Chapter 114: Korea

The atmosphere, invisible and odorless like air, could only be sensed through the vague feeling of intuition.

For those lacking social awareness, grasping this atmosphere often led to great embarrassment. They’d agonize over how to read the room, but here at the barrier, such concerns were unnecessary.

The atmosphere at the barrier was so tense that anyone could sense it at a glance.

‘There are a lot of new recruits… no wonder everyone’s on edge.’

Fear spreads like a plague, instantly infecting people as it passes from one to another.

This section, being a training ground with many new recruits, seemed far more subdued than other areas.

“Why’re you all so jumpy? Anyone watching would think the barbarians had already invaded.”

“Senior…”

A few days ago, reports came in of unusual movements among the barbarian tribes beyond the barrier.

Rumor had it that several tribes whose locations were known had been massacred as if by magic, but the cause remained a mystery.

Some claimed it was the work of a powerful magic beast from uncharted territory, while others suggested it was the result of inter-tribal conflict. But despite the rumors, no one knew exactly what had happened.

Not knowing was frightening in itself.

If they knew precisely what had occurred, they could at least prepare. But now, the enemy was an unknown entity.

There was no way to prepare adequately. All they could do was strengthen the barrier’s defenses or continue training as usual.

“I understand how you feel, but don’t be too scared. It’s good not to be complacent, but if you’re too afraid, you might freeze up when it really matters.”

“Um… Senior, I heard you were on duty 12 years ago when the barbarians invaded.”

“What about it?”

“Well… I was just curious about what it was like then.”

“It was complete chaos. Some lunatic was climbing the barrier with bare hands, a knife in his mouth, without even a ladder. I thought I was going to lose my mind.”

“And… you’re not scared?”

“…Hey, lift your head and take a look below the barrier.”

The recruit looked puzzled but obediently raised his head to look down.

“What do you see?”

“…It’s high.”

“Yeah, it’s high. That bastard I mentioned earlier? He made it halfway up before an arrow to the head killed him.”

This barrier, while not an impregnable fortress, was certainly as formidable as the capital’s walls.

It was tall, reinforced with numerous protective spells, and its single gate was enchanted several times over compared to the rest of the wall.

The resident wizard once said it’d be faster to break through the wall than the gate.

“So don’t worry. If things go south, the wizard will turn the base of the wall into a sea of fire. Besides, look at me! I was even greener than you lot back then, and here I am, still kicking.”

My lighthearted words seemed to ease their tension a bit, and they all chuckled.

But I couldn’t bring myself to laugh, knowing one thing I hadn’t told them.

I survived that day, but most of my peers didn’t.

If a similar battle broke out now, I wondered how many here would survive – or if I’d even make it myself.

‘How bitter…’

Though not much older than them, watching these young men who hadn’t even lost their virginity die was always a sorrowful sight.

I was considering taking them to a brothel once things calmed down when one of the recruits spoke up.

“But what do you think happened in the uncharted territory?”

“Who knows… Probably a magic beast or a war among themselves. They said the bodies were torn to pieces, so I’d bet on a magic beast.”

The uncharted lands were deeply infused with demonic energy, occasionally giving birth to beasts far beyond ordinary magical creatures.

I once saw the Count bring back the carcass of such a beast he’d slain in the uncharted territory. Its might was so terrifying, I questioned if it was truly a living creature.

“This incident was probably caused by one of those beasts. Unless it was Koraea or something.”

“Koraea? What’s that?”

“Ah, this is a story I heard from my senior…”

This was a legend passed down among the barrier guards, though its authenticity was uncertain.

“About 70 or 80 years ago… they say a barbarian from the Koraea tribe broke through this barrier alone.”

This barbarian, known for using a peculiar martial art, reportedly shattered the gate with a mere wave of his palm, creating an immense shockwave.

After completely overwhelming the barrier, he advanced but was supposedly defeated by someone and retreated to the uncharted lands. It was a strangely anticlimactic story.

