episode_0024

Luckily, we found a cave to hide in before darkness descended on the desert.

It was a rock cave in the middle of the desert.

Someone may have already visited this cave, but there were traces of a campfire that had burned down and left only a pile of ashes.

Fururup-

‘….It’s delicious. Even if I eat it all the time… I never get tired of it.’

Today again, I pour down the special stew that Birong prepared.

Amazing umami and seasoned seasoning just right. And the ingredients prepared into bite-size pieces were the perfect stew.

I think I’ll remember this later…

I looked down at the colorful stew for a moment, then passed it back down to my throat.

-Eating something warm when it’s cold… it really tastes good.

-Thank you for today too. Biruong!

-Can’t you just be a chef? I think this would be enough even in the city center of the Sunrise Empire?

-At this level, just being an imperial chef is enough! Sigh..

It is safe to say that morning and night in the desert are different worlds.

Even in the fall, the sun was shining brightly, heating the sand and making it hotter than an ordinary summer. However, when the night fell, it was cold enough to be compared to winter.

Even though they were shivering from the sudden cold weather, the mercenary members joked around as they ate warm, delicious stew down their throats.

It was a really nice sight to see.

“…Captain.”

“Hmm. Hans. Why do you do that?”

“……..”

As I was looking at the mercenaries, Hans approached me. I could feel hesitation and anxiety in that expression.

“Chief. What happened to that body…”

“……”

“Are you sure you’re okay? No, probably not! How could a decent person… vomit blood..!”

“…Speak quietly. Hans. The good mood… will subside.”

“….Yes.”

Hans looked at the laughing and chatting mercenaries for a moment, then calmed down and sat down next to me.

Phew… I never thought the day would come so soon to talk about this.

I let out a slight sigh, looked at Hans, and continued the story.

“Hans. This request is for me… it will probably be the last request.”

“….Yes? What is that…”

“…I’m telling you this because you are the most… trustworthy. Of course, it’s not that I don’t trust other mercenary members. Among them, you are the most… responsible. Doesn’t he have a good personality? Needless to say, skill and effort are also important.”

“……Why did you give that to me… ah.”

As if realizing the meaning of my words, Hans stopped on the spot.

“…No, right? Captain… please say no…”

“…Hans. When I leave… you become the leader of the Scar mercenaries.”

“…………………..”

No matter how you look at it, Hans was a good fit to be the next leader of the Scar mercenaries. Hans, with his friendly personality and personality, gets along with everyone quickly.

However, he does not lack ability and talent, and his will and effort to never give up stand out.

Because Seris cannot follow her father’s will and become a leader. And Ceris also said that she would follow that will.

I asked the request quietly so that no one could hear it except Hans.

“Big…big…no…Captain…”

“…I’m sorry. For making you carry this weight.”

“……..”

Hans crouched down. I sobbed quietly.

It seemed like we were moving faster than expected and would arrive at our destination tomorrow, so I had to tell you this now.

‘Status window.’

[Name: Venice / Age: 29 / Male / Status: Indefinite.]

[Unique Ability (Magic Eye): This is an eye that can see magical power. You can see the trajectory of magic power and use magic power more smoothly.]

[Unique ability (talent identification): You can identify the other person’s talent. You can see your unique abilities and potential at a glance.]

[Unique ability (superior body): Your body is superior, as if it was created by God! Stamina, strength, situational judgment ability…. All other physical abilities are greatly improved!]

[Body Overload: Your alter ego is beyond the usable level. Your body will die 08:13 on the 3rd.]

Each time magical power was used, the period of vomiting blood became shorter. Clearly, the weight on my body was increasing day by day.

Every time I use magical power, the time at which my clone dies advances. If things had gone as planned, there should have been about 5 days left, but…

‘…only 3 days left.’

Due to the battle with the sand worm and concentrating magical energy to maintain the condition of the body, the lifespan decreased faster than expected.

“I trust you. If you are… you will be able to lead the mercenary group better than me.”

“Sorry… Because I didn’t notice… Because I couldn’t help…”

“…I’m sorry.”

I patted Hans on the shoulder, then got up and walked to the place where the mercenaries were talking.

“….. Was everyone resting well?”

“…Captain? Ah, yes! I was resting comfortably!”

-This is also thanks to the leader!

-It’s charming and nice~

Following Birong’s words, other mercenary members also responded with smiles.

“…The stars out there. Can you see it?”

To those who were conversing while looking at each other, he pointed to the stars that seemed to be falling from the sky.

“…Stars? Where… oh.”

-…wow.

-I didn’t see this…

-I want to show it to my family too.

The mercenary members couldn’t help but be amazed as they looked at the stars filled with stars in the background of the night sky, leaving no empty space.

