00010 <-- Episode 10: Hunting the Demon (1) -->
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Early in the morning, the second demon subjugation force departed from the Balkeron territory.
It was a large group consisting of Captain Ted Barkelon, two free hires, Magian, and thirty soldiers from the territory.
The expedition force left the castle and traveled for half a day until they arrived at Gillian Forest.
This dense forest, which covers more than half of the territory of Bakelon, is the home of the Ignis Wolves, the beasts that raid the territory.
Seong Si-han was overcome with a strange emotion.
‘Oh really, why Ignis Wolf?’
13 years ago, when he was summoned and abandoned in this world, the first demon he encountered was that fire-breathing wolf. Should we call it a strange coincidence?
‘Of course, the situation back then was like heaven and earth.’
Shihan continued walking along the forest path while taking in the surrounding scenery.
Gillian Forest was a typical coniferous forest found in south-central Terranor.
The trees are so tall, thick, and dense that sunlight barely reaches the ground.
You can’t see forests like this in Korea. The southern and central parts of Terrano are originally similar to the vegetation of central Europe on Earth.
But it was also a familiar sight to Shihan.
The same was true of the Makellen Forest where he once hid.
***
‘Hey, Shihan! Want to make a bet on who can catch the most?’
‘You ignorant macho! Stop fooling around and make sure you don’t get hurt your first priority!’
It was a time when the revolutionary army had not yet grown in power and, of course, they were not called the Seven Heroes of the Revolution.
In order to create a secret hideout, Shihan and his colleagues had to drive out the demons who had already taken over the forest.
The impulsive Zexengard would get excited and run wild even after seeing so many demons, while the timid Lilstein would always try to stop him.
Eventually, Zexenguard was surrounded by demons and was forced to keep shouting “Save me!”, and Lilstein and himself saved him while hurling curses at him.
It was a fond memory. Shihan laughed and giggled.
“ha ha ha…….”
And that longing was soon overshadowed by gray hatred.
‘You’ve become too strong, Shihan.’
‘You are loved so much.’
I hear a voice.
A cold and cruel voice that repeated itself over and over again.
‘The future of this world is ours to create. We cannot leave it in the hands of strangers.’
‘So, I hope it ends well, right?’
Even though it had been ten years, the voice was still vivid in his ears as if it had happened yesterday. Shihan gritted his teeth.
I feel like a corner of my heart is burning. My fists automatically tighten.
But he soon relaxed.
‘There’s no need to rush.’
The current me is not the savior of the other world of the past. The sacrifice I made to cross the dimension was too great.
On the other hand, Shihan’s old comrades must have become stronger than they were a dozen years ago, and they cannot move recklessly until they regain their former strength.
‘Well, there’s no need to rush.’
I’ve been waiting for 10 years. I’ve already developed enough patience.
It was during that time.
“… …Deadline?”
Alita, who was walking beside him, looked at him with a surprised face.
“What’s wrong? Why is your expression…?”
“Huh? No, nothing.”
Shihan quickly controlled his expression and stared at her.
‘Come to think of it, I guess I need to explain the situation to him to some extent?’
Despite having to hide his identity, he told Alita his name out loud.
This was because he was certain that his opponent was the Rusclan royal family.
I don’t know how Terranor has changed, but at least the Kwangje clan can’t possibly be on good terms with their old colleagues from Shihan.
Moreover, Alita’s current location would be immediately discovered by the Magians if she didn’t have the time limit magic. She is in a position where she absolutely cannot betray or antagonize him.
Ironically, the daughter of my most hated enemy has now become my most trusted person.
“Alita, I’m telling you this in advance because I’m afraid you might trust me and do something reckless… … .”
Without saying a word, Shihan glanced around.
The two were currently walking at the rear of the line, a little distance away from the punitive force. It was not a distance where their voices could be heard. Shihan continued speaking with relief.
“I am now in a much weaker state than before.”
“yes?”
Sung Si-han crossed the dimension by his own power. And the method he used was a little different from Rusclan’s summoning magic.
“If Rusclann’s summoning spell opens a dimensional gate, my method is closer to making myself into an arrow and breaking through a dimensional wall. This means that unlike when passing through an open gate, I have to endure the impact of the arrow breaking through a wall.”
