mean, an explosion in the desert?! No, how did something like that
suddenly happen?”

The person being questioned was the diplomat who had gone to deliver Alberu’s letter
to crown prince Valentino and was currently in the Caro Kingdom's Dubori territory.

 That! One moment please!

The area around the diplomat holding the video communication device was completely
chaotic.

 Move!

 Everybody quickly gather in the meeting room!

 Hurry up! Gather at the castle wall! Get the mages in formation as well!

They could hear people shouting and running around as the diplomat moved to a
quieter location.

‘It’s an urgent situation!’

The chief executives of the Roan Kingdom who were watching could tell that things
 were extremely serious at the Dubori territory right now. The Knight Captain could
not handle it anymore and started to speak.

"Just report in first!”

The people here had heard from crown prince Alberu that the White Star might strike
the Roan Kingdom after hitting the Caro Kingdom.
That was why they were extremely anxious right now.

 Yes sir, I understand!

The diplomat stopped in place and started to report in.

 The ground suddenly started to shake a moment ago before there was a loud noise
that came from a large explosion in the desert!

The Knight Captain peeked toward Alberu at that moment.

He finally recalled something he had forgotten about because of this unexpected news.

Cale Henituse.

He was thinking about the crown prince’s sworn brother. Alberu who didn't show
much care for his own family had shown such love and pride for this sworn brother of
his.
That person was also the Roan Kingdom's treasure that would shine even brighter in
the future.

Wasn’t that person fighting in the desert just now? Furthermore, that desert was
covered in dead mana smoke.

The Knight Captain and the other chief executives stiffened up as they observed Alberu.
The diplomat continued to report as they did that.

 The dead mana smoke had turned into a large whirlwind, but that whirlwind is slowly
disappearing! However, according to the mage who was with young master Cale-nim…!

Alberu twitched and started to listen carefully.

The mage the diplomat was talking about right now should be Eruhaben.

The ancient Dragon’s words would be more accurate than anything else.
 Alberu waited for what the diplomat would say next as calmly as possible. The diplomat
continued at that moment.

 …Apparently the foundation near the center of the desert has crumbled! The size was
about the size of a mid-sized city, a, and-

The diplomat hesitated without being able to continue.

“Why are you stopping in the middle?! Hurry up and tell us!”

The person in charge of the Roan Kingdom’s diplomacy started to raise his voice. The
diplomat finally continued in a shaking voice.

 …He said that h, he could not feel any living presence in the desert, including the
enemy White Star's group.

Silence filled the room for a moment.

 H, however. He said he found some corpses that he couldn't tell whether they were
crushed by the crumbling foundation or by the dead mana smoke.

“N, no-”

The person who had just raised his voice could not say anything.

Some people were dead.

But they could not confirm who these people were.

That fact alone put a terrible thought on his mind.

‘What if someone from our side has died?’

‘What if young master Cale or one of his group members was injured?’

Nobody dared to open their mouths. They could only look toward the diplomat who
was biting down on his dry lips with concern and anxiety.
It was at that moment.

“Huuuuuu.”
 They heard a light sigh.

“Everybody calm down and sit back down.”

Alberu Crossman calmly started to speak and sat back down in his seat. He looked
very calm and collected that they wondered if he had even been shocked just now.

“…Your highness-”

"Sit.”

The Knight Captain who was about to speak sat down after hearing Alberu sternly give
the order again. He then looked toward Alberu’s face.
The diplomat who watched all this carefully started to speak again.

 Ahem. That, your highness.

“Speak.”

The diplomat gulped after seeing Alberu smile majestically.

‘Yes, his highness has always been like this. He's able to quickly overcome anything
and act as he normally does.’

The diplomat who found that to be both scary but reliable continued in a slightly
calmer voice.

 He said that the dead mana smoke would continue for at least two to three more days.
He believes we can only enter the desert after all of the smoke is gone and they are
expected to investigate the destroyed area at that time.

“There are people willing to do that?”

The comments Alberu made extremely stoically shocked the diplomat and made him
look around.
Thankfully, nobody was there. Of course, Alberu had checked to make sure nobody
else was there before saying that.

The diplomat continued in a less confident voice.

 …Won’t the Caro Kingdom pick the search team?

However, he had no confidence in his words.

‘Fear.’

The soldiers had fallen into a state of panic as soon as they saw the black mana smoke
whirlwind. It was obvious why this was the case. Dead mana smoke was something
that would make you die a painful death if you even breathed it in.

However, even if this dead mana smoke disappears, the people who saw this as well
as the explosion would not easily volunteer for the investigation.
The nobles had already escaped saying they were scared.

‘…If you think about it cold-heartedly, the people inside the desert are not the Caro
Kingdom's citizens.’

They were still foreigners even if they had come to save the Caro Kingdom. The chance
that they would not investigate thoroughly even though they were thankful was high
because the potentially dead people were the Roan Kingdom’s citizens.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Alberu tapped on the armrest instead of responding.

“…Your highness.”

The Knight Captain called out to Alberu and had to make eye contact with him.
Alberu looked like a gentle crown prince when he smiled, but he was extremely hard
to approach in front of the chief executives around whom he never smiled.

“Knight Captain.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Send the Captain of the First Knights Brigade and a few knights to the Caro Kingdom's
Dubori territory.”

The diplomat who had been listening flinched and quickly started to speak.
 Your highness! This is a very dangerous place! Of course, I know that the Roan Kingdom's
citizens, that the Roan Kingdom’s heroes are in the desert, but still…!

Many emotions clashed in the diplomat's mind as he said that.

One was admiration toward the crown prince. The sight of the crown prince dispatching
the knights for the safety of the Roan Kingdom's citizens was something that made
him teary as a fellow citizen.

The other emotion was concern. He had to share his thoughts with the crown prince
even if that was stepping out of the line.

 The investigation is dangerous! I believe we should pressure the Caro Kingdom to take
responsibility to pay us back for our good graces!

He was worried about the Roan Kingdom's heroes as well. However, he feared more
people being sacrificed.
To be more specific, he wanted the Roan Kingdom to take the less dangerous road in
this dangerous situation.

 I will pressure the Caro Kingdom and investigate along with them! I don’t think sending
the knights is the right thing to do when we might be heading into a war!

Many different emotions made the diplomat start to frown.

He noticed a smile appear on Alberu’s face at that moment.
It was his gentle smile that he was famous for.

“By the way, is it okay for you to say something like that out loud over there?”

 Ah!

The diplomat looked around and tried to hide his head like a turtle. Thankfully, nobody
seemed to have heard him. He sighed in relief before looking back at the video
communication device after hearing Alberu’s gentle voice.

“Don't worry. We need to go since they are the Roan Kingdom’s citizens. Just sit back
and wait for the palace to contact you.”

 …Your highness.

The diplomat could only keep his mouth shut after hearing the crown prince's decision
 to move to save the Roan Kingdom’s citizens.
The crown prince continued to gently speak to him.

“I'm going to hang up now as we need to discuss this situation. Contact me right away
if there are any new urgent information.”

 Yes, your highness! I will stay alert and keep myself informed of the situation!

“Okay.”

The diplomat watched as the gently smiling crown prince disappeared from the video
communication device screen.

And then, once the video communication device completely turned off…
The meeting room Alberu was in became silent.

The chief executives looked toward Alberu’s gentle smile that was slowly disappearing
along with anxious hearts.

‘There’s definitely something.’

