EPISODE 16

Arjan started reading the note out loud, "A Jewel Beast's body holds immense value. Every part serves a purpose, from a single drop of blood to a piece of flesh.

"Brothers, you probably remember that the despicable head of the Badniker family elevated their status in the past by using the by-products obtained from defeating three Jewel Beasts.

"If we secure a Jewel Beast's entire body, it will provide a solid foundation for our church's revival.

"Of course, we can't overlook the dangers the Jewel Beasts pose. Yet, the reason no one has succeeded in defeating one in the seventeen years since the Iron-Blooded Lord isn't solely due to their strength. It's their elusiveness.

"Their habitats have remained undiscovered. Meanwhile, our church has succeeded in locating a Jewel Beast's habitant thanks to our brothers' brilliant performance.

"This Jewel Beast is shaped like a small mountain, with bluish scales and a bone-chilling aura. The church named it Sapphire Snake, based on its appearance and characteristics.

"We put our original mission on hold and used the mountain base to gather information about the Sapphire Snake. During this time, we discovered a rare elixir, the Infernal Solar Grass, and started experiments to mass-produce it.

"While our efforts showed promise, we soon faced setbacks, which arose due to a saboteur. It's someone our brothers are familiar with. We suspect the saboteur may be one of the Badnikers' Hunting Dogs, the Goodsprings' White Knights, or an Elite Imperial Ranger—"

"Arjan," I interrupted.

"Yes, Young Master Luan?"

"Can you summarize it in three sentences?" I asked.

The note wasn't very long, but it contained a lot of information.

Arjan looked sightly troubled at my request. "It seems that the Dark Church has been in the Jewel Mountains for a long time. Their goal is to defeat the Jewel Beast."

"Hmm."

"Is something the matter, Young Master Luan?" she asked.

I felt a sense of unease momentarily but nodded nonetheless. "No. It's nothing."

She wasn't entirely off the mark. The Jewel Mountains, being a Forbidden Zone, were an ideal place to evade the empire's attention. Given the circumstances, it seemed that the experiment with the Extreme Yang Grass took place in a base in the mountains.

Wait. Could the Fire Demon that went berserk after consuming the Extreme Yang Grass be one of their human experiments? The Dark Church could be behind it, sending him out into the world as a part of their experiment. If so, their base could be bigger than I expected.

"Then why did they bring me here?" I wondered aloud.

"This is just a guess, but I think they intended to use you as bait," Arjan commented.

"Bait?" I asked, puzzled.

"The note mentions a saboteur. If the person in question is tied to the Badniker family, they might have thought using you could draw them out," Arjan reasoned.

"Hmm. Me, bait..." I muttered.

The idea sounded ridiculous, but it wasn't entirely implausible.

Despite how pathetic I'd been during this time, I couldn't ignore the weight of my identity—the Iron-Blooded Lord's son. Of course, the illustrious lord had shown me no interest, not even at my death, but others couldn't easily confirm that.

I shifted my gaze from the note to the mountain range's map. It was covered in markings and patterns that I had never seen before, each radiating a sense of foreboding.

"This..." I paused. "It's what I think it is, isn't it?"

"Yes. It is the symbol of Hadenaihar," Arjan confirmed.

The symbol resembled a bright red moon—the mark of Hadenaihar, the Demon King of the Blood Moon.

The problem wasn't just the presence of the symbols. It was their sheer number. Worse still were their locations.

I stared at the map for a long time before sighing. "Do you think we are around here?"

"Yes."

We had a similar conversation again, but this time, it was accompanied by a heavy sigh. We were surrounded by Hadenaihar's symbols, which meant we had essentially been thrown into the enemy camp's heart.

Osel, you bastard...

Presumably, he had intended to dispose of us here before stopping by the base or meeting with his associates. Besides, there was one more problem.

"There is a symbol in the direction we have passed," I pointed out.

There was no way that the symbol's placement was accidental. It could only mean one thing.

Unbeknownst to us, Osel had already contacted his associates secretly. In other words, even the exit route was blocked. I would consider myself lucky if this were all there was to it.

"Arjan, can you move?"

"Yes."

Arjan still looked exhausted, but I didn't comment on it. She had to move even if she was on the verge of collapse.

Hadenaihar's followers would soon sense something was wrong and start pursuing us.

***

I was relieved it was night. The darkness favored fugitives far more than their pursuers. Even if we made some noise, the night's veil would mask our tracks well enough.

Still, we needed to find shelter before daybreak.

I unfolded the map again, and my head swam when I saw Hadenaihar's symbols surrounding me as if closing in.

I had gained more internal energy through an unexpected stroke of luck, but it was unrealistic to face such a large number of church members. Hence, avoiding combat at all costs and escaping the mountain range was the best option.