So, in order to keep the arrow from breaking, he had to protect himself by expending most of his fighting spirit and magical power.
“Thanks to that, my current speculative power is less than a tenth of what it was in the past. It’s somewhere between a fighter’s level and a knight’s level? My magical power is at best at the level of a fourth-tier magician. It’s probably no different from that old man.”
Shihan finished his explanation, pointing to the middle-aged man in his fifties, Magian Nagran, who was walking ahead.
Alita muttered with a look of disbelief on her face.
“But… … Shihan easily subdued me with just one spoon, right? That means I’m weak?”
“So, I had to use spoons to subdue the likes of you? Do you know how weak I have become?”
Alita was silent.
It seemed like the first time in my life that I had ever heard such a rude remark. Well, I hadn’t lived that long.
‘Wow, no matter what I say, it’s like this… … .’
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But that’s not wrong.
All sorts of absurd stories are told in the life of the savior of the other world.
Like cutting off the neck of a dragon dozens of meters long with a single blow, parting the sea with a single wave of the hand, or defeating an army of ten thousand men alone.
Even if only half of that story were true, Shihan wouldn’t have had to lift a finger to subdue Alita.
If you had to lift a spoon, you must have really gotten weak.
“But you easily dealt with those explorer knights and soldiers, didn’t you?”
“Of course, the accumulated knowledge and experience are the same. Do you think the winner of the PVP world tournament would get beaten to death by low-level people just because he manipulated a low-level character?”
“PVP? Low level? Character?”
“Oh, sorry. That was nonsense.”
A Korean expression came out of his mouth without him knowing. Sihan waved his hand and changed the subject.
“Anyway, I’m telling you to know this in advance. Since we’re going to be colleagues in the future, we need to know each other’s strengths so that there won’t be any unfortunate incidents.”
I kind of understood. Alita nodded seriously.
“Are you saying that you’ve gotten older and more incompetent? Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“No, that’s not it… … Okay, that’s enough.”
Anyway, if you just understand, that’s enough.
Meanwhile, the Demon Slayer Corps continued to advance deeper into the forest. Suddenly, a shout was heard from the front of the line.
“All forces standstill!”
An ominous aura rippled across the forest. Shihan, who had been sensing the presence since a while ago, smiled broadly.
“It’s starting slowly.”
***
Red lights flash here and there in the forest. With each exhalation, flames crackle along with the smell of sulfur.
It was Ignis Wolf, a wolf-shaped demon with blood-red fur all over its body.
“All parties, prepare for attack!”
Ted Barkelon was nervous as he gave the order.
‘You’ve finally appeared!’
The number of surrounding Ignis Wolves was around 20.
Like most wolves, Ignis wolves have a habit of hunting in packs.
In particular, the demons had some intelligence in addition to their magical powers and speculation, and were capable of tactical attacks like humans.
“Form a phalanx and don’t show your back!”
As instructed, thirty soldiers formed a circle, back to back, and aimed their spears. The Ignis Wolves circled around them, keeping their distance, waiting for an opportunity.
“Urrrr… … .”
“Krrrr… … .”
There was a loud growling noise from all directions. Ted shouted.
“Magician Nagran! Magic!”
“Understood, Hire Ted!”
The third floor magic of the Black Ivory Tower, Dark Spear, flew across the forest.
The black magic spear drew a line and aimed for three Ignis Wolves. Two of them avoided it, and one was hit in the leg.
The one who was hit didn’t fall down. Instead, he let out a roar as if his temper had been provoked.
“Kwaaah!”
The deadline was ticking.
“Tsk tsk, you can’t catch those guys with just three-story magic.”
A pack of Ignis Wolves began to attack from all sides in earnest. Ted drew his sword and shouted loudly.
“Come, you evil monsters of darkness!”
Ted flew forward and stabbed his sword at the demon in front. Ignis Wolf dodged the attack by jumping to the side. Then he breathed fire from his mouth.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ted swung his sword fiercely and split the flames. He shouted triumphantly in the midst of the splitting flames.
“No way! How can the flames of a demon be effective against the sword of a knight!”
“Your Majesty! Are you wearing a cloak?”
“Ugh?!”
Ted, panicking, quickly pulled off his burning cloak. Of course, the Ignis Wolves didn’t miss that opportunity.