They did not trust everything Alberu had said toward the diplomat.
Most people were used to the majestic crown prince, but the chief executives here, the
crown prince's trusted subordinates, were used to his cold expressions.

“Your highness.”

The capital's lead administrator who had been quiet started to speak.

“I know you are the type of person who would dispatch the knights for the Roan
Kingdom's citizens, however… I also know that you are not someone who would send
the knights who are also Roan Kingdom's citizens into such a dangerous place.”

That made the other administrators, knights, and generals agree in silence.

Smirk.

The crown prince started to smirk at that moment.

“The Land of Death is something that is not very important to the Caro Kingdom. In
fact, it will probably become something they want to completely avoid from now on.”

The chief executives nodded their heads in agreement.

The Caro Kingdom had always avoided the Land of Death. However, this incident
would make people stay away from it even more.
How could they not after hearing that dead mana smoke started to rise at random
intervals throughout the year? They would avoid it because they didn't want to die.

The crown prince had an image on his mind as he thought about this fact.

“It will turn into a land they want to get rid of from a land that is useless to them.”

Land they want to get rid of.

An administrator from the finance side raised his head and looked toward Alberu.

“…Your highness! Are you thinking about-?”

He stopped for a moment before cautiously continuing to speak.

He couldn't help but whisper even though the meeting room was protected with
soundproof barrier magic and nobody could hear from outside.

“Your highness, are you trying to acquire the Land of Death?”

They had worked with Alberu for a long time already.

They could predict his thoughts.
It was at that moment.

“The Dark Elves and the necromancer will find the Land of Death to be a great place.”

Alberu’s voice seeped into the chief executives’ ears.

“And the Dark Elves and necromancer are Roan Kingdom's citizens and our strong
allies. They are part of the Roan Kingdom's strength.”

The chief executives were aware of this after the last war as well.

“Shouldn’t our Roan Kingdom provide land for them to live on?”

Silence, instead of affirmation, filled the room again.

‘The crown prince-nim truly is thinking about taking another step forward at all times.’

They trusted Alberu a lot because he always thought about a brighter future for the
kingdom while protecting the citizens.
The Knight Captain started to speak.

“I will immediately gather the team to dispatch to the Dubori territory.”

“Captain-nim.”

The administrator in charge of diplomacy started to speak.

“Please don't start the investigation right away; first stay at the Dubori territory and
tell them that the Roan Kingdom will do what the Caro Kingdom is wary of doing. We
will make them feel indebted to us. Ah! We will send some people from our side to do
that. That should be better, right, your highness?”

Alberu smiled instead of responding and the other administrators started to chime in
as well.

“Anyway, these things related to former commander Cale have become much larger
than what we have originally discussed with the Caro Kingdom. In the end, young
master Cale had to work hard and suffer.”

“That’s right. Young master Cale should receive a reward as well, but we must peck at
them that the Roan Kingdom should receive a reward as well. We need to rake in
everything we can!”

The capital’s administrator stealthily added on.

“And then we will slowly control it to make the Land of Death ours.”

The other administrators blinked as if they all knew that was the plan without needing
to be told.
Alberu Crossman. One of the things his trusted subordinates did the best was
controlling public opinion.

The administrators didn't feel bad for taking this land away because the Caro
Kingdom's citizens hated the desert and nobody lived there.
Furthermore, the Caro Kingdom might welcome that they wanted to take this useless
land away instead of asking for a different reward.

“The Caro Kingdom was the first to declare war. As such, they will need to spend a lot
of money. They would probably prefer to hand the Land of Death over than to give us
money.”

The Commander nodded his head.

“It’s better for us who need it to take it and offer it to the Dark Elves and the necromancer.”

He then cautiously asked Alberu a question.

“Your highness. Then the investigation……?”

“We will dispatch some Dark Elves soon while the knights buy us time.”

“Hooo! You must be planning on having them use the investigation as justification to
keep staying there! That’s right. The most important thing is that the Roan Kingdom's
citizens can freely cross that land that has no Caro Kingdom's citizens!”

The Commander showed an exaggerated response before smiling at the fact that
Alberu was not putting any knights in danger.

“If the Caro Kingdom is not willing to give us the land, we must at least ask to use that
land for a long period of time.”

“No! If they don’t want to give that land to us, we can ask the Caro Kingdom to pay the
price for the Dark Elf-nims protecting them from the dead mana smoke! That way we
can let the Dark Elf-nims live peacefully on that land.”

“That sounds good too.”

The administrators exchanged ideas as they quickly came up with a plan.

Alberu who watched all of this from a step away closed his eyes for a moment.
His fists under the table were clenched.

He had a dream.
He dreamt of a world where the Dark Elves could live freely.
He dreamt of finding land for them to live on.

Coincidentally, there happened to be an opportunity.

It was an opportunity for the Roan Kingdom’s citizens to openly step on the Caro
Kingdom's Land of Death.
Of course, those Roan Kingdom’s citizens were the Dark Elves.

It was much better in the Roan Kingdom, but the Dark Elves were still despised and
scorned by most of the Western continent.
For Alberu who had to live his whole life hiding the fact that the Dark Elf blood flowed
through him, he dreamt of a world where people like him did not need to hide a part
of their identity anymore.

‘The Underground City will remain a secret forever.’

The Caro Kingdom might provoke them or be greedy for it if they knew.
Alberu was disappointed that they could not openly show off the Underground City.

‘In return, the land above the Underground City… The desert… I will give that to the
Dark Elves and the necromancer.’

Shouldn’t they receive rewards for working harder than anybody else for the Roan
Kingdom?
Alberu’s eyes that were open once again were sparkling.

‘The chance of the Underground City remaining a secret from the world will become
higher once the Land of Death becomes the Roan Kingdom's territory.’

Of course, earning that territory will be difficult.

The Caro Kingdom in the west and the Roan Kingdom in the east were quite far from
each other. However, it was worth trying.
It would be great if it could be accomplished.

‘The Dark Elves will be able to walk freely above ground and the people of the
Underground City can be accepted as the Roan Kingdom’s citizens as well.’

The people who ran away from the Dubori territory and continued their lives in the
Underground City.
The people who could never leave the Underground City may get a chance to roam the
Roan Kingdom’s territory above ground as well.

Of course, Alberu was thinking about taking them in as citizens partially because he
felt sorry for them, but there was another reason as well.

It was something that came up when he was chatting with Cale about how to smack
the White Star from behind at the land of the Whale tribe. Cale had said something to
Alberu who had brought Tasha up.

‘Your highness. The education style of the people in the Underground City was really
good.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Anybody who wants to learn can learn and anybody can freely test for a government
position. There are many topic-specific experts as well. Each of them is talented in
their field. A chance to learn is open for everyone.’

Alberu had looked into his mother’s hometown a little more thoroughly after that. He
got the chills the more he learned.
It felt as if he had found something he had been looking for.

The image was drawn in his head.

The free city that would soon be created for alchemy and magic.
The Underground City with their own way of life created from the cohabitation of
humans and Dark Elves.

Alberu drew the future of the Roan Kingdom through these two places.

New opportunities known as the Alchemy Tower and the Magic Tower would soon
appear, and there were a lot of things to learn from the Underground City as well.
He would dedicate his life to mold all of those things together into a wonderful picture.

The White Star.

The Roan Kingdom will be busy even after their war with that bastard.
Each day might be more difficult than fighting against him. He himself might be in
pain.
Troubles were bound to come with changes.
However, he needed to move for a more developed and for the shining Roan Kingdom.

“Your highness.”

