Chapter 110: Prisoner Lee Han (3)

Sand Worms were originally creatures that lived in desert areas, so it was rare to find them in the Southern Continent—which had so many dense forests. The reason why there were so many Sand Worms there was because the people in the Southern Continent committed a crazy act of ‘importing’ those things from the desert.

Although, one couldn’t really call it crazy. After all, it was the reason why they lived in prosperity.

As revealed by some alchemists in the past…

-With Sand Worms, our kingdom’s food production would increase by about five times of its current rate!

After the research data was revealed, the kingdom immediately made their move. They went to the desert, captured the Sand Worms, and cultivated them.

Unlike what the alchemist had stated, the fertilizer that the Sand Worms spit out didn’t boost the kingdom’s food production by five times, but by a whopping ten times. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this was a historical achievement as it had erased any kind of food shortage.

Although, the research results of these alchemists, and the information about the Sand Worms had to be kept secret.

Why?

To put it simply…

Nothing good will come of it if it’s known.

Indeed. The moment the truth about the Sand Worms and fertilizer was revealed to the world, it would create a massive uproar. It was because the nature of the fertilizer that the Sand Worms spit out was actually none other than the corpses of the monsters or humans they ate. Meanwhile, the people who cultivated and fermented those fertilizer with soil and fallen leaves were none other than the kingdom’s prisoners.

Also, it was a well-known fact that Sand Worms wasn’t the kind of monsters who’d eat dirt. Rather, they were ‘monsters that loved to eat meat’.

[Kwaaaaah!]

Hence, there would be nothing good that would come of it if the people were to know what the fertilizer they used was made of.

…It was something that had to be kept secret until the end.

[Keeee!!!]

[Kee-!]

[Ke!!]

Sand Worms, or rather, Mini Worms, poured out in large numbers, writhing. The endless wave of the worms raised their heads from the dirt.

“H-Hey, what’s this?!”

“Monsters! Call the soldiers! The monsters are coming, monsters—!”

“It bit my arm! T-This damn monster!”

The Mini Worms were roughly of the same size as a small snake—in other words, small. So, the soldiers’ help wasn’t actually necessary. Even farmers who had never held a sword could easily kill them with a pickaxe.

However…

[Keeee!!!]

…There were just too many of them.

Hundreds, no, thousands of these snake-sized Sand Worms came out of the dirt. The amount was obviously beyond what normal people could handle, so it was something for the soldiers to handle, but… This place wasn’t only a prison for convicts, but also an execution ground.

In the Tunnel, the convicts’ death was a common occurrence. The soldiers’ had a duty to shoot whoever tried to escape, not keep them alive. Hence why the convicts were stuck in a desperate situation right now. And the best course of action they could choose was…

“Fight back you idiots! Fight!”

Indeed. Since no one would help them, they had no choice but to fight for their own lives, unless they’d rather be eaten by these Mini Worms and be turned into fertilizers themselves.

And so…

“Uaaaaakkkk!”

“Pick up your spea—no, your pickaxes and shovels!!”

Bang-!

Thud-!

Thud-!

A struggle for survival ensued.

As the convicts began to fight with all their might, there were no better words to describe such a situation.

Although, it didn’t apply to every convict there. Some of them were seemingly fighting leisurely.

Bang-!

“Phew! So this is what it feels to have our Combat Technique sealed. It’s really tough.”

“You’re still doing well, which means you haven’t been overly relying on your Combat Techniques. But, you wasted too much force. Keep that up, and you’ll get tired quickly. That’s why, if possible…”

Stab-!

“Do it like this.”

“W-What did you do?”

“I used my strength effectively. This way, not only will you reduce your stamina consumption, your strength will also become more concentrated, increasing the output. If you could practice it, your skills will improve by at least two to three times.”

“Thank you for teaching me, Senior!!”

“Sure, sure.”

While others were fighting for their lives, A certain pair were handling the situation leisurely. One of them even looked happy. It was as if this place hadn’t turned into a battlefield against monsters, but a training ground for the Swordsmanship Department cadets.

Lee Han and Yord. The pair of senior and junior were enjoying a friendly atmosphere that didn’t fit the situation at all.

“Are you two seriously going to do that in the middle of this situation, you training maniacs?!”

Jake shook his head at the ridiculous sight, but he still continued to kill the worms diligently. Hitting their necks weren’t enough to kill them—they had to beat them up thoroughly. Even though they looked like a mix of earthworms and mealworms, at the end of the day, they were still monsters. They had extraordinary regenerative powers, and if they were to fail to leave a killing blow…

“Kuaaaaak!!”