Two of them rushed left and right. While Ted swung his sword to the left, the other one clawed at his side. The armor tore like a piece of paper and a groan escaped.
“Ugh!”
The Ignis Wolves continue their offensive one after another.
With each strike of teeth and claws, Ted’s full plate armor becomes more and more tattered.
Movement is also more restricted, as the distorted armor sections impede normal movement.
Shihan, who couldn’t stand to watch, clicked his tongue and intervened.
‘You really lack experience, sir.’
It seemed that the world had become more peaceful since I was able to be knighted even with that skill.
With a deft swipe of his sword, Shihan made the wolves retreat. He then frowned at Ted.
“Didn’t I tell you to take off your armor?”
Currently, Shihan and Alita are wearing sturdy leather jackets, while Ted is wearing full plate armor all over his body like a knight. Ted looks much more heavily armed.
However, the defensive power of metal armor is meaningless in the face of a sword loaded with speculation or the fangs of a high-ranking demon. The senses are also significantly limited because of the armor.
It’s not like Alita was wearing such a tight-fitting combat uniform because she couldn’t show off her body.
If you’re a knight-level swordsman, then it might be okay, but if you’re a fighter-level swordsman, then functional clothing like the ones worn by Shihan or Alita would be more advantageous than bulky armor.
Well, it would be different if it were a large-scale battle.
Ted got angry at Shihan’s criticism.
“How can a knight go into battle without armor? As expected of a free-hire who knows neither honor nor shame!”
It felt like a familiar reaction, so Shihan smiled bitterly.
‘Oh, so this is how the knights in this town still live.’
In fact, the realm of properly utilizing armor starts from a knight-level swordsman. However, even fighters who become knights rarely give up their full body armor.
Even though I knew full well that the armor was ineffective in combat.
‘I used to wonder why he insisted on that when he wasn’t even that stupid, but now that I look back on it, I understand.’
You shouldn’t try to understand that with the mindset of a warrior going into battle. Rather… … .
‘Well, Korean women also shiver in the middle of winter and wear miniskirts, right?’
Fashion sometimes goes beyond rationality. Now that you can’t take off your armor during battle, it’s even more offensive.
“Okay, then thank you for your hard work.”
Shaking his head, Shihan returned to his position. He continued the battle by swinging his sword and blocking the attacks of the demons.
The expression on his face is extremely relaxed throughout.
Even though they’ve become weaker, they’re still not at a level where you can feel threatened by a pack of Ignis wolves.
Actually, even now, if I put my mind to it, I could sweep it all away by myself… … .
‘If I do that, it’ll be difficult because it’ll be revealed that I’m above the level of a fighter. Shouldn’t I just work as much as I’m paid?’
Of course, only Shihan was relaxed, while the rest were fighting for their lives.
Red wolves swarm from all sides, baring their teeth and claws and spitting out flames.
“Don’t break ranks!”
“Take heart! The Sword Hiers will protect us!”
Encouraging each other, the soldiers fought against the attack. Magian also worked hard to block the flame attacks with magic. Alita and Ted, standing in the front, continued to extend their fighting swords.
However, the number of Ignis Wolves did not decrease that much.
Even though he rushes in like crazy, he escapes the danger by pulling away or using the help of his colleagues. It’s as if he’s following the orders of a seasoned commander.
Alita looked beyond the forest and realized the reason.
“That?”
Between the thick trees, a lone Ignis Wolf that had not taken part in the attack was visible. It was twice as large as the other demons.
She shouted at Ted.
“There’s the leader of these guys!”
***
Ted was troubled. In order to overcome this situation, the first priority was to deal with the leader. Of course, it was also dangerous. It meant leaving the ranks and rushing at the strongest enemy.
So he called the two men.
“Sean! Alita! You guys take care of that boss!”
And then he continued speaking confidently.
“I will protect the soldiers.”
He was telling the two men to go out and fight with their lives at stake while he himself was in a safe place.
It may sound absurd at first, but this is how mercenaries were originally treated.
Aren’t you a colleague, not a resident, just someone who hired you for a short time?
There was no need to take moral responsibility for the mercenary’s death, so it was natural that he would be treated as a consumable. It was not necessarily the case that Ted had a bad personality.
So Alita flew as instructed without any complaint.
“all right.”
Shihan followed her, grumbling too.