He turned his head toward the administrator who was calling for him. The administrator
cautiously started to speak.
All of the administrators were looking at him.

“Is it okay not to start the investigation right away? Young master Cale and his group
should be okay, right?”

They finally addressed the elephant in the room.

“If-”

“It’s fine.”

The administrator could not say anything even though he was cut off and looked
toward Alberu.

Smirk.

The corners of Alberu’s lips twisted up.

He had jumped up in shock after hearing the news.

He had quickly calmed down after that.

‘Eruhaben-nim is staying at the castle.’

The diplomat did not say that Cale’s mage had left.
Eruhaben would have left or flipped the desert over if something had happened to
Cale.

‘The fact that he didn't do that-’

It was at that moment.

Knock knock knock-

Someone urgently knocked on the door and Alberu had to stop his thought.
 “Your highness, your highness!”

He heard an urgent voice from the other side of the door and a few shocked
administrators got up and tried to head to the door.”

“It’s fine. I’ll go.”

Alberu had them sit down and headed to the door himself.

Click.

He opened the door and saw a shocked and urgent look on the servant's face.

“Your highness, right now-!”

Alberu cut the servant off and gave him an order.

“Lead the way.”

Alberu leisurely started to walk. He checked his appearance and had the servant bring
a basket of cookies as well.
He then opened the door into his bedroom.

Slam!

The door slammed open and Alberu started to speak with a majestic smile on his face.

“People might think this is your house and not my bedroom.”

Cale Henituse who was lying on the couch sat up and kind of bowed.

 Sorry, crown prince! This is your house and not our house! I had to set the coordinates
quickly, so I accidentally set it for here instead of the royal garden!

Alberu’s smile became even brighter after hearing the great and mighty but cute
Dragon’s words in his mind.
He put the cookie basket on the table and leisurely looked toward Cale.

“You look more relaxed than last time, your highness.”

“Of course. My dear dongsaeng, your hyung is not someone who is easily shocked.”

Alberu who was gently responding to Cale could hear Cale’s response.

“That, it looks like the White Star will soon invade the Roan Kingdom.”

“…Damn it.”

Alberu instantly started to frown.

“You're driving me nuts.”

Cale who heard Alberu’s mumbling smiled awkwardly.

Alberu immediately sat down across from Cale and started to speak.

“Didn't you say that there was almost no chance that the White Star would come to
the Roan Kingdom?”

Of course, Alberu had prepared for the worst and was planning extra defensive measures
in case the White Star showed up.
However, the question he wanted to ask right now was not whether or not the White
Star was coming.

“Cale Henituse. What the hell happened in there?”

The large explosion in the desert…

And Cale’s group who looked dirty but looked fine while sitting in his bedroom…
And finally, the disappeared White Star.
He was curious about the story behind all of this.

“You see…”

Cale debated how to explain this. However, Cale scratched his head and started to
speak as this was something he needed to explain to Alberu.

“First of all, I will explain it exactly as it is, your highness.”

Alberu nodded his head while looking at Cale's slightly awkward but stern demeanor.
He then looked around at the others.

His Aunt Tasha and the Dark Elves must have gone somewhere as they were not there.
Based on how calm Cale was, they must just be elsewhere and not injured.

‘Choi Han is fine, the person called Beacrox is fine, the children and the necromancer
seem fine too.’
 All of them looked to be okay.

‘But why do they all have such expressions on their faces?’

Everybody around Cale had weird expressions.

It was a hard to explain expression that showed neither the sorrows of defeat nor the
joy of victory. Only the red Kitten was eating a cookie while wagging his tail.

 Hey crown prince, this is delicious!

He couldn't see him, but the great, mighty, and cute Dragon seemed fine as well.
Alberu felt the odd vibe in the room and looked toward Cale.

“Your highness.”

“……Yes.”

Alberu became nervous after seeing the grim expression on Cale’s face.

“Speak freely.”

“…My original plan was similar to the plan I mentioned to you earlier. We were going
to make the White Star mistake the ‘Fake Underground City’ that the Dark Elves
created to be where the earth attribute ancient power was located.”

Cale was planning on dragging the White Star to the fake Underground City and act
out a scene where he took the earth attribute power in front of the White Star’s eyes.

Cale had already taken the earth attribute ancient power from the Roan Kingdom, but
he was going to act this out so that the White Star would have no reason to invade the
Roan Kingdom's northwest region to find it.

Of course, that was not the only thing they had planned.

“At the same time, we were planning on harming the White Star and a portion of his
forces even if we had to destroy that underground area.”

Alberu already knew about this as well.

“And?”
He asked Cale and soon received a response.

“…I failed.”

Alberu was silent for a few seconds after seeing the sad look on Cale’s face before
quickly responding.

“It's fine. You can’t always be successful.”

Alberu frowned a bit after seeing Cale not saying anything in response. Cale brushed
his face with both hands.
Alberu had never seen Cale like this before. He did not like seeing the usually pompous
and calm bastard acting like this.

“Everything you have done until now has been amazing already. And it’s fine as long
as all of you made it back alive. You remember what I said, right? I told you to come
back to the Roan Kingdom if it doesn’t look like it will work out.”

“…I remember it.”

Cale responded that he remembered with a serious look on his face before shutting
his mouth again.
That made Alberu remember that this punk had just become an adult.

‘A punk who has always succeeded probably feels frustrated and angry after failing
like this.’

He finally realized that the odd vibe in the room was because the others were wary of
Cale's current emotions.
Alberu then remembered something and started to speak.

“But by the reports I received, I heard there were dead bodies found in the desert.”

“They are from the White Star’s side.”

“Really? It doesn’t look like you failed completely.”

Alberu exaggerated a little bit more trying to console the serious Cale.

“If some people from the White Star's side died, doesn't that mean you damaged the
White Star's forces as you intended? That’s enough.”

“That is not the problem.”

‘Hmm?’

Alberu stopped consoling Cale after seeing him sternly shake his head.

‘There’s a different issue?’

“Your highness.”

“Yes. Speak freely without worrying about formalities. Call me hyung too.”

He continued to treat him gently.

However, Cale quickly started to say what he needed to say as if he didn't hear that
gentle tone at all.
Alberu had no choice but to realize that the odd vibe in the room was not because of
what he had thought earlier.

“I… Couldn’t trick the White Star at all.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Didn’t I mention that there was something I had originally planned?”

“Yes?”

Cale could not understand what just happened with the White Star no matter how
many times he thought about it.

“But you see… The White Star realized almost immediately that the Underground City
was fake.”

Alberu’s expression stiffened.

“…Does that mean your entire plan became useless?”

“Yes, sir. That is why the White Star will come to the Roan Kingdom's northwest region
since he knows that the Land of Death does not have the power he was looking for.”
“Ah.”

Alberu finally understood the situation.

"That was why you said the White Star would soon invade the Roan Kingdom.”

“Yes, sir. That’s right. But you see…”

“Yes?”

‘He has more to say?’

Alberu wanted to quickly plan more things to prepare for the White Star's invasion,
but he needed to hear what Cale had to say first.
He waited for Cale's next words with a serious mindset. Cale soon continued to speak.

“I did manage to trick him.”

‘Hmm?’

“…What do you mean?”

Alberu was so confused he might have had question marks written all over his face.

“No, your highness. To be more accurate, I didn’t trick him.”

Cale still could not believe it.

“That White Star bastard tricked himself.”

“Hmm?”

“I didn't do anything.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Alberu slowly started to frown at this hard to understand situation.