Everyone seemed to be fascinated by the ecstatically beautiful, colorfully harmonious scene.

“…Do you see those twinkling stars? Those stars…are you.”

“Us…?”

“Okay. You… are like the stars that shine in the night sky. You will shine brightly in this world. I can be sure.”

“Haha, suddenly? Leader, are you in a mood today?!”

The mercenary members laughed like that. Yeah… you guys obviously. Even in this darkness, you will shine like the stars that illuminate the world.

“And. Vice-captain Seris.”

“……!”

“You…are like the entire universe encompassing all the stars. You… will go down in history and become a legend.”

Although we haven’t reconciled yet. I had feelings for Ceris more than anyone else.

Seris. No matter what anyone says… no matter what hardships and adversity you face. It will become a galaxy that shines brighter than anyone else.

“I trust you. No matter what anyone says… they are members of our Scar mercenary group.”

“”…………””

“…That was a long story. Rest in peace. I’m going to go to sleep now.”

…I heard that a lot. I left the dazed members behind without saying a word and went to sleep.

***

” I think this is the way, Captain! ”

“…Hmm. It seems correct to me.”

We woke up early in the morning and walked straight towards our destination. As we walked on the sand, we soon found the stairs leading to our destination.

‘…Who made these stairs?’

It was an elaborate staircase that took you down into a canyon of enormous height.

The stairs are as clean as if they were made by magic, and are carved just right for easy movement.

It must have been made using magic. Because there is magic in this world.

I heard that while there are people like us who can apply mana to swords and bodies, there are also magical ways to use mana to release it in countless forms.

“Go down. Don’t miss the border between the four pillars.”

So we started going down the long stairs. Because it was so high, it took quite a while to come down.

After everyone came down, including Seris, who was following behind. We looked around.

The sand cliff we had just been standing on was so high that it was difficult to raise our faces to see.

And the canyon we were standing in now was so wide on both sides that it seemed like a village could be built there.

After a while of being amazed by the canyon I had never seen before, I started heading towards my destination again. According to the map that came with the request, all you had to do was follow this road.

So, we moved forward slowly, keeping an eye out for whether sand worms would pop out from under our feet again or whether other monsters would come out.

I heard that this is a place where dangerous things happen every day, so much so that it was named Death Canyon.

***

weird. Let alone the monster, I couldn’t even find the shadow of the monster.

Now, if we go a little further… we will reach the location where the monster appeared, but there is no threat whatsoever.

‘…This is something strange.’

Some people may ask if this is a good thing, but if nothing happens to this extent, it actually makes me anxious.

“….this.”

When we almost reached our destination, we were able to spot the monster.

To be precise, we were able to find the corpses of dozens of sandworms. They all looked as if they had been torn apart by something, as if they had been unilaterally massacred.

…Most of them are 3 or 4 stars. Have you been hit so overwhelmingly?

Is this the difference between a 5-star monster and lower?

“…Go forward. From now on… be very careful. Just a little mistake can lead to annihilation.”

gulp-

The sound of someone swallowing was heard, and the mercenary members shook off their fear and strengthened their resolve.

As I walked a little further, an incredibly huge space appeared. In the distance, a large cave was visible, and this cavity was so magnificent that a small city could fit into it.

In a quiet space where nothing existed, tension overflowed like the calm before the storm.

“…Why is there nothing?”

“So… why… huh..!”

Thick-! Excited!

As we were looking around like that, we lowered our posture as we saw the terrible life that could be felt from the cave and the mana that could not be compared to the monsters before.

My heart was pounding like crazy, and the chill I felt in my back wouldn’t go away.

Thump-thump-thump.

Something walks out of the cave. Even though it is far away, the sound of those footsteps echoes through the empty canyon.

“…coming.”

As the being revealed its form, an unfathomable amount of mana and deadly force was released. An ordinary person would faint as soon as they encountered that force.

Thump-thump-thud.

-…Crazy, what is that…!

-I’ve never heard of anything like that…

-that. Isn’t it… a dragon that only appears in legends?

Craaa!

A monster that spreads its torn wings wide and lets out a roar so loud that it echoes across the canyon and even throughout the desert.

‘….crazy. A dragon?’

In various media, a creature described as the pinnacle of power or comparable to that of a god.

A being that appears in legends and is superior and stronger than any other living being.

Dragon.

The vertically slit pupils flash as they search for prey.

And at the same time, the monster started roaring towards us and running at crazy speed.

“….Fight with the determination to die!”

-……What’s wrong with dragons? I am not afraid…!

-Let’s go!

So, we started running at the same time, looking at the dragon running towards us.

today. We cut down legends. By cutting down the being that rivals God, we will become legends.