At that moment, something whizzed through the air.

Damn, already?

Arjan and I ducked in unison. A chilling projectile grazed the tops of our heads.

A moment later, three assassins in dark clothing appeared before us.

Given my position, I would have to handle two of them. I launched forward and slammed my fist into the face of the nearest assassin.

"Kuek..."

The assassin staggered, clutching his face.

Seizing the moment, I tightened my grip on his head and drove my knee into his skull.

The instant I felt his skull crack, the assassin behind him threw another dagger.

Were these bastards only capable of throwing daggers?

I used the limp assassin as a shield and tossed him at the other assassin just as his attack finished. The second assassin quickly dodged his comrade's body. At the same time, I struck with my left palm.

Crackle!

The extended Fire Wheel exploded at the assassin.

Though the move was quick, it lacked power. The fire couldn't burn anything, let alone the opponent. Still, it distracted him long enough for me to close the distance and punch him in the stomach.

The sound of a shell exploding echoed as the assassin's body flew in a straight line.

It is too loud.

Still, I decided that finishing off the opponent quickly was more important.

"Have we already been discovered?" Before I knew it, Arjan approached me with a serious expression.

Blood streaked her pale face, so I tapped my own cheek. Arjan paused, then wiped her face as understanding dawned.

"That's not it. I think they are probably scouts," I replied.

They would have sent stronger pursuers if they knew Osel was dead.

"Young Master Luan, let's hurry. It wasn't a quiet fight. More enemies will come soon," Arjan urged.

She glanced at me curiously when I suddenly stopped. "Young Master Luan?"

Now was the time to make a decision. I took out the map, opened it, and showed it to Arjan. "There is just one gap."

"Where?"

"Look carefully," I instructed.

Arjan studied the spot I pointed to, her expression brightening slightly. "Yes, we can escape the church's siege if we take this route."

"Exactly. But there is just one problem." I traced my finger to the end of that path. "Arjan, what do you think this symbol resembles?"

"A lizard? Or a snake—" Arjan's expression stiffened.

"Ah!" She realized why there wasn't an encirclement in this area. The snake symbol represented a certain Jewel Beast—the Sapphire Snake.

"Let's choose, Arjan," I said, meeting her gaze. "Face our end with the church or fight the Jewel Beast."

Taking this path would inevitably lead us to the Jewel Beast.

***

Was it truly wise to avoid the church and face the Jewel Beast? Wasn't it like fighting a lion to escape a wolf?

The risks on both sides seemed equally daunting. This decision required careful thought, yet we had no time to deliberate. We needed to act immediately.

That was when Arjan started to act strangely.

"Choose..." Her face turned pale at the mention of the word. "I... make a choice..."

"Arjan?"

"The Jewel Beast and the church... We don't know the power of either. But what if we could get a bit more information about the church? However, the time..." Her voice trailed off.

"Hey, Arjan," I called her again.

"Once again, because of my choice—"

"Wake up," I snapped, clapping my hands sharply.

A faint glimmer of light returned to Arjan's dilated pupils, but her expression remained strained.

It hit me that my offhand words had acted as a trigger.

"Forget it. Arjan, I was just asking you for your opinion. I was going to make the decision anyway." I pulled out a gold coin—one of the twelve I had taken from Osel.

She looked at me, puzzled, as I tossed the coin into the air and caught it, covering it with my palm before it landed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, staring at my hand.

"If it's the lion, we face the church. If it's the grandfather, we face the Jewel Beast," I explained, referring to the images engraved on the coin.

Truthfully, I didn't even know which side was officially heads or tails, so I improvised.

"You're making such an important decision with a coin?" she exclaimed.

"Why not? If there is no clear answer, why waste time agonizing over it? Leave it to the heavens," I replied.

"It is the same as—"

"Do you have a better idea?" I cut her off, silencing her protest. "At this point, we can't determine which is more dangerous, the church or the Jewel Beast. Wasting time without a plan and leaving it to the flow doesn't suit me."

"But this method..." She faltered.

"Let me teach you something, Arjan. Sometimes, relying on luck isn't the worst option," I said firmly.

She kept silent.

"Alright then, here we go." Ignoring her doubtful gaze, I checked the coin.

I could see the profile of an old man with a nice beard.

"The grandfather," I announced.

So, it was the Jewel Beast.

I acted confidently, though I didn't feel at ease. This choice could very well lead to my death.

While I was lost in those thoughts, Arjan said, "Xinus the First."

"What?"

"The image engraved on the front isn't a grandfather. It is Xinus the First, the founding king," Arjan explained.

"I see." I learned something new.