"So, basically… Cale, you are saying that you had no intention of tricking him and didn't
 do anything to trick him, but the White Star somehow tricked himself?”

“That’s right. That’s absolutely correct, your highness. You truly are the wise star of
the Roan Kingdom.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Alberu was slowly starting to get annoyed.

“What is it? How did the White Star trick himself?”

He felt the atmosphere in the room turn odd again as he asked that.
Cale, Choi Han, Beacrox, On, and even the bright Hong all looked iffy.

 Hey crown prince, I think the White Star has gone crazy.

Even the cute Dragon was saying such things.

 But crown prince! Why do the corners of your lips twitch every time I talk to you?

“Ahem.”

Alberu quickly fixed his expression after the cute but also great and mighty Dragon
asked that question.
However, that expression quickly crumbled.

“Your highness, the White Star… He thinks that I am a transmigrator who has possessed
multiple bodies for hundreds of years to chase behind him. He thinks I am only
appearing in front of him now to stop him after preparing for hundreds of years.”

Blink, blink.

Alberu’s long eyelashes fluttered twice.

He then opened his mouth to speak.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

He could not understand what Cale had just said. He then slowly repeated the things
he had heard.
“So, the White Star thinks you are someone who has possessed body after body for
hundreds of yea-, he thinks you are trying to kill him or something?”

“Yes, sir. He played the drums and clapped on his own before coming to that conclusion.”

“Ho!”

Alberu gasped.

“W, what kind of stupid idiot-”

He stopped the words he was about to subconsciously say about the White Star and
closed his mouth. Alberu finally realized the reason for the iffy expressions on Choi
Han, Beacrox, On, and Hong’s faces.
Alberu’s expression became like theirs as well.
He looked at Cale up and down before starting to speak again. He still sounded full of
disbelief.

“…You… that, don’t look like, you have… transmigrated through different bodies for
hundreds of years though?”

‘You? Did the White Star really have such stupid thoughts after looking at you?’

That was what Alberu's expression was saying.

Cale oddly felt bad while looking at that expression.

‘What's wrong with me?’

He couldn’t understand how the White Star could make such a mistake, but seeing this
kind of reaction upset him as well.
However, he needed to accept the things he needed to accept. He needed to know how
to calmly assess himself in order to not have such mistaken thoughts as the White Star.
Cale coolly started to speak.

“Right, sir? I just come off as a slacker who has nothing to do.”

‘That’s not it either… ’

Alberu held back the retort that he was about to blurt out. Anybody could tell that he
was not a slacker with nothing to do, and he pitied this busy bastard who talked about
being a slacker whenever he had a moment to spare.

‘I'll definitely let him be a slacker in the future.’

He felt like he needed to show Cale a taste of the slacker life because he felt sorry for him.
Alberu confirmed his thoughts about his pitiful sworn brother’s dreams and started
to speak.

“…You're not, right?”

He asked just in case.

‘Honestly speaking, it kind of makes sense why the White Star would make such a
mistake.’

Cale had accomplished too many large accomplishments for them to be coincidences.
However, Alberu knew a side to Cale that the White Star did not know.

‘If he is someone who has possessed different bodies to stop the White Star… Would
he keep people he cherishes by his side?’

The number of people around Cale was slowing growing.

Cale Henituse was someone who would not hesitate to put his life on the line to protect
them.

Cale was too affectionate and trying too hard to make this life as peaceful as possible
for someone who has possessed different bodies for hundreds of years with the
singular goal of defeating the White Star.

He was someone who gathered as much money as possible for his future goal of being
a slacker.

‘And who cares if he is a transmigrator?’

Honestly speaking, Alberu Crossman cherished the current Cale Henituse and not the
Cale Henituse from two years ago who was famous for being trash.
If the body possession part was true, then it would be very sad for Duke Henituse's
household but not for Alberu.
It might seem cold, but those were Alberu’s honest thoughts.
Alberu quietly waited for Cale's response.

“Your highness.”

“Yes.”

Cale started to speak toward Alberu who had asked, ‘You're not, right?’

“…You’re not perhaps believing the White Star’s bizarre misunderstanding, are you?”

‘Your highness, are you believing that unbelievable nonsense?’

That was what Cale’s gaze was saying and Alberu started to frown at that disrespectful
and cheeky gaze.

“No. Not at all.”

“Right?”

Cale started to smile.

However, he really wanted to calmly look around.

‘There’s no reason for everyone to know the truth.’

The only thing the White Star had gotten right was the transmigrator part, but Cale had
no plan to share that information with anyone other than Raon and Choi Han.

‘The truth isn't necessarily the best response.’

Cale looked toward the Dragon half-blood who was sitting away in a corner. However,
he soon had to turn his gaze.

“So, what do you plan to do from here?”

Alberu watched Cale take out multiple video communication devices instead of
responding to his question.

“These are the video communication devices that Eruhaben-nim sent over a moment
ago.”
 Eruhaben said he would stay in the Dubori territory just in case as he delivered the
video communication and recording devices via magic to Cale.

“Based on the contents on the devices, it looks like the White Star has returned to the
Eastern continent for the time being.”

“I'm relieved. He’s not headed for the Roan Kingdom right away.”

“Yes, sir. But you see…”

‘There’s another but?’

Cale confirmed that the bedroom door was closed and asked Raon to turn on one of
the recording devices as Alberu started to frown.

“Please take a look.”

Ooooooong-

A screen appeared above the recording device with a quiet noise and the White Star’s
conversation with Sayeru appeared in front of Alberu.

 …It looks like I need to visit the Gate to the Demon World.

 …Someone the other side has prepared…

 Furthermore, I might not be the only one who has received a power from another
world…

The White Star and Sayeru’s conversation continued through the loud noises of the
crumbling Underground City, stiffening Alberu’s face the more he heard.

 …It's more urgent to investigate Cale Henituse than to absorb this tiny amount of dead
mana smoke.

Alberu looked toward Cale with a stiff expression once the White Star finished
speaking and the screen became quiet.

“…Cale Henituse, why are they bringing up the Gate to the Demon World and what is
the, ‘other side,’ they are talking about?’
Cale started to smile.
He knew the smart Alberu would figure out the important parts right away.

“Your highness. I need information on the Gate to the Demon World. Especially ancient
documents. Oh, and a few Dark Elves are heading north right now.”

“…North.”

“Yes, sir. The oldest living sage is there.”

The sage who has lived the longest amount of time.

That was the World Tree.

Cale had needed to go meet with the World Tree anyway.

He had asked Tasha to go to the Elf Village with the World Tree and deliver his message
to the World Tree before he could go there.
Although Dark Elves and Elves did not get along, they should treat the Dark Elves well
because Cale had sent them.

Alberu made sure he remembered Cale’s words as he gulped.

‘The other side.’

‘The other side,’ that the White Star had mentioned as he brought up the Gate to the
Demon World.
Those words made him think about something he didn’t want to imagine.

‘…There’s no way, right?’

He heard Cale’s voice at that moment.

“Your highness.”

“What is it?”

“Does the Crossman Royal family have ancient records? Either that or records on the
original Crossman Royal family?”

“…Why are you looking for that?”

“Your highness.”

There were only three places in the Roan Kingdom where a boulder was on their
symbol.
The Henituse household and the Stan household were the only ones within the noble
families.

And the last place was the Roan…

It was the kingdom itself.

Marble and Granite.

The radiant sun that rises between two cliffs.