That would happen.

One of the convicts was being eaten by the worms. The sight was pitiful and cruel, but Jake didn’t feel sorry for him.

Although, it was only natural. After all…

That’s the bandit I saw on the wanted poster.

He was a convict who had plundered a village, and even killed a child.

There was no reason for him to feel sorry for the death of such a man. If anything, to him, dying to monsters was a luxurious death for that man.

They all fight well.

Most of the convicts who were sent to the Tunnel were those who had strong fighting skills. In other words, they were people that ordinary soldiers would find difficult to handle, which made sense as they were sent here to fight against these monsters.

If they succeeded in killing the worms, their corpses would turn into fertilizer, but if they ended up dying to the worms instead, the Worms would eat them and spit out fertilizer. In other words, this was a hell of endless suffering. No matter which side ended up dying, the results would be the same.

The saying was true. There’s nothing that’s as cruel as humans…

Jake Farman expressed his disgust towards the cruelty of the humans who had created this hell.

H-How do they all fight so well…?!

Arren could only see the three people slaughtering all the worms in front of him with wide eyes. He had barely managed to kill twenty, but these guys had killed over a hundred each.

This can’t be happening…!

Before he realized it, he was clenching his fists. The ‘monster’ being able to fight so well wasn’t the strange thing here. That guy had defeated over a hundred knights on his own, so it was a given. Moreover, these weren’t even adult Sand Worms, just Mini Worms. If anything, it would be strange if he lost instead.

But what about the other two?

Jake and Yord. He wasn’t familiar with the two knights’ names, and their strength also wasn’t as overwhelming as the monster’s. And yet, they still subdued the worms with extraordinary movements.

Both of them were strong. At least much stronger than the knights from the First Order.

Their Combat Techniques are supposed to be sealed!

Everyone who was thrown into the Tunnel was forced to drink a poison. Not a poison that would harm one’s body though, but rather one that would prevent the use of Combat Technique or magic.

Because of that, even if they were knights, they would be weaker than ordinary soldiers. Having one’s Combat Technique sealed was the equivalent of getting one’s arms and legs tied.

And yet, they were still this strong.

It was really an unbelievable sight.

Clench-!

“…Damn it!”

Arren, who had never uttered a single profanity in his life—as he had no reason to since he was born as a royal—somehow uttered one at this moment.

The discovery that he was such a weak human being…

…Frustrated him.

In a span of a day, the worms attacked five times in total, uncaring about the time.

As if to prove that they were monsters that were only true to their instincts, they’d appear whenever they felt hungry, uncaring whether it was night or dawn. Every time it happened, the convicts that were slow to react would die, and many of them died this way.

This successfully turned the place into an execution ground where the guillotine could fall on their necks at any time. As such, the convicts had no time to rest. By now, they knew the reason why the Tunnel was dubbed as ‘hell’.

However…

“Thank goodness these worms are weak.”

“…You’re saying those guys are weak?”

“Language.”

“…That’s not what I mean.”

“…Whatever, I’m not going to bother nitpicking your speech right now.”

Lee Han felt like hitting the back of Arren’s head, but soon shook his head, as if he didn’t have the energy to do so, and opened his mouth instead.

“Sand Worms that live in deserts are incredibly large and ferocious. Of course, they’re also strong. They’re desert creatures, they have to be strong to survive.”

“Then, the Sand Worms we killed today…”

“They’re weak. Maybe because they were bred? Anyway, since they had to adapt to the southern’s environment, they’re much smaller and weaker.”

“…”

“You’ve never actually seen a single Sand Worm before, haven’t you?”

“I-I did, in the records…”

“Oh, really? I see.”

“S-Stop looking at me with such pitiful eyes!!”

“…What the fuck are you doing, you idiot?”

Bam!

Arren suddenly lunged at him, as if he was throwing a tantrum, but then fell down after meeting Lee Han’s fist.

“…I swear I hit him gently…”

“His fatigue must have reached its limit…”

“What?”

“…He must have been tired.”

Though he didn’t want to, Jake ended up defending him anyway.

He just had that much respect towards the royal family.

“This is why spoiled young masters are no good.”

However, Lee Han just clicked his tongue, showing his disdain of the young master’s conduct.

I brought him here to give him some mental education. Who knows he’d be so useless…

“Still, his talent is the real deal. He fought well even without his Combat Technique.”