Usually, such tales end with a knight or the Count defeating the monster, but this one lacked such a conclusion.

Who would find satisfaction in a story where someone powerful enough to breach the barrier alone was defeated by an unknown figure and simply returned to the uncharted lands?

“Isn’t that just a made-up story? If something like that had happened, it would’ve caused a huge uproar at the time.”

“How can we verify something that happened decades ago? But don’t you think it’s a bit too poorly crafted to be an invented story?”

“Well… I suppose…”

Yet, it was puzzling why such a flawed story had persisted for so long without being forgotten.

This made everyone wonder if perhaps it really had happened.

“Well, even if it’s true, they said he looked middle-aged back then. So if he was around 30, he’d be 100 to 110 years old now.”

“Then even if he came back, he might collapse from back pain before breaking down the gate.”

“Probably, haha!!”

As everyone laughed along, enjoying the moment, a loud trumpet blast from afar shattered the atmosphere.

This trumpet signal indicated the appearance of a suspicious individual near the barrier, rather than an enemy attack.

“Lights!! Quick, shine the lights!!”

I skillfully operated the magical device placed on the barrier for nighttime enemy detection. The new recruits followed suit, illuminating the ground below.

“What is that…?”

The light revealed an old, bald man with a strange beard – half red, half blue – hanging down to his chest.

Well, ‘old man’ might not be the right term. Those pulsating, robust muscles were definitely not something an elderly person would possess.

“Senior… it can’t be Koraea, right?”

“…Are you crazy?”

Judging by his face, this old man looked no older than 60 at most, which didn’t match the timeline.

Even if the age did match, there was no way such an absurd, far-fetched story could actually come true.

“Then who on earth is that old man?”

“How should I know? That’s… what we’re about to find out.”

Perhaps this old man was connected to the barbarian tribe massacre in the uncharted territory.

Whether he was a survivor of that carnage or the one responsible for it, he surely knew something.

“You there, suspicious old man!! State your name!!”

A voice as mighty as that of a colossal magic beast, tens of meters tall, echoed throughout the barrier.

The new recruits, unaccustomed to such intimidating voices, trembled involuntarily. But I felt reassured and looked towards the source of the sound.

‘The knight has arrived!!’

This knight, famous as Count von Grund’s right-hand man, was a formidable warrior known to everyone in the area.

As everyone relaxed at his appearance, the old man slowly opened his mouth, and a thunderous voice boomed out.

“Baek Jeong-nam!!”

That thunderclap-like voice made everyone instinctively cover their ears, but they clearly heard the name.

Baek Jeong-nam. A strange name. As far as I knew, no barbarian tribe nearby used that naming format. Could he be from further away?

While I pondered these useless thoughts, the frowning knight shouted at the old man.

“Baek Jeong-nam!! This is the territory of House von Grund!! Turn back now!!”

“Von Grund… Ah yes, I know them well. Despite being the first to arrive, they only managed to establish this pathetic house.”

“W-What…!!”

I didn’t understand the meaning behind the old man’s words, but it was clear he harbored ill feelings towards House von Grund.

“You insolent wretch, I’ll come down there and behead you myself!!”

“No need to come down. I’ll be up there shortly.”

Saying this, the old man extended his palms towards the gate and thrust them forward with all his might, shouting.

“Bongchang!!!”

With this strange technique name, a shockwave surged forward, destroying the gate – said to be even stronger than the wall – and continued on, splitting the ground in two.

“Aaaargh!!”

As everyone struggled to keep their balance against the windblast from the technique, the old man, instead of entering through the destroyed gate, instantly scaled the barrier.

With all fingers interlocked except his index finger, he thrust his hand towards the knight.

“Junggeun!!!”

Three arrow-like shockwaves shot towards the knight’s body. His form shattered like an egg dropped to the floor, crumpling lifelessly to the ground.

“Koraea…”

The fictional character we thought someone had made up had now materialized before us, transcending decades.

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