The crest that is still fluttering on the flag that sits at the highest spot in the kingdom.
That was the symbol of the Crossman Royal family and the symbol of the Roan
Kingdom.

The Crossman Royal family was known to have the blessing of the Sun God.
Would that be just a legend as well?

Cale looked toward Alberu and nonchalantly continued to speak.

“I think that I will need it.”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Alberu tapped on the armrest for a while.

Tap!

His index finger finally stopped, and he started to speak.

“I will prepare all the files I think you might need.”

“Thank you very much.”

Cale got up after hearing that response.

“I don't know where the White Star is right now, but he said that he needed to ask the
other side something, so he shouldn't come to the Roan Kingdom right away.”
“Okay.”

Alberu also got up from his seat.

Cale looked at him and continued his report.

“The Mercenary King who has returned to the Eastern continent will send some
people to the area around the White Star’s second secret base. They will do their best
to observe the White Star's movements or any changes to the secret base, so I will let
you know if anything changes.”

“Okay.”

“And please let me know right away if the White Star invades the Roan Kingdom. I will
immediately head back.”

Alberu quietly observed Cale who said that before opening his mouth.

“I got it. It looks like you have a lot of places to go to?”

Cale started to smile.

“Yes, sir. There are a lot of places.”

“Okay. Get going. I will quickly prepare the documents so come back soon.”

“Yes, sir.”

The group who finished their preparations gathered around Cale.

Raon approached him and asked.

“Human! Where are we going?”

“Are you going to where Aunt Tasha is? Are you going to meet the sage?”

Alberu asked as well and Cale shook his head.

Cale made eye contact with the Dragon half-blood.

“There’s another sage in addition to the sage up north.”

The person who had experienced the end of the ancient times and the start of the era
after that.
Dragon Lord Sheritt.

“I'm going to go meet with that person.”

The Dragon half-blood looked toward Cale with shaking pupils. Cale nonchalantly
continued to speak.

“Raon. Let’s go to your black castle.”

“Oh! You mean our house?”

The black castle located in the Forest of Darkness.

“Good! Let’s go right away!”

Cale closed his eyes while looking at the Dragon half-blood who could die at any moment.
A bright light soon flashed, and his body headed for the Forest of Darkness.

"Welcome back.”

He opened his eyes to see Lord Sheritt smiling brightly at them from inside the black
castle’s hall.
 The Castle of Light, one of the Eastern continent’s Three Restricted Areas.
The White Castle on the white desert.

The castle that Lord Sheritt had left for her children was now covered in Raon's black
mana and stationed in the Forest of Darkness.

Before Cale could greet Lord Sheritt who was welcoming them…

Pow!

“Ugh!”

He saw the black Dragon that slammed into his shoulder and flew out like an arrow.

 Human! Sorry!

The black Dragon that gave a short apology and flew away…

“Raon.”

Instantly stopped as Sheritt gently smiled and called his name. One meter. Raon who
stopped exactly one meter from her stared at the hall’s ceiling as he could not look at
her.

“…I'm back!”

He shouted while still looking at the ceiling and slowly flew back and landed on Cale’s
back.

“Meeeeeow!”

“We’re back!”
Instead, On and Hong walked over to Sheritt’s side. On peeked back and smiled toward
Raon who was looking at them from Cale’s back and motioned for him to come here
with her paw.

“Ahem, hem! I'm going because she called me over!”

Raon slowly started to move after seeing On's gesture and squeezed himself in between
On and Hong.
Lord Sheritt was watching them with an indescribably warm expression.

Cale turned away from that touching sight and looked toward the Dragon half-blood.

“Ha.”

He could not help but sigh.

The Dragon half-blood who had been peeking at Raon was now staring at Lord Sheritt.
He seemed to be out of it.
The Dragon half-blood and Cale made eye contact at that moment.

The Dragon half-blood quickly turned his gaze away. He then started to take in the
inside of the black castle with shaking pupils.

“You're driving me nuts.”

“Cale-nim, what’s wrong?”

Cale shook his head at Choi Han’s question.

He had a lot to say but he could not say them out loud. Instead, he walked over to Lord
Sheritt.

"Sheritt-nim. Where is Lock?”

The Blue Wolf boy Lock. He was currently learning Shield Arts and many other things
from Lord Sheritt.

“Ah.”

Lord Sheritt had a faint smile on her face.

The smile on her freckled face made her look mischievous. Her gentle voice flowed out
from underneath the smile.
“He's training.”

“Training? The Shield Arts?”

“Mm……”

Lord Sheritt debated for a moment before answering brightly as if she found the right
word for it.

“He’s currently doing a training regime from hell.”

‘What the… ’

Cale almost subconsciously took a step back. Sheritt noticed the slight frown on Cale’s
face and quickly started to speak as if she knew what he was feeling.

“Ah, it’s not really from hell! It’s just a very difficult training so I called it that.”

Her saying difficult training made it sound like an extremely difficult and strict training.

“Lock and the children seemed excited to do it. They seemed happy. They said that
they felt like they were getting stronger every day. The other day, the children were
laughing while looking at the sunset. It made me so proud.”

Cale could not take Lord Sheritt's words the same way.

It sounded more like Lock and the Wolf children laughed despondently while looking
at the sunset after a tiring day of training.

‘It looks like I’ll need to ask Lock about it.’

Of course, he knew Sheritt would not give Lock and the children training they could
not handle. This Dragon cherished little children based on how she treated On and Hong.

“I'm glad that all of you returned together, but can I ask what brings you back?”

Lord Sheritt looked around at Cale and the others as she asked. She then noticed Cale's
gaze heading toward someone.

‘Hmm?’
Sheritt saw the person Cale was looking at take a step forward. This person's face was
not visible as they had the hood of their robe down as far as possible.

“…Huh?”

Sheritt who was looking at the man who had his face covered felt an odd sensation at
that moment. She then subconsciously turned to look at Cale.
Cale hid his sigh as he started to speak.

"Sheritt-nim. May I chat with you for a moment?”

He then motioned toward Raon.

“Raon, you-”

Cale stopped as he was about to say come.

Was it right for him to listen to it as well? He was so young. Cale’s mind was getting
complicated and he was about to stop himself from calling Raon over.

“I'll tell them together.”

It was at that moment. The Dragon half-blood took another step forward and started
to speak to Cale.

“I want to tell the both of them together.”

He then bit down on his lips after seeing Cale’s gaze that seemed to be asking, ‘what if
it hurts Raon?’

“I, I will take full responsibility.”

Cale let out a sigh.

“I don't know if there’s anything you can take responsibility for.”

The Dragon half-blood flinched at his cold response, but Cale finished motioning
toward Raon. Cale could not say no when the responsible party wanted to tell him.

“Human! What are we talking about?”

He was just debating how to least hurt Raon in the process.
Cale’s mind became complicated again. This was more complicated than the White Star
or the Demon World issue.

The rest of the group looked toward Cale who gave them orders.

“On, Hong, and Choi Han, go find Lock. Choi Han, bring Lock over. Bring Maes and the
other children as well. We should see them at least once while we are here. Beacrox,
you prepare dinner. Ah! Stop by Harris Village and call the Lord’s Castle to let them
know I am here.”

“Cale-nim, are the four of you having a separate conversation?”

Cale nodded his head at Choi Han’s question and walked toward the castle's reception
room with the two Dragons and the Dragon half-blood.

“Human! Why are the four of us chatting?”

All four individuals were sitting down in the reception room. Cale patted Raon who
was sitting next to him and started to speak.

