EPISODE 11

In places like this, the real challenge came after I soared upward. Choosing a landing point carefully was crucial, so I had scouted for one in advance while clinging to the rock wall.

With my landing spot in mind, I launched into the air and landed exactly where I had planned. Without hesitation, I bolted away.

The impact of my landing shook the cliff path, which began to collapse with a loud rumble almost instantly. It was clear that this path had been unstable from the start.

"It is collapsing!"

"R-run!"

Only then did the rest of the group realize the danger and understand what I had been warning them about. They followed me without hesitation.

I didn't need to look back to know the path behind me was crumbling.

It wasn't a full-scale landslide, but it was significant. If we were caught in it, we wouldn't even be able to recover our bones.

I could feel the presence of people following close behind. They seemed a bit frustrated.

"Can't you run a bit faster?"

"I wish. This is the maximum speed."

Somehow, seeing the knights' impatience made me happy.

I ran, laughing, despite being out of breath. The knights and Arjan followed behind me while gasping.

We sprinted desperately until we were finally clear of the cliff.

***

Each attribute of the Supreme Art of All Time possessed unique strengths and weaknesses.

For instance, the Forest Planting Technique, which Eldest Senior Brother had mastered, was the simplest martial art and was characterized by its straightforwardness.

Like a giant tree growing resolutely upward, it was most effective when one focused solely on a single goal, cutting away distractions like twigs.

Thus, in the grand scheme of things, Eldest Senior Brother had only mastered one martial art.

Similarly, the Dark Iron Demon Controlling Technique, mastered by Second Senior Sister, and the Ten Thousand Transformation Diamond Technique, mastered by Fourth Senior Brother, each had their own defining characteristics.

Then what was the greatest strength of the First Fire Technique I had mastered? It was recovery.

At first, one would wonder what flames had to do with recovery. Yet, since ancient times, flames had symbolized life and regeneration.

By mastering this skill, my physical recovery improved significantly.

This recovery didn't refer to the healing of wounds but was instead most effective in physical training, as it maximized one's metabolism. This allowed for the rapid regeneration of overworked muscles.

In short, it drastically reduced the time required to build my body's strength. This was also why I was hiking without relying on my internal energy.

Of course, it wasn't without its flaws.

First, the pain it inflicted on my body was unimaginable.

Movement was preferable to rest because staying still made my entire body ache as though it were being torn apart—a side effect of the super-fast recovery process.

Secondly, the amount of food I needed to consume was another challenge.

I scratched my head and handed the plate to Osel. "Give me more food."

"I think you've had enough," Osel replied.

"I need to eat a lot because I'm growing," I countered.

"Food should be conserved as much as possible," Osel insisted.

"Why? If we run out, we can just catch some wild animals and eat them," I said.

Osel sighed at my suggestion. "Young Master Luan, we are knights, not hunters. Do you think hunting wild animals here is easy? In some ways, it's even more challenging than slaying monsters."

This fellow's tone was annoying, but he wasn't wrong. Hunting a beast in the mountains was a lot of work.

Besides, this was a mountain range full of monsters. The animals here were probably far more clever and perceptive than other animals.

If it doesn't work, I can just pick some fruit and eat it.

This wasn't ideal, though. Meat was essential to replenish energy.

Given Osel's attitude, it didn't seem like he would readily part with his food.

I took out some beef jerky, chewed on it, and said, "By the way, I heard that monsters appear even at the foothills. But it is quieter than I expected."

Arjan, who was standing next to me, nodded. "That's right. Maybe we will get through without encountering a single one."

A growl echoed the moment the words left her mouth.

"Oh no!" I blurted out as a monster emerged from the parted bushes before us.

***

The most common obstacles I had faced in my life as a mercenary weren't people but monsters.

Of course, I had battled many kinds of monsters during my years in the trade, and the ones standing before me were no exception.

They had stupid-looking faces and primitive clothing and were known for their regenerative powers—a defining characteristic of their kind. These were trolls, a species regarded as relatively high-level even among the green-skin types.

Five trolls had appeared. As I faced them, I understood for the first time why the Jewel Mountains were deemed a Forbidden Zone.

They are big.

It wasn't appropriate to use the term average when describing monsters, but trolls usually didn't grow larger than three meters.

