Ch.14First Mission

The carriage arrived at a small mountain village on the outskirts. They hadn’t actually entered the mountains, as the carriage couldn’t go any further.

“Get out!”

At Karnok’s command, the three people disembarked. As soon as she got off, Sae-erin approached the horse. Having never seen such an animal in her homeland, she was curious.

‘Its entire body is muscular. So strong. They said it can easily carry loads and run for long periods with people on its back…’

The small girl’s hand gently stroked the horse’s head. The black horse seemed to enjoy her touch.

A gentle smile spread across Sae-erin’s face. She found it truly regrettable that horses had no resistance to cold.

“Sae-erin. Stop admiring the horse and come over here.”

It was her superior calling. Sae-erin obediently responded to Karnok’s summons.

Karnok looked at the three children now under his charge. Though they all still showed signs of youth, they were skilled swordsmen. Except for Flora, the other two even carried the faint scent of blood.

‘Since they have experience killing, I’m not too worried, but…’

His concern was Flora. Simulated experience and real combat experience were different. A moment’s hesitation at a critical time could cost her life.

Karnok decided to keep a close eye on Flora.

“Listen as we move. Reincarnators are broadly divided into two types. One group comes from a place called ‘Murim,’ and the other from a place called the ‘Current World.’ Though they use different languages and possess different kinds of knowledge, that’s how we generally categorize them. If we were to be more specific…”

Sae-erin nodded. This was content she had already learned. After completing their training regimen, they had gathered for lessons about reincarnators. Though she couldn’t understand the writing on the blackboard, she remembered what she had heard.

“This reincarnator is from Murim. All the characteristics match. Murim reincarnators grow strong in a short time and absorb the energy around them, greatly affecting the natural environment… like this.”

As Karnok spoke, he touched the thick undergrowth beside the mountain path. Despite it clearly being summer, the plants and trees in the mountains had already turned brown.

Crackle—

When Karnok’s hand touched it, the brown grass crumbled as if decomposed. Looking closer, everything in the mountains seemed devoid of vitality.

Even the usual sounds of insects were absent.

“What do you think would happen to this world if there were many such beings?”

“Food would become scarce… the whole world would starve.”

“Correct.”

Karnok smiled with satisfaction at Sae-erin’s answer.

After walking along the mountain path for some time, Karnok’s group soon arrived at the small mountain village.

Everyone except Karnok placed their hands on their weapons. They sensed movement from within the village.

“Oh! You’ve finally arrived! Are you from the Blue Wing?”

What emerged from the village was a portly middle-aged man. Waddling out like a rolling ball, the man looked up at Karnok while panting heavily.

Karnok stepped back and pulled out his knight’s insignia from his breast pocket.

“I am Karnok, vice-captain of the Blue Wing of the Karma Empire Knights. Are you alone?”

“Yes! Yes! That’s right!”

“We received a report and came. Where is the reincarnator?”

“Ah, that bastard went up there and built a castle… Such a brutal fellow, he massacred the villagers and took all our food… I only survived by hiding in a hurry… Sob!”

Karnok looked toward the middle of the mountain at the man’s words. A large structure jutted out, visible even from a distance. It was a massive wooden fortress.

Sae-erin walked past the village chief and Karnok, entering deeper into the village. Theo and Flora gave her warning glances for acting on her own, but Sae-erin paid no attention.

‘There’s no smell of blood.’

Sae-erin’s sense of smell was extremely sensitive. She could detect even dried blood on the ground. Yet, there was no scent of blood in this village.

Sniff, sniff—

The middle-aged man had said the reincarnator massacred the villagers. If that were true, there should have been at least a faint smell of blood.

‘Rather than blood… I smell oil and metal.’

No one had died in this village within the past month, at least. With her hand on her sword, Sae-erin asked the middle-aged man:

“Hey. When did the villagers die?”

“What? Well, that… a week… ago, perhaps…?”

Sae-erin frowned. There was no way she wouldn’t detect blood spilled a week ago. Her hesitation vanished.

Swish—!

The sword drawn from Sae-erin’s hand pierced a haystack at the village entrance. It happened so quickly that the middle-aged man couldn’t even react.

Immediately after, the haystack trembled, and red blood flowed out from inside.