“Raon. Remove the Dragon half-blood's dye magic. Dragon half-blood, take off your
hood.”

Lord Sheritt's eyes turned wide.

‘Dragon half-blood?’

She wondered if that odd feeling she had earlier was because he was a Dragon half-
blood which was rare to see in the world.

“I got it, human! Hey, Dragon half-blood! I'm removing the dye magic!”

Raon's black mana touched the Dragon half-blood. Shh, the Dragon half-blood’s hair
turned from red to its original black as he removed his hood.

Lord Sheritt instantly started to frown.

‘He’s not a Dragon half-blood.’

He was not someone who was born between a Dragon and another life form.
The almost dead man with a pale complexion was looking at Lord Sheritt. Sheritt
found this man’s shaking pupils to be odd.

‘Why is he looking at me like this? And what is this odd feeling I have?’

Lord Sheritt was an illusion without a physical body now, but she felt as if the back of
her hand was getting goosebumps.
What could the reason be?

She then turned toward Cale who brought this man over. Cale received her gaze and
started to speak to the Dragon half-blood.

“I will quietly listen from here on so you speak first. Tell them everything with your
own mouth.”

Cale could see the Dragon half-blood’s shaking hands.

‘Damn it.’

“I'll do it if you don’t think you can do it.”

“…No.”

The Dragon half-blood shook his head.

He then took a deep breath.
The unbearable pain continued to stab at him as if his whole body would be ripped to
shreds, but the breath he took felt like an even stronger poison right now.

He looked toward Raon and Lord Sheritt.

One was black while the other was white. They were polar opposites. However, the
two were peeking at each other and subconsciously smiling.

‘…He said she was the Lord.’

Cale had called the woman in front of him Lord.

‘She must be the Dragon Lord.’

The Dragon half-blood felt an indescribable emotion that made his body start to shake.

He was a chimera created from that Dragon Lord's dead child's heart.
Fear and guilt filled his heart.

However, there was also a sense of anticipation and longing.

The Dragon half-blood almost scoffed at his own emotions.

Longing?
He did not have the emotions or memories of the Dragon in his heart. That was why
longing did not make any sense.
He still had his memories of his parents who sold him off.

However, it was indeed longing.

Family.
He had a longing for family that he never really had the chance to have. And that longing
became anticipation.
The Dragon half-blood sneered at himself for having such thoughts.

‘I'll be lucky if she doesn’t kill me.’

He would be lucky if Lord Sheritt and Raon didn't kill him after hearing the whole story.
He emptied his mind. Emotions were useless to someone like him who was just waiting
for the day he died.

“I…”

He avoided the Lord's gaze while talking to her.

Why…
Why was his voice shaking so much?
Why was it like this even though he had emptied his mind?

The Dragon half-blood had no answer as he started to speak.

“Ma'am, I used to be human.”

Cale closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch.

He should not interject from here onward.
He debated if he should leave as well, but he decided to stay here just in case
something bad happened.

“…My parents sold me off to the White Star……”

The story that Cale had heard flowed out of the Dragon half-blood's mouth again.

‘This is my first time hearing him be respectful to anyone.’

Cale patted Raon's back without stopping after realizing that this was the first time he
heard the Dragon half-blood being respectful to anyone.

The Dragon half-blood’s shaking voice continued to reach his ear.

Being sold to the White Star, following him around, and being locked up in a cave.
Then the story about how he became a chimera.

…And then what turned him into a chimera.

"The White Star told me something the day I became a full chimera.”

Cale started to pat Raon’s back more carefully without stopping.

“I shoved a red Dragon's heart into your heart.”

It was for a short moment, but Cale who had his eyes closed felt someone gasp.
The Dragon half-blood's shaking voice was still talking.

“ ‘Your heart has the blood of the last Dragon Lord. So you will definitely become a
great Dragon. Become a Dragon and succeed me. I believe you will be able to do both.’ ”

Cale opened his eyes at that moment.

Boooooooom!

The reception room started to rumble.

He then quickly hugged Raon who was shoving his face into his chest and looked forward.

It was not just the reception room but the entire black castle that was rumbling.
It was shaking.

“W, what is that-?”

Cale could see Lord Sheritt who was holding the Dragon half-blood's collar.
She was still an illusion. However, Lord Sheritt who had her memories and conscience
intact had bloodshot eyes.

Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the Dragon half-blood's collar.

The red egg.

Those words stabbed into her heart. She could not think about anything from that
moment.

“You, you-, no, my child’s heart-, my child.”

She could not speak properly as she looked toward the Dragon half-blood. Her pupils
were frantically shaking.

“Human, human.”

“Yes, yes.”

Cale continued to pat Raon's back as he hugged him.

Raon had both of his eyes tightly shut. His body was slightly shaking as well. It was
different than when he was getting revenge on Venion Stan.

Cale tightly hugged the six-year-old child.

“Should we leave if you don’t want to listen?”

Raon’s closed eyes opened. He looked ready to cry.

“Do whatever you want to do. I will make sure you can do whatever you want to do.”

Cale's whisper moved past Raon’s ears and into his heart. Cale’s tone was slightly cold
as usual, but it was gentle.
Raon closed his eyes once more before opening them back and responding.

“…I will listen. However, human, you must be next to me.”

Raon turned his head. Lord Sheritt was looking toward Raon while still holding the
Dragon half-blood’s collar. Raon hesitated after seeing her gaze before starting to speak.

“M, mom has to be with me too.”

Lord Sheritt's expression crumbled when she heard that.

She held back her tears that looked ready to flood out as well as her anger. She then
released her grip. She released the Dragon half-blood.

“Cough, cough!”

The Dragon half-blood coughed and caught his breath.

The rumbling black castle calmed back down following Lord Sheritt’s state of mind.

However, it was not that her mind had calmed down.

Her hands that were clenching her sleeves were still shaking and a slightly lower voice
headed out toward the Dragon half-blood.

“Continue, continue. Tell me everything.”

The Dragon half-blood sat up straight and opened his mouth again.

“Cough! Ugh, cough!”

However, he could not speak because of his coughing.

His collar that Lord Sheritt had grabbed had not hurt at all. He was not coughing because
of that.
He was just shocked that the strength from those shaking hands had been so weak.
That was why he could feel the shock that the Lord had received.

The Dragon half-blood had been able to control the condition of his body that had
become extremely weak, but he had lost that control the moment Lord Sheritt grabbed
his collar.

He saw the teary eyes that were full of anger. However, she did not cry in the end.

It was impossible to focus on controlling the mess in his body the moment he saw
those eyes.
She had heard the story of how her child had died, as well as the fact that someone
had dug out that child’s heart after death and used it as an ingredient for a chimera.

The Dragon half-blood understood why Sheritt had grabbed his collar.
But for some reason, he just wanted to cry.
He was a bad person, but he wanted to cry.

However, he held back his tears as well.

He was not qualified to cry. He barely managed to suppress his coughing and opened
his mouth again.

Lord Sheritt whose emotions had shaken so much that she had lost her rationality for
a moment had calmed down and was looking at the Dragon half-blood with a
complicated gaze.
The man in front of her was someone who had made her child’s heart his own, but…

‘…This child didn't end up like this because he wanted to, either.’

The Dragon half-blood had been sold off by his parents and spent his childhood locked
up in a cave turning into a chimera.
Many different emotions shot up and back down in Sheritt’s mind. It was hard to think
rationally.

The Dragon half-blood continued his story as she did that.

