CHAPTER 99

“What is this? Ugh!”

Cho Seong-Hyeon slowly opened his eyes. He tilted his head in confusion before turning pale from the sharp pain in his abdomen.

Only after taking a potion and a few deep breaths did he look around.

There was no one here.

The ogre with the huge club slung over its shoulder, the orc mages hurling fireballs, the orcs roaring in fury, and the terrified employees... They were all gone.

Everything was silent.

What the hell happened?

He had tried to buy time for his employees to run away by getting the ogre’s attention, only to be hit by a massive force.

His memory cut off there.

Cho Seong-Hyeon sighed. Well, his surroundings had changed; he was no longer in the forest.

“Could it be that what I dreamed of... Ah!” As Cho Seong-Hyeon moved to brush the dirt from his body, the pain of his fractured ribs caused him to remember.

Kang Jae-Hyeok.

The legitimate heir of the great Kang family, his great benefactor, and the one he wanted to be his mentor—he...

He hit me with his scabbard!

Cho Seong-Hyeon vaguely understood his intentions. Jae-Hyeok must’ve wanted to save him from being killed by the ogre.

But did he have to blow me away to such a distant place?

He wasn’t some type of baseball, was he? No, how did he even do it?

Cho Seong-Hyeon rechecked himself to confirm there was no major trauma aside from a few broken ribs and clicked his tongue. He could only admire Jae-Hyeok’s ridiculously high strength and his skill at controlling it.

If I master the Kang family’s ceremonial drill, I will be able to do it too someday!

The motivated Cho Seong-Hyeon quickened his pace, moving toward the battlefield where Jae-Hyeok and the employees would be.

He wasn’t particularly worried about them.

This was his trust in Jae-Hyeok. Having experienced his skills firsthand, Cho Seong-Hyeon had the vague belief that even the ogre couldn’t do anything against Jae-Hyeok.

No, what am I thinking? At this point, Cho Seong-Hyeon worried about his condition. He was worried that he was becoming a Jae-Hyeok fanatic.

No matter how great Jae-Hyeok’s talent and skills, how could a mere sixteen-year-old boy handle an ogre?

He shook his head and started to run as hard as possible.

There were even a lot of orc mages... The fight would be difficult even if Department Manager Gu and the team leaders joined forces.

Please!

Cho Seong-Hyeon caught sight of the smoky sky in the east and his speed increased. Thanks to the potion from Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals, his ribs were almost completely healed.

......

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been running.

Just as he was out of breath, he heard a nostalgic voice.

“Are you Seong-Hyeon?”

Was he so stressed that he was having auditory hallucinations? Cho Seong-Hyeon looked dazed as he slowed down and turned to the side.

There, a girl with pastry cream on her lips was staring at him.

“Professor!”

Cho Seong-Hyeon welcomed her.

It was Professor Lee So-Yeong. She was one of the two mentors he had greatly relied on during his years as a student.

“Professor, are you heading to the scene of the fire too? Ah! Have you been well during this time?”

“No? I haven’t been well. I haven’t found a new disciple in years! As expected, you really should’ve become my disciple! Why does someone with no talent in it insist on walking the path of a warrior? It is all your fault!”

“......”

Lee So-Yeong’s cheeks puffed as she stomped her feet. Her oversized uniform hung from her shoulders like a dress, and all her kicking quickly dirtied the hem.

She’s always like this. Cho Seong-Hyeon recalled old memories and smiled awkwardly.

“That’s right. It’s my fault. As an apology, I’ll buy cream puffs and come visit you. Recently, a place called Haengsimdang has become famous for its pastries. Is that okay?”

“Well... Since you’re going to show some sincerity, then whatever.”

“Thank you for your forgiveness. How about we talk while we move?”

Lee So-Yeong blew the air out of her cheeks and shook her head.

“The situation there is over, so you don’t need to worry. Follow me.”

Lee So-Yeong was his former teacher.

Cho Seong-Hyeon didn’t suspect her at all and grabbed her little hand as if possessed.

***

“What are these piglets?”

Kieeeeeeek!

The orc remnants fled from the monster who’d single-handedly destroyed their army, only to be slaughtered in an instant.

They’d encountered the Second Attack Squad from the armed forces of Lion’s Castle.

The Second Attack Squad was outstanding among the armed forces and a disaster even for top boss monsters. And the third team, in particular, was the core of the Second Attack Squad’s force—even if the orcs still had an intact army, they wouldn’t have lasted a minute against them.

“Now I’m wasting my physical strength on orcs. It’s already hard keeping up with the results of the first and second teams. What are we doing, wasting time here?”

“Stop whining. We’ll soon arrive at the scene... Um, Captain, what is it?” A senior team member sensed something was wrong and called out to his superior.

The captain, Hyeok Pil, was examining the orc corpses. “They are tamed monsters.”

“See! I told you it was a fight between kids! Some idiot must’ve been too excited after taming an orc warrior and went around beating up his bullies!”

“To the point of burning down the forest?”