Watching this, Karnok spoke with a hint of amusement:

“Not bad.”

“W-what! What are you doing…!”

Karnok placed his hand on the panicking middle-aged man’s shoulder. With that light touch, the man collapsed to the ground.

“Guh, guaaagh…!”

“Don’t you know it’s a grave crime to collude with a reincarnator? How dare you set a trap to kill imperial knights… Do you have ten lives to spare?”

Just as the middle-aged man screamed in agony, people armed with swords and spears rushed out from within the village.

Karnok narrowed his eyes and threw the middle-aged man behind him. The impact tore off the man’s arm, and the rest of his body rolled across the dirt.

Karnok said:

“This is your first real battle. Handle it yourselves.”

Even before Karnok spoke, Flora and Theo had already drawn their swords. They weren’t oblivious either. Having quickly assessed the situation, the two rushed to join Sae-erin.

A week is a short time. However, it was enough for these three talented individuals to become accustomed to each other’s rhythms.

The trio’s swords covered three directions.

Karnok watched, sitting on a stone wall.

“If you drop your weapons and surrender now, I’ll let you off with light labor. Surrender peacefully.”

At Karnok’s words, hesitation appeared on the people’s faces. In that moment, Sae-erin lunged forward and slashed deeply across the chest of the person at the front.

Slash—!

Red blood spurted out. Sae-erin never spared anyone she identified as an enemy. A definitive execution. Cutting off their breath was the only way to ensure safety.

The sword in her hand rotated lightly and pierced through the chest of the man who had fallen to the ground.

Sae-erin couldn’t understand the villagers’ choice. Reincarnators were evil. They were disasters that trampled peace. The choice of these villagers to side with a reincarnator ignited a fire in Sae-erin’s heart.

At that moment, the villagers began their counterattack.

“K-kill them! They’re just children!”

“Kill them! Master Chaeju is watching!”

“Don’t back down!”

Battle cries mixed with excitement and fear. As the villagers rushed toward Sae-erin, Flora and Theo jumped in front of her.

“Sae-erin!”

“Oh no…!”

Clang—! Clash—!

Sae-erin, Theo, and Flora skillfully deflected attacks coming from all directions. However, surprise soon appeared on their faces.

The villagers’ attacks were much stronger than expected.

Clang—!

Each attack was heavy, as if they were using mana to strengthen their bodies.

Clash—!

This wasn’t the sloppy swordsmanship commonly found in marketplaces. It was clearly a systematically developed sword technique.

The three gritted their teeth and began to utilize their mana. They weren’t being pushed back, but they couldn’t push forward either.

Sae-erin clenched her teeth. To break through that massive formation, she needed to change tactics.

She regulated her breathing and lightened her steps. The imperial sword technique was overlaid with the skills of the White Frost tribe. Just then, a spear lying on the ground caught Sae-erin’s eye.

Originally, Sae-erin didn’t use a sword. The weapon she had used all her life was a spear. She had hunted beasts with her siblings, running across the snow-white plains.

Sae-erin dropped her sword. Immediately, she kicked up the fallen spear and grabbed it.

Whoosh—!

The spear swept widely, dominating the space. Mana in her small hands compensated for her lack of physical strength, and as she released her held breath, a beast-like aura exploded.

“Grrrr…”

Like a small puppy growling, Sae-erin let out a low growl and thrust the spear with all her might.

Slash—!

The spear blade, dominating the wide space, pierced through the neck of the man standing in front. The strong shockwave from the mana enveloped the front, momentarily disrupting the villagers’ formation.

“Now!”

At Sae-erin’s shout, Theo and Flora rushed forward.

The change Sae-erin created was very effective. Although the spear broke after only a few uses, forcing her to pick up a sword again, Sae-erin, Theo, and Flora were able to subdue the villagers without a single injury.

“Huff… huff…”

“Hah… hah…”

“Ha…”

The three panted, standing amidst numerous corpses. Sae-erin frowned at the pain that belatedly found her. Her palm was torn, and blood was flowing.

It was her sibling’s blood. She couldn’t waste it.

Sae-erin stuck out her tongue and licked the blood.

Watching this, Theo and Flora’s faces turned red.

‘What kind of expression is that…’

Theo licked his lips.