“After becoming a chimera like that, I grew by eating some more Dragon hearts. I made
it through the first growth phase, and then……”

The story about how he made it through the second growth phase but was unable to
complete the third growth phase.
Then the stories about all of the evil deeds he had committed during that time.
And then the things that happened with Cale.

“…I told Redika to throw the black egg away in a cave on the Western continent……”

He even talked about how he told Redika to throw the black egg away and then sent
the temperature management device and made sure Redika checked up on it often.

“…Ha!”
Lord Sheritt scoffed in disbelief. Her gaze became even more complicated as she
looked at the Dragon half-blood.
Cale could not understand all of her emotions, but he could sort of understand what
she was thinking right now.

The Dragon half-blood kept saying he threw the egg away, but he had actually tried to
hide and protect the egg.

“…But according to Cale Henituse, Redika had sold that black egg to the Stan March……”

Cale looked toward Raon.

The dark blue eyes were looking at the Dragon half-blood with an unexplainable gaze.

Raon had been stuck in that dark cave and tortured by Venion Stan.
This black Dragon was now hearing how he had ended up like that.

Cale could not understand what Raon was feeling.

That was why he hugged Raon even tighter. It was all he could do right now.

“…And currently, I am a human and pretty much have none of the Dragon's strength
anymore. Soon, soon-”

As the long story was about to end. The Dragon half-blood hesitated without being
able to finish his sentence. He heard Lord Sheritt’s cold voice at that moment.

“You’ll die soon?”

The Dragon half-blood's eyes looked toward Sheritt.

Sheritt and the Dragon half-blood. The two of them made eye contact. The Dragon
half-blood opened his mouth that had been opening and closing without being able to
say anything.

“Yes, ma’am. I will die soon.”

The Dragon half-blood then saw Lord Sheritt start to frown with an emotion that could
not be described with words.
She closed her eyes.

She was sitting up straight and looked like a sturdy tree that would not shake.
However, he could feel that this tree was quietly crying without shedding any tears.
The Dragon half-blood who looked at her for a moment started to speak again.
His shaky voice broke the silence in the room.

“I, I'm sorry.”

The Dragon half-blood bowed his head and body as much as possible.

Cale closed his eyes again.

However, Cale opened his eyes again and looked toward the Dragon half-blood.

The Dragon half-blood who was sitting on the couch with his head and body bowing
down as far as possible was shaking.
That shaking was visible even though his body was covered by a large robe.

It was at that moment.

“What are you sorry for?”

Lord Sheritt opened her eyes and asked the Dragon half-blood in a cold voice.
The Dragon half-blood raised his shaking body upright. He still could not make eye
contact with Sheritt.
He barely managed to speak.

“…I got the heart.”

“Why is that your fault?”

Flinch.

The Dragon half-blood’s body flinched and his eyes headed toward Lord Sheritt.
The face that had been filled with mischievousness before was observing the Dragon
half-blood with a cold gaze.

The Dragon half-blood could feel a fire developing inside Lord Sheritt’s eyes. He felt
like he could also see the sorrow that was roaring like a large wave.

“…That-”

The Dragon half-blood opened his mouth to speak again but Lord Sheritt cut him off.

“It is not your fault that my child’s heart was placed inside your body. It is not your
fault that you became a chimera with my child’s heart either.”

She wanted to rip the White Star into shreds and felt both anger and sorrow as she
looked at the Dragon half-blood. However, what was not true, was not true.

“You did not end up like that because you wanted it.”

The Dragon half-blood didn't know what to say.

As the Lord mentioned, he did not want to become a chimera. If, really if, he could ever
go back to the past, he would want to avoid the moment he became a chimera.

It was terribly painful and extremely lonely.

The only thing he got for enduring that pain and loneliness was becoming a monster
that did not fit in anywhere.

He recalled Lord Sheritt's statement again.

‘It is not your fault that you became a chimera with my child’s heart either.’

The Dragon half-blood opened and closed his mouth a few times.
He wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to express the emotions he was
feeling inside.

He heard Lord Sheritt’s cold voice at that moment.

“However, you do have a lot of things to be sorry for.”

The Dragon half-blood closed his mouth tightly.

That was the case.

He had a lot of things to be sorry for; he had a lot of sins.

“All of the terrible things you have done. In addition-”

Lord Sheritt’s eyes moved elsewhere. The Dragon half-blood's gaze followed as well
and he could see clear dark blue eyes looking at him.

Raon Miru.
The black Dragon was quietly observing the Dragon half-blood while inside Cale’s
arms.
The Dragon half-blood felt as if he was suffocating once he looked into those eyes.

He had tried to kill him.

He had wanted to kill this black Dragon.

He wanted to kill him because Raon was a real Dragon that a chimera like him could
never become.
Because he was a Dragon who was protected and loved by others around him.

That was why he had tried to kill him.

The Dragon half-blood’s fingertips started to shake again.

He recalled one of the days when he had been washing dishes at the Eastern continent's
inn. The two Kittens, On and Hong, and this child had approached him.

‘You’re very good at washing dishes! Hey Dragon half-blood, do you like this inn?’

‘I think he likes it! I can tell! Right, noona?’

‘You’re not supposed to ask things like that. You’re supposed to pretend like you don't
know.’

He couldn't believe the children that were chatting like this next to him.
Had they forgotten what he had done? They were chatting so much around him that
he couldn't help but have such thoughts. He knew that they were acting like that
because they knew the condition of his body and felt sorry for him.

The Dragon half-blood suddenly regretted that moment.

He should have chatted with them at least a little bit when they tried to talk to him.
He should have responded every so often to spend time with them.

He kept… He kept having regrets about the time that had passed. However, there was
no way to turn back time or absolve his regret.

The Dragon half-blood lowered his head toward Raon who was looking at him.

“…I'm sorry.”
‘Really, I'm sorry.’

Honestly speaking, ‘sorry,’ was not strong enough to express his emotions.
Guilt for having tried to kill someone was not the end of his emotions.

‘Who did I try to kill?’

The Dragon half-blood gave up all desire to live after realizing what he had almost
done with his own hands.

The black egg.

The only thing that had spent time with him inside that dark cave. And the thing that
made the Dragon half-blood go against the White Star's orders for the first time and
trick him.

‘…I tried to get rid of that black egg.’

He felt an emotion that could not be expressed with guilt nor regret after realizing that
fact.

The black egg.

What did that thing mean to him?

A sense of similarity that they were both thrown away?

Sympathy that he got to live but the egg had to be destroyed?
Or-

‘…He was the only one.’

That unhatched black egg was the only thing that had spent time with him for his 900
years of life.

He could not turn back time to undo what he had tried to do.
The Dragon half-blood understood the weight of those words.

‘I'm done now.’

The Dragon half-blood had waited for Lord Sheritt and Raon Miru… The day he would
see these two Dragons to tell them his story.
That was why he, who had no desire to live, forced some desire inside him to prevent
 his body from crumbling down.

And now, he was able to get rid of that last thing keeping him alive.

It was at that moment.

He could hear Raon's voice.

“Hey, Dragon half-blood.”

The Dragon half-blood raised his head to look at Raon. 6 years old. The punk who was
about that age was looking at him with very pure and clear eyes.
He was relieved that he could be this way even though he grew up tortured and
chained. He was relieved that he grew up like this.

Raon hesitated for a moment before turning his gaze and looking at Cale.

“…You said he could not live much longer.”

Cale wanted to sigh at the things Raon was saying while looking at him with those
clear dark blue eyes.
Cale could understand what was on Raon’s mind as he could not look at the Dragon
half-blood and looked up at him instead.