However, these ones seemed to be at least 1.5 times bigger than any troll I had encountered.

If a horse stood at one and a half meters and the standard size for a troll was three meters, then these monsters were about four to five meters tall—equivalent to the size of a house walking around.

"Get ready to fight!" Osel hollered, and the knights quickly formed a line.

Perhaps sensing their fighting energy, the trolls charged recklessly.

I would like to fight with one of them myself.

Although physical fatigue had been building, I didn't think it would be a problem to handle a single troll.

I was itching to use the White Sun Eclipse in real combat, but I knew the knights, and even Arjan, would never allow it.

For now, I chose to watch the battle with anticipation. This was my chance to properly observe the renowned Fang Knights' skills.

Blue Sword Qi surged from the knights' swords.

Knights were typically skilled in wielding Blade Mana, and the dark hue of the shimmering blue flames revealed their level of mastery.

The higher the density of mana, the more transparent the flames appeared visually.

"Avoid unnecessary attacks! Finish them off with the first strike!" Osel instructed the knights.

I was slightly surprised by Osel's instructions as it was quite tricky to kill a troll with a single strike. As a higher species of monster, its skin was thick and its bones were strong. Meanwhile, its regenerative power was not to be underestimated.

However, difficulty didn't equate to impossibility. The brain and heart were common weaknesses for all living things. Even a troll couldn't recover if these two parts were damaged.

In short, Osel's instructions were difficult but accurate.

Despite these precise instructions, I noticed some slack in the knights' battle line.

Was the battle so intense that they didn't realize it?

At that moment, a troll forced its way through the weak spot, causing the formation to collapse.

"Oh no!"

"Be careful!"

Amid the knights' bewildered shouts, a troll charged toward me while roaring. At the same time, something fast streaked past me.

Bam!

A dazzling flash of light erupted, and the troll stopped moving. Its appearance seemed unchanged at first glance, but I could see a small hole in its throat, with blood quickly filling the cavity.

I glanced to the side and saw Arjan with a thin dagger in her hand.

"Arjan, you are great," I praised.

"You're overpraising me," she replied.

I wasn't being sarcastic. I was just genuinely impressed.

Then I saw Arjan put away her dagger, and I immediately started nagging, "However, your experience seems to be biased toward combat with people."

She was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Trolls can't die like this," I pointed out.

At that moment, the troll roared, jumped up, and charged again. I quickly rotated the ring on my index finger once. It was the Ring Sword, an artifact from the mansion.

A faint glow appeared around the ring, which then transformed into a sword with a sleek design.

I took a big step forward and plunged the sword into the wound that Arjan had inflicted earlier on the troll's throat.

Blood gushed from the troll's blocked airway, and its eyes turned blood red, soon spilling tears of blood.

I attacked at the same vital point twice. No matter how tenacious, it couldn't hold on.

In many ways, trolls were monsters one couldn't let their guard down around. I took into account that this was a mutated monster and finished it off by repeatedly stabbing its vital points.

By the time I wiped the blood off my face, the knights' battle was gradually winding down.

Osel came running toward me, though belatedly. "Young Master Luan?"

I stared at his face for a moment without responding. There was nothing unusual about his urgent expression or his apparent concern for me.

"Ah," I uttered in realization as I remembered the incident on the cliff road.

When the road had suddenly collapsed, I hadn't been tired enough to lose my footing.

It wasn't unusual that Arjan, who had been walking ahead from the start, had been slow to react.

But what about the knights behind me?

They had to have seen me staggering, and they hadn't been that far away. If they wanted to, wouldn't they have been able to catch me before I fell?

Of course, I wasn't sure if this was the case and I could be just overthinking things. I had to see how things played out for now.

Yet, a similar coincidence occurred again when a gap formed in the formation. It was a minor gap, one that didn't align with the swift movements the knights displayed.

I had one annoying habit—always assume the worst.

The moment I felt a budding doubt, I recalled a certain someone's face.

Not only did psychological warfare come into play, but there were also various tricks, schemes, and operations at work. In any case, Fourth Senior Brother was an expert in such underhanded tactics.

Fourth Senior Brother would often say, "Treat your friends with a smile, and your enemy with an even bigger smile."

Just then, Osel approached, his voice flustered. "Are you okay?"

I smiled, as Fourth Senior Brother had advised. "I'm fine."