“Sure, but you two can do it too, no?”

“Well, in our case, you taught us how to a few days ago, Senior Lee Han.”

Indeed. Jake and Yord were trained on how to fight without Combat Technique by Lee Han before the mission started. It was an unusual consideration from him, but this was his way of appreciating his friend and the junior that he particularly was fond of.

However, it wasn’t the case with Arren. Lee Han didn’t show such consideration to the guy, and instead just dragged him along.

Knights were people who weren’t used to fighting without using Combat Techniques—to them, that was the equivalent of fighting with one of their limbs tied down. If it was any other knight who was put in Arren’s situation, he wouldn’t be able to endure it at all.

In other words, Arren was a pretty talented knight.

But, even if he was talented, it wouldn’t make the situation any easier for him. Hence why the two knights suspected that the real reason why Lee Han brought him here was to harass him rather than educate him.

“Harass him? Do I look like I have that much free time?”

“Are you trying to tell me that you’re really going to educate him?”

“Yes.”

Why did Lee Han bring that useless guy to the Tunnel?

It was because the guy never apologized to him.

That one thing angered him enough, but there was another thing that angered him even more than that.

“A royal being used by others… Ridiculous.”

He really disliked the idea of royals being used by their subordinates.

Hence why he wanted to pull out that rotten root.

To do that, he needed the guy to grow up.

Hearing Lee Han’s words…

“…”

“Huh? Why are you giving me that look?”

“…Nothing. I just think that you’re a kinder person than I expected.”

“What?”

“…I mean, it’s obvious that you aren’t kind to him just because he’s a royal. Unlike me, you don’t have any respect towards the royalty.”

“…”

“I’ve never taken you for someone who’d show this kind of kindness to someone…”

“…”

“Lee Han?”

“…Ahem.”

Instead of answering his friend’s call, Lee Han just averted his gaze.

…He’s right, it doesn’t feel like me at all…

Lee Han didn’t want to admit it, but at this point, he had to.

After all, he was suffering from ‘making things harder from himself’.

As for why…

…Is it sympathy?

After thinking about it a little, it seemed like he was ‘sympathizing’ with the worthless Eighth Prince.

But why did he sympathize with the guy?

Because he’s a fool who doesn’t even know he’s being used by others…

Indeed. Looking at him made Lee Han remember a certain idiot from the past. His past self.

Him back when he just entered the army and became sergeant. Back when he wasn’t even aware that he was being used by others, when he thought that as long as he could work hard, everything would be okay.

Hence why he felt bad for the guy. Even though he was born as someone better than him, and was more talented than him, he was living a miserable life. His idiocy let things go this bad.

But still…

Maybe, this will help him, even if it’s just  a little…

Lee Han couldn’t help but wonder. Back then, if someone had told him, ‘Hey, you idiot! Come back to your senses!’ maybe he’d live a whole different life.

In a way, it was a vicarious satisfaction. He was curious how much the guy would change if he were to come to his face and say, ‘You’re really an idiot’.

Is this why people play games when they feel like raising something?

Because they want to see a different kind of life?

…Anyway, I don’t really have the right to call him an idiot.

Lee Han, who was starting to feel a little guilty for doing this, let out a bitter smile.

Fortunately, at that moment…

Thud-! Thud-!

“…You’re here.”

[I-Instructor. I brought you some antidotes and food.]

His collaborator appeared, allowing him to let go of his useless thoughts briefly.

The status window guy, who even had the Skill to turn invisible, appeared. As soon as he saw him, Lee Han teased him for being so late despite having such a convenient Skill.

“Why are you so late?”

[I-It was hard to get here… Y-You know, I could film a whole spy movie from that alone…]

“Excuses.”

[But, I’m telling the truth…]

Derrick felt wronged.

“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong, Max?”

“…Hmm, I sensed a familiar presence.”

“Presence?”

“Something like that. Anyway, let’s eat first. Didn’t you say today’s going to be a busy day?”

“O-Okay…”

The man nodded his head in an awkward manner at the words of the other man—someone who could be called a giant.

His size alone was enough to intimidate others, but he exuded a generous and innocent atmosphere—a rather unique vibe.

This man was none other than…

“Hahaha, anyway, is it true that a priest is going to come for the worship today?”

“Y-Yes! After hearing that a passionate believer like you is here, Max, he decided to come in person.”

“That’s great!”

Maximus Iron de Lionel.

The man who was dubbed as the Black Lion of the North.