Chapter 39: The Ruins of Leoclen (4)

Five picks, thrown from different directions, crossed the air of the stone chamber.

The target was the Iron Lion mercenary group.

Despite the unexpected ambush, only two of them fell. However, Caelin felt more surprise than regret.

'Only two died from this?'

His intention was to disrupt their formation and create chaos. It was the endgame for those who had become complacent, thinking the situation was already over.

Two of the three survivors dodged by leaping away, while Bejeon alone drew his sword to deflect the picks.

It looked impressive, but Bejeon regretted not leaping away himself.

The force behind the picks was heavier than he imagined.

His fingertips and arms tingled, making him want to drop his sword. But he had no time to catch his breath.

Caelin was charging towards him.

'You’re mine.'

In that instant, Caelin was already in front of Bejeon’s nose.

This was possible because he had shifted his dagger and kicked off the ground the moment he threw the picks.

Even amidst this, he did not forget to check on Cedric’s safety.

With his sword raised to deflect the picks, Bejeon’s chest was wide open.

Caelin’s dagger aimed for Bejeon’s abdomen, and Bejeon quickly judged from his extensive experience.

Blocking was too late. He had to dodge. The middle-aged mercenary pivoted on his left foot and sidestepped.

The dagger grazed the edge of his fluttering clothes. Caelin, with his extended arm, slashed to the right.

“Gah!”

Bejeon barely pushed the sword away. *Clang!* The sharp metallic sound echoed in the stone chamber.

At the same time, metallic sounds erupted from all directions.

“What, what is this...”

The Iron Lion mercenaries were taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

A stunned new recruit was the first to fall.

At a crucial moment, Haisen agents appeared from behind the Iron Lion mercenaries.

There were only two of them.

Theodore, who had secretly hoped for reinforcements, closed his eyes in frustration.

However, this was also part of Caelin’s plan, a dramatic setup.

Originally, Phiri was to handle all the outsiders, but it changed to a group of seven.

‘It’s impossible for a single ordinary mercenary to handle 22 people.’

In the narrow tunnel, a battle between seven and twelve people was about to begin.

The metallic sounds from all directions made Theodore, Cedric, and the slave laborers freeze.

It wasn’t because they had never seen a battle before.

It was due to the apparent numerical disadvantage and the shock of betrayal.

They had been betrayed by the friend they brought along, fearing such a betrayal.

While the numerical disadvantage could have been overcome immediately, Theodore, in a panic, couldn’t even order the slaves to help.

‘Just keep standing there.’

Caelin was satisfied with this situation.

The gratitude would be even greater when the situation ended.

In fact, the battle between a large mercenary group and state-trained agents is on a different level.

It’s not a difficult fight.

Still, the agents, following their instructions, acted as if they were fighting fiercely, even deliberately taking minor injuries. Caelin did the same.

From the moment he saw Bejeon block the first pick, he had a rough idea of his level.

Bejeon was below him.

While he couldn’t confidently handle over twenty mercenaries like Phiri, this was enough for Caelin.

‘Two more.’

Caelin, while engaging Bejeon, secretly signaled.

The Haisen agents, noticing this, naturally pretended to retreat, giving him space.

With the open space, two more Iron Lion mercenaries moved towards Caelin.

This was also part of the plan.

Caelin’s struggle, as the youngest, would appear more dramatic to the employer.

“Cael!”

Cedric, watching this, screamed and tightly grabbed Theodore’s arm.

Theodore swallowed hard.

One person was facing three, and that one person was a 16-year-old boy. Theodore’s eyes widened.

Seeing such a young boy fighting as a contracted mercenary, he felt ashamed of his current state.

“Medim! Nahaz! Help quickly!”

Theodore belatedly ordered the slaves, but they only held their picks, hesitant.

They were afraid of death and the chaos made it hard to intervene.

Caelin, while showing a precarious appearance, confirmed that the Iron Lion scouts were approaching.

It was time to wrap things up.

“Gah!”

Caelin suddenly shouted and became more aggressive. The mercenaries, recognizing the signal, increased their speed.

One by one, the Iron Lion mercenaries began to fall.

Caelin quickly ducked to avoid a stab from behind.

He then rolled on the ground. The sword sliced through the air.

It seemed as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

The divine movements he displayed in the dangerous moment left Theodore and Cedric with their mouths agape.

“Damn! When are these bastards coming...”

“Gag!”

Bejeon’s shout, directed at no one in particular, was cut short.

Caelin, after rolling, pulled the sword from the corpse with a pierced chest and stabbed the mercenary behind him.

In the shock, Caelin twisted his wrist, pulling the sword diagonally while throwing his dagger with his right hand.

“Ugh!”

The sound of a mercenary’s skull breaking as the dagger embedded in his forehead was chilling.

In an instant, only Bejeon was left.

The Haisen agents were all intact, and most of the Iron Lion mercenaries were down.

“Bejeon!”

At that moment, the Iron Lion scouts arrived. For Bejeon, this was unfortunate.

Caelin charged like lightning.

“Bejeon! What’s going on?”

The scout leader, feigning confusion, asked Bejeon, but Bejeon couldn’t answer.

In the moment his gaze shifted, Caelin cut off Bejeon’s hand.

“Aaaah!”

The scream, painful just to hear, echoed in the stone chamber a few times.

The hand holding the sword fell to the ground. The weakened sword hit the ground and trembled briefly before stopping.

Caelin turned his gaze. This was enough.

He had promised Phiri to handle it properly, so he didