Chapter 62

A person’s path in life differs according to their innate personality and talents.

Even with a violent nature, without inborn violence and charisma, one ends up as a mere thug, but with talent alone, it’s possible to decorate a page in history.

In that sense, Gelmir was a shaman who decorated a page in history among the northern shamans.

Bravery to cut down enemies directly on the battlefield, charisma that subordinates dare not defy, and cruelty to kill even his own flesh and blood if necessary.

Born with these qualities, he knew no fear and always acted simultaneously with his thoughts, but…

“Hu-huh. What I saw wasn’t even the main body.”

Wendigo, who had no intention of hiding, slowly walked out of the fog.

Gelmir felt fear for the first time in a long while. He couldn’t help but marvel at Wendigo’s body.

The gigantic body reminiscent of a giant was wrapped in jet-black skin that was hard to say whether it was beautiful or terrifying.

The deer skull that seemed to be the head emitted an ominous light as if the resentful spirits of the dead were burning.

Unknowingly, Gelmir gripped the axe and sword he had carried all his life and glared at Wendigo.

‘I’d rather believe I’m having a nightmare. What kind of being is this that I can’t even sense its presence?’

Among all the spirits and monsters he had encountered so far, none were as peculiar and grotesque as the spirit before him.

He could overlook the unfathomable mystery and the lack of presence. The world was full of incomprehensible things.

However, there was one thing he couldn’t understand.

Gelmir frowned and asked Wendigo:

“I can’t understand your thinking at all. Why did you drive us out?”

Wendigo, who didn’t expect Gelmir to ask, stared blankly at him.

Was he really asking because he didn’t know?

“Strange. Don’t you think I only drove out those who are cunning, petty, and vicious enough to be weird even to themselves?”

“I haven’t lived my life in vain to the point of not knowing that. I even lost an eye for overlooking that, so how could I not know?”

“Then are you asking despite knowing the answer?”

Wendigo asked as if it was obvious, but Gelmir firmly shook his head.

Gelmir readily admitted that they were all shamans of ill repute, including himself, but he didn’t think that was reason enough to be driven out.

“The deal between shamans and spirits is no different from a kind of battle. A battle to obtain what one wants from the other for minimal cost.”

‘As expected of a shaman, he’s not in his right mind.’

Gelmir spoke seriously, but Wendigo ignored him with disgust.

If Wendigo could make expressions, Gelmir would have swung his axe in humiliation, but unfortunately, Wendigo couldn’t make expressions.

Not knowing this, Gelmir laid out his thoughts as if speaking a truth he had realized through long years.

“A deal is an act of deceiving the other party to gain profit. It’s no different for deals between spirits and shamans. So whether the other party is evil or good, there’s no reason not to make a deal if profit can be made.”

“Indeed, your experience shows in your thick skin. By that logic, no merchant would be without a sword, and even bandits could become merchants.”

“… Surely you’re not pretending not to know? Do you really not know how many such people there are in this world?”

“……”

When Gelmir looked at him strangely, Wendigo was at a loss for words. Indeed, it wouldn’t be strange if the merchants of this world were former bandits.

Considering they had taken human-faced trees, the merchants of this world were certainly quite mad…

“Let’s stop this trivial war of words. We’re not on speaking terms anyway.”

Wendigo raised his ice sword and emitted killing intent.

Gelmir raised his weapons and subtly probed the possibility of negotiation.

“Perhaps you’d consider a peace negotiation? I’ll pay dearly for the rudeness, so let’s rebuild our relationship from the beginning.”

“What reason is there for a wolf that has shown its fangs once not to show them again? I have no intention of taking such a risk.”

“No matter how much of a spirit encompassing the forest you are, do you think you can return unscathed against hundreds of warriors?”

Gelmir sincerely didn’t want to fight. Even if he gave his all to defeat Wendigo, the gains wouldn’t be worth it.

Unlike the original plan, it was now impossible to establish a hierarchical relationship and make deals with Wendigo.

Rather, paying the price for rudeness and repelling the warriors would be beneficial for future plans.

If he could persuade and absorb the warriors who had lost their chieftains, then again…

“Honestly, it might be burdensome if I faced them alone.”

“Right. So, a moderate peace treaty…”

“But who said I was alone?”

“… Damn it.”

Gelmir bit his lip, recalling the truth he had been forcibly ignoring.

Of course, he didn’t come alone!

<■■■■■■■■!>

Wendigo’s roar struck Gelmir.

The talismans protecting Gelmir’s body shook violently and shattered, protecting him, but they couldn’t suppress the roar.

The roar pushed away the fog covering the forest.

“It’s the spirit’s signal!”

“Protect the forest! Repay the spirit’s grace even at the cost of your life!”

The warriors who realized that the chilling roar was Wendigo’s signal began to act.

Dozens of arrows were shot targeting the enemies, and blood-hungry wolves raced through the forest at the riders’ commands.

When warriors wearing bone helmets charged while singing cruel hymns, giving themselves over to fanatical fervor, the alliance warriors couldn’t come to their senses.

“Wolves are coming from behind! We need to stop them right… Argh!”

“Shields, those with shields quickly block the arrows! We’re all going to die at this rate!”

“If you have time to talk about shields, stop those madmen first! Before all the damn shields are smashed!”

How well could warriors who had lost their chieftains respond in a situation where even the most loyal warriors would be flustered?

Gelmir glanced at this miserable sight and rushed towards Wendigo.

He instinctively realized that he couldn’t survive here without taking down Wendigo.

As he ran, Gelmir took out a bronze chain from his chest and threw it towards Wendigo.

Chalarruk!

“I command the chain, bind this spirit to this land!”

The chain that instantly wrapped around Wendigo’s arm exerted its power according to Gelmir’s command. It trapped the spirit in its body so it couldn’t escape.

Spirits are beings who extremely dislike wasting mystery.

If they couldn’t abandon their body and escape, spirits had no choice but to compromise or fight prepared to return to nature.

Of course, Gelmir was aiming for the former. He judged that even Wendigo would compromise if the losses became too severe.

‘… It’s having no effect?’

Wendigo, unaware of Gelmir’s intentions, was merely puzzled. It wasn’t any kind of restraint for Wendigo, who didn’t even know if he could leave his body in the first place.

Not knowing this, Gelmir drew up his shamanism. The tattoo carved with giant’s blood made his body large and powerful, and the shamanism imbued in his armor, shoes, and bracelet assisted him.

Having finished his preparations, Gelmir shouted a battle cry and swung his axe towards Wendigo’s legs.

‘He’s fast!’

Wendigo was quite surprised by Gelmir’s agility. It was a speed comparable to Oneton among those he had seen so far.

The ice sword drew a large arc aiming for Gelmir’s neck, but Gelmir, aided by shamanism, quickly avoided the ice sword and left a wound on Wendigo’s leg.

It was a small wound, but Wendigo frowned.

“That axe is also imbued with shamanism. And quite a nasty one at that.”

“It’s an axe that has been with me all my life. What better material could there be for a shaman!”

Gelmir’s axe had drunk the blood of hundreds of people throughout its life with its owner, and had cut the necks of five monsters and two spirits.

Such items are imbued with mysterious power even without shamans casting spells on them. It’s a kind of naturally occurring shamanism.

Among such items, Gelmir’s axe was imbued with quite a nasty power, forcing unending bleeding on the opponent and worsening wounds.

‘With this, I can drag that guy to the negotiation table!’

Gelmir burned with fighting spirit as he barely avoided Wendigo’s ice sword.

As he increased the wounds one by one, even Wendigo would grimace and attempt negotiations!

‘It’s not as great a shamanism as I thought. Just a power that prevents wounds from healing?’

Having grasped the nature of the shamanism, Wendigo healed the wound with mystery without a moment’s hesitation.

Of course, the shamanism imbued in the axe resisted, but it didn’t matter. The overwhelming wave of mystery shattered the shamanism lingering in the wound.

“It’s nothing much.”

“!?”

When Wendigo recovered the wound as if it really was nothing, Gelmir was shocked and faltered.

The shamanism imbued in the axe was not something to be taken lightly. It was such a terrible shamanism that in the past, a warrior who was slightly cut by the axe blade died because the wound wouldn’t heal…

“Just how much mystery do you have to use such a brute force method!?”

“I have no reason to answer you.”

Flinch.

Gelmir was startled when Wendigo’s ice sword flew towards his neck and tried to dodge.

However, Gelmir, who had stopped moving due to shock, found it difficult to avoid the ice sword.

Slash!

“Kughk!?”

He barely avoided having his neck cut off, but due to a moment’s carelessness, Gelmir’s shoulder was sliced.

Wendigo had said that the shamanism imbued in Gelmir’s axe was nasty, but in fact, Wendigo’s mystery wasn’t much different.

As terrible cold spread from the wound center, making the flesh rot, Gelmir endured the oncoming pain and took out a medicine from his chest.

A healing potion made using troll’s liver, snake’s shed skin, and dozens of medicinal herbs.

Gelmir hurriedly widened the distance and poured the medicine into his mouth. Wendigo had no intention of giving such an opening, but…

“I command the sword. Strike him with lightning!”

The sword made from the bones of a lightning wolf flashed and spewed lightning.

As the lightning flew, Wendigo swung his ice sword towards it. Sensing that he couldn’t avoid it, his body moved on its own.

Of course, there was some calculation.

The calculation that his sturdy body should be able to withstand lightning!

‘Surely I won’t die from being hit by lightning!’

Fortunately, his calculation was accurate. When the ice sword and lightning collided, the lightning disappeared with a thunderous noise.

Gelmir clicked his tongue when the lightning failed to inflict significant damage and rushed towards Wendigo again.

‘Even if I’m injured, I’ll leave a fatal wound!’

As he was cut by Wendigo’s sword, Gelmir became certain. He was certain that if he failed to land a proper hit on him, there would be no next time.

Gelmir, who had called upon the giant’s power to the point of damaging his body, caused the shamanism imbued in the sword to go berserk.

The sword, cracking and starting to emit light.

Gelmir swung that sword fiercely towards Wendigo. The sword imbued with only the obsession to cut him collided with Wendigo’s ice sword…

Kwaaang!

With an explosion, thick lightning shattered Wendigo’s ice sword. Wendigo looked at Gelmir with great surprise.

He hadn’t expected the ice sword to be shattered.

And Gelmir saw that gaze as an opening and dove in.

Gelmir swung his axe, aiming for Wendigo’s shoulder.

“Die!”

“!”

Kwajik!

Gelmir’s axe dug into Wendigo’s shoulder. Gelmir was about to make the shamanism imbued in the axe go berserk as well.

At that moment, Wendigo’s hand grabbed Gelmir’s arm. Gelmir tried to shake off Wendigo’s hand but couldn’t.

His arm slowly began to freeze.

“It hurts. No, does it not hurt? I’m not sure.”

“Damn…”

Gelmir, who had drawn out shamanism to its limit, tried to cut off Wendigo’s shoulder, but…

When Wendigo’s other hand grabbed the axe, ice grew and swallowed the axe. The axe failed to go berserk and was sealed as it was.

“If possible, I wanted to kill you cleanly…”

“Let go!!!”

Gelmir, with both hands sealed, spat blood and cursed, but Wendigo didn’t care at all.

Even in a situation where he couldn’t use both hands, Wendigo could kill Gelmir sufficiently.

Kwadeuk!

“Kuhek…”

Wendigo’s teeth bit into Gelmir’s shoulder and neck. No, tore would be a more accurate description.

With half his neck, shoulder, and part of his upper body torn off, Gelmir spat blood and felt dejected.

‘I lived too long. To make such a reckless plan without knowing his true nature.’

He acknowledged his mistake only at the very end.

Wendigo left some parting words for the dying Gelmir.

“Live a good life in your next life.”

“Bull… shit.”

Gelmir, who never expected to hear such words from a spirit, briefly cursed and breathed his last.

---

With the death of Gelmir, who was practically the leader of the alliance, the morale of the alliance instantly hit rock bottom.

It was useless even if other chieftains and shamans shouted at the top of their lungs. The situation had already tilted too far.

To put it bluntly, even if they could handle the arrows, wolf riders, and bone-helmeted warriors, Wendigo still remained.

“We-We surrender!”

“Please spare us! We were just deceived by Gelmir!”

Even warriors who valued honor feared death. As one by one began to surrender, the warriors all threw down their weapons and begged for their lives without exception.

Of course, with the warriors surrendering, there were no shamans or chieftains left. What could those who had set out on the expedition using numbers as their weapon do now that they had lost their weapons?

All the bound shamans and chieftains could do was curse the world, curse the incompetent warriors, and curse the dead Gelmir.

And even that they couldn’t do when Wendigo appeared.

Wendigo, who had joined his subordinates, pointed at the prisoners and asked a nearby warrior:

“Why are they frozen like that?”

“Well, that’s…”

The warrior avoided Wendigo’s gaze, unable to utter blasphemous words.

Watching this, Geron sighed and gestured to Wendigo, asking him to lower his head.

When Wendigo lowered his head, Geron carefully whispered:

“It’s because there’s blood on your mouth.”

“Ah. I had forgotten about that.”

Only then did Wendigo remember that Gelmir’s blood was on his mouth and nodded.

Indeed, it was natural to be afraid when a giant with blood on his mouth looked down at you.

“Well, that’s fine. Geron, prepare to send missives.”

“Missives, you say?”

When Geron asked in puzzlement, Wendigo pointed at the chieftains and shamans and said:

“They have missives to send. Please prepare the fastest ones possible.”

“I still don’t quite understand the reason… but alright.”

Geron gathered parchment and charcoal from somewhere and distributed them to the prisoners.

The prisoners turned pale and pleaded with Wendigo:

“Please, please spare our lives!”

“We’ll serve you with all our loyalty! If you wish, we’ll even offer our tribe’s virgins as sacrifices, so please, just our lives!”

“Have you suddenly gone mad? I’m not telling you to write your wills.”

When the prisoners misunderstood, Wendigo corrected them with a serious expression. However, the prisoners didn’t easily believe Wendigo’s words.

In this situation, what missives could they send if not their wills?

Wendigo clicked his tongue and ordered them:

“Call all those with succession rights to the forest.”

“Pardon?”

A chieftain asked back at the incomprehensible order. Immediately, warriors struck the chieftain’s head with sword handles and began trampling him mercilessly.

“How dare you question the order!”

“Be grateful your head is still attached!”

“Aaagh! I’m sorry. I’m sorry!!!”

The chieftain writhed, beaten to a pulp by the warriors’ harsh treatment.

Watching this, the prisoners hurriedly picked up charcoal and began writing missives.

Though they didn’t understand the reason…

They didn’t want to die being beaten like that.