“I told you before. Kids these days are scary.”

“You... ”

Please shut up. The senior was just about to scold him when Hyeok Pil opened his mouth.

“The magic circle on the orcs’ collars wasn’t carved by the master. They are chain circles; the master tamed the higher monsters, and the higher monsters tamed the lesser ones.

“So the orc mages carved the magic circles?”

“Yes, this definitely wasn’t a fight between kids. And at a time when most third-year students are out on assignment, there aren’t many students who could tame an orc mage.”

“We should hurry. I’m concerned Lake Leda is near the fire zone.”

“Wait.”

The eyes of the captain suddenly changed.

Bang!

He kicked off the ground and reached a bush a few dozen meters ahead. Then he narrowed his eyes as he examined the traces around him.

Someone was watching us.

Judging by the clues left around him, it seemed this person hadn’t stayed long, leaving almost as soon as they saw the team. Even so, they had to have been hiding for a few seconds at least, yet the captain hadn’t immediately sensed it.

I don’t think it’s the same person who tamed the orc mages.

If that person were their master, the orcs wouldn’t have been fleeing in the opposite direction.

I guess it’s the person who got rid of the orc mages.

As for why the orc army had burned the forest and who exactly had gotten rid of them, he didn’t know for sure, but the orc’s defeat was probably the work of other armed forces.

Still, it bothered the captain that whoever had just been there had run away like a rat.

Did those bastards find something?

The suspicious captain urged his team members. “Let’s go. I’m going to investigate the scene in detail.”

***

What a shame.

Jae-Hyeok had planned to track down the master of the tamed monsters. However, that plan was ruined after the armed forces slaughtered the retreating orcs.

It was a chance to find out who was targeting Cho Seong-Hyeon.

Still, it wasn’t completely without results. Jae-Hyeok had witnessed the rumored strength of the armed forces.

They’re strong.In particular, they have great concentration, keeping their perception active at all times.

The most important thing people looked for when evaluating a player was their rating. A higher rating meant a higher level, and the higher the level, the higher the stats.

However, Jae-Hyeok was walking proof that rating wasn’t everything, and the armed forces were similar. They seemed like they could overwhelm players in the same class.

They are a group of players specialized in combat, so it’s only natural.

In any case, there was nothing good about getting involved with them. There would be too much to explain if he ran into them now.

I need to hurry. Jae-Hyeok borrowed the power of the Wind Spirit’s Boots and sprinted with all his might.

Unfortunately, by the time Jae-Hyeok arrived at the scene...

“You are employees of Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals, right? I’m glad everyone seems to be safe. By the way, who targeted you and who helped you?”

The armed forces that had exterminated the orcs earlier were already facing the employees of Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals. They had arrived one step ahead of Jae-Hyeok.

Does one of them have a Skill specialized in movement?

It wasn’t all that strange. Just as Jae-Hyeok had looked for a support for his team, the armed forces would have to consider a lot of factors when forming a party.

It can’t be helped.

He’d hoped to hide his skills as much as possible so he could live a comfortable school life and prevent all types of risks. Now, that seemed to be the end of it.

It was a shame, but what could he do?

From the time he’d slaughtered the orcs in front of the others, he had been prepared for this outcome.

I don’t regret it.

He protected people, so it was fine...

Jae-Hyeok felt some comfort in seeing Department Manager Gu almost fully recovered and standing on his own two legs. He prepared to approach when—

“I don’t know.”

He saw Department Manager Gu shake his head.

“We were suddenly attacked by monsters. As we were fleeing, we got surrounded and fought back, knowing we might die. I was seriously injured and collapsed. Once I regained consciousness, the situation was already over.”

Department Manager Gu didn’t mention Jae-Hyeok’s name.

It was the same with the other employees and Song Se-Yeong. They all nodded and agreed with Department Manager Gu’s words.

The members of the armed forces frowned.

“Really? You’re telling me that help came right when everyone was injured to the point of losing consciousness, but no one died?”

“No, there were victims.”

Department Manager Gu looked gloomy as the employees brought over two corpses. Some of the people who’d gone to look for Cho Seong-Hyeon instead found the corpses of the team leaders.

“In addition, Cho Seong-Hyeon and another student are missing.”

“Cho Seong-Hyeon... he’s Chairman Cho’s son.”

After knowing that the damage caused to Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals was greater than expected, the armed forces members nodded without further doubts.

“I understand. We will send a request to the search party, so let’s start by looking for the missing people. We will also look for the master of the tamed monsters.”

Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals was one of the most important business partners of Lion’s Castle, and all the potions used by the armed forces were made by them, so even the Second Attack Squad, who were indifferent to school affairs, were aware of the seriousness of the situation.

“Thank you.”

Their work was almost finished. The armed forces asked Song Se-Yeong to escort everyone to the infirmary.

Once Song Se-Yeong and the others left the area, Jae-Hyeok followed them from a distance for another few minutes before he joined the group.

“I’m glad you returned safely.”

“We were worried!”

The group welcomed him with bright expressions.