 Human.

Raon then cautiously asked in his mind with magic.

Cale who was listening to Raon who sounded both chaotic and anxious looked toward
the Dragon half-blood.

The Dragon half-blood was looking at Raon with shaking eyes and Cale looked at him
as he opened his mouth to speak.
However, there was someone who started to speak first.

“Your body is completely destroyed.”

It was Lord Sheritt.

She observed the Dragon half-blood with a cold gaze.

“Now that I take a closer look, it looks like all of the Dragon’s powers have left your body.”
As Sheritt mentioned, there were barely any Dragon powers left inside the Dragon
half-blood’s body.
It was because Cale’s white crown had sucked up all of his Dragon's powers, his blood.
He still faintly had his light attribute Dragon power, but there really was nothing left
now as he had used that remaining power to attack Arm's second secret base not too
long ago.

“And…”

Lord Sheritt-nim was not done just yet.

“Your original human body cannot keep up because you lost your Dragon power. The
imbalance caused by being a chimera is causing your death. There’s also a power
inside you that is the opposite attribute of your light attribute that should be causing
you a significant amount of pain.”

That was what Choi Han had left in there during their battle at the Gorge of Death.
This dark power known as despair was endlessly clashing with the Dragon half-
blood's light attribute in order to cause him pain.

The Dragon half-blood was listening to Sheritt’s blunt observation with an empty mind.
However, Cale could feel Raon holding onto his clothes even tighter.

‘…Haaaaa.’

Cale was looking at Raon who was looking at the Dragon half-blood with a significantly
complicated gaze. Cale started to get a headache.
It was at that moment.

“…In your current condition, you’re going to die an extremely painful death.”

The Dragon half-blood responded to Lord Sheritt’s comment.

“It is not enough to pay for my sins.”

‘Aigoo.’

Cale was at a loss for words after hearing the Dragon half-blood's response.
Lord Sheritt quietly observed the Dragon half-blood who gave such a response.
‘This is an extremely complicated situation.’

Cale found this situation quite complicated.

The Dragon half-blood had a lot of sins. However, in some ways, he had traces of Lord
Sheritt's child and Raon's sibling. On the other hand, he was also proof of their family
member’s death.

He had also tried to kill Raon, but they had now learned that he was actually also the
person who had saved Raon.

The Dragon half-blood caused quite the complication for Lord Sheritt and Raon the
more he thought about it.

‘…Do they want to kill him? Or do they want to save him?’

Cale looked at Raon and Sheritt to try to figure out what they were thinking.
He could not tell what Sheritt was thinking. However, based on how Raon acted in the
Eastern continent, it seemed as if he had almost forgotten about how the Dragon half-
blood had tried to kill him and felt sorry for the Dragon half-blood instead.
That was why Raon had approached him to play with On and Hong.

“For now, I need some time to think.”

Sheritt started to speak.

“I also need time to talk to Raon.”

She looked toward the person who had lived on with her child's heart.

“I also need time to chat with you.”

The Dragon half-blood's eyes opened wide as he looked toward Sheritt. He had never
expected Sheritt to say she wanted to talk to him.

“There are a lot of things to still discuss.”

She could see the Dragon half-blood's eyes that had opened wide lose strength and
look down after hearing her cold voice.
Seeing that made her mind complicated as she felt both hatred and another emotion.
However, she calmed herself down and looked toward the last person in the room.

“Is it possible?”

She was asking Cale if all of this was possible.

The Dragon half-blood had caused a lot of sins, not just toward Raon, but also toward
Cale’s group and the people of the Western and Eastern continents.

“It is possible, Sheritt-nim.”

Sheritt reached her hand out toward Raon after hearing Cale's short response. Raon
slowly came out of Cale's arms and put his head on Sheritt’s chest.
Sheritt gently patted her child as she started to speak again.

“I must speak to Raon first.”

She was telling them to give them so privacy.

Cale got up without any hesitation. The two Dragons needed some time alone.

“Let’s go.”

The Dragon half-blood started to get up before staggering.

“Haaaa.”

Cale sighed and somewhat supported him.

‘What a troublesome bastard.’

The Dragon half-blood who saw his eyes lowered his gaze and started to speak.

“…Do not worry. I have no desire to live.”

He continued to speak in a quiet voice that only Cale could hear.

“I know you've already gone easy on me to let me live like this before dying.”

‘Aigoo.’
Cale shook his head from side to side. The Dragon half-blood heard Cale's quiet whisper
at that moment.
It was a cold and judgmental voice.

“If you regret your past actions, shouldn't you do whatever you can to fix your mistakes?”

“…I know I cannot turn back time, but I want to do so if I can.”

Cale stopped supporting him once the Dragon half-blood stood up straight and pointed
to the door.
The Dragon half-blood looked toward Sheritt and Raon for a moment before starting
to walk toward the door.
Cale looked at the Dragon half-blood’s back before starting to walk toward the door
as well.

‘There is a way to save the Dragon half-blood.’

It was not a way to completely save him, but a way for him to extend his life.

It was the jar he got from Wind Island.

The jar was full of life force and could heal or extend someone's life.
However, that jar had limited uses.

‘That’s for Eruhaben-nim.’

The owner of the jar was clear and Cale had no intention of changing the owner.
That did not change.

‘In that case.’

Click.

Cale closed the door once he exited the reception room.

He could see the two Dragons putting their heads together for a moment as he closed it.

Raon had asked the following questions in Cale’s mind when he had asked about when
the Dragon half-blood was going to die.

‘Human, what is the Dragon half-blood going to do from here? Did the Dragon half-
blood protect and take care of me? Human, was I… able to live and meet with you
 because of the Dragon half-blood?’

Lord Sheritt had cautiously asked a question in his mind before he closed the door.

 If Raon allows it, would that child be able to stay in this castle? No, I will imprison him
here until he dies. I will make it so that he cannot return to the White Star nor harm
the rest of you. Do you think it is possible?

Cale turned around and looked toward the Dragon half-blood who was waiting for him.

“Hey.”

“…What is it? I ask for your understanding if you are angry that I shocked Raon Miru.”

The Dragon half-blood avoided Cale’s gaze and rambled on.

“I've never had people around me so I am bad at conversations… I think that was why
I was so bad at it this ti-”

“You.”

The Dragon half-blood looked toward Cale who cut him off and started to speak.

“You, what would you do if there was an opportunity for you to start over?”

The Dragon half-blood thought he had heard wrong.

“…What?”

He realized he was not dreaming after seeing Cale's cold gaze and hearing his cold voice.

“You're going to die. You cannot continue your life. However, if you had the opportunity
to live a new life…”

The Dragon half-blood's heart started to beat wildly.

He had thrown away all desire to live.
He had accepted death and knew that being able to die was a small price to pay in
comparison to all of his sins. He had also had another thought.
He did not want to continue this life.
But, ‘the opportunity to start over… ’

Those words made his heart beat wildly.

“Of course, you will be confined to a certain space and be unable to see the world as
you please. It’s not really living to be more accurate. However, you will have the
opportunity to make up for your sins.”

The White Star had imprisoned the Dragon half-blood in a dark cave and did not allow
him to see the world.
Furthermore, the White Star had treated him not like a living being, but like a machine
he could control and order around.

Cale was talking about a similar situation.

However, the Dragon half-blood's heart was beating wildly.

“What do you want to do?”

Unlike the White Star, this was the second choice that Cale was giving the Dragon half-
blood.