“Tch, it’s sad to be a non-regular worker.”
The two quickly broke through the forest. The leader of the demons noticed this and let out a roar.
“Awww!”
The Red Wolf Pack split into two. One half continued to attack the Bakelon expedition force, while the other half regrouped to protect their leader.
Shihan said to Alita, assessing the situation.
“Alita, you take the lead. I’ll keep the others at bay.”
“Yes? But isn’t it certain that the deadline will be met?”
“I don’t really want to stand out.”
It wasn’t exactly an unreasonable request.
An Ignis Wolf isn’t much of a threat to a swordsman of the fighter class.
Ted would have had an easier time dealing with them if he hadn’t stupidly come wearing his armor.
“all right.”
Alita, convinced, increased her speed. Shihan also turned around and blocked the approaching demon, then swung his sword.
“Uratcha!”
The atmosphere was torn apart, and the fierce momentum stimulated the demonic instinct. The red wolves that were running towards the leader turned around to face Shihan with tension.
“Where are you going? Come play with me. It’s nice to see you guys again after such a long time.”
He chuckled and flicked his sword. The wolves surrounded him, growling.
“Urrrrrr… … .”
“Khuuuuuuuu!”
The wolves all rushed at Shihan with a roar. He laughed and jumped back.
During that gap, Alita reached the leader of the demons’ noses. With a burst of fighting spirit, she flew up to the demons’ head in one breath.
“Ta-at!”
Ignis Wolf opened his mouth and spewed flames, twice as thick as the others.
Kwaaaaah!
But she had already expected that. It was the habit of most demons to launch long-range attacks at enemies floating in the air.
“Ta-at!”
He shouts and flips his waist in the air, dodging the flames. He lands right away, unleashing his fighting spirit with his palms and pushing the ground, rushing forward.
“Cre?!”
Alita turned to the side of her surprised opponent and stabbed with her sword. The blade of the fighting sword lightly grazed the red wolf’s side, causing blood to spurt out. The wolf began to rage and rampage.
“Khuu …
Flames shot out in all directions, and sharp claws continued to crackle. Alita dodged all of these attacks with her flexible movements.
The two of them changed positions several times and attacked each other again and again. It was like a fight between a cat and a dog. Then, the demon lost track of her position for a moment.
‘Cre?’
Alita’s eyes lit up. This was the perfect opportunity to take her breath away.
‘good!’
Take a stabbing stance with your longsword aimed horizontally.
Bend your knees, lower your center of gravity, and pull your entire body taut as if you were going to shoot at any moment.
Focus all your strength into the tip of your sword and explode all your power at once!
“Haaaah!”
Alita turned into an arrow and accurately stabbed the giant wolf between the eyes. The blade was almost halfway embedded, and the fierce roar of the demonic beast echoed throughout the forest.
“Kuaaaah!”
The time I was watching let out an exclamation of admiration.
“Oh? That’s a good hit?”
Even while surrounded by a pack of Ignis Wolves, they were leisurely enjoying themselves. The level difference was so great that it didn’t matter whether they were nervous or not, right?
Shihan nodded while roughly stabbing the wolves. As expected, that kid is quite strong and experienced for his age.
‘I don’t think you need to worry too much.’
It was then that an electric shock suddenly shot out from the demon’s entire body.
Phage crackle!
Blue lightning bolts discharged in all directions, engulfing Alita.
She couldn’t even react because it was an attack she had never expected. She opened her eyes wide as the pain engulfed her entire body.
Because of the electric shock, my muscles were paralyzed and I couldn’t even scream.
“… … !”
Shihan also opened his eyes wide in surprise.
“Huh? What is that?”
Ignis Wolf’s lightning strike? That was ridiculous.
Even he, who had been all over Terrano and experienced all sorts of things, had never seen anything like that before.
The demon opened its mouth and bit Alita, who had fallen to the ground. Then, it started running towards the other side of the forest with her in its mouth.
Even though a knife is stuck deep between his eyebrows, he runs fine without dying.
“What the hell!”
With a curse, Shihan swung his sword long.
The wolves surrounding him were killed instantly with one blow. If they had decided to kill him from the beginning, they could have killed him at any time.
He let out a scream as he chased after the fleeing Ignis Wolf.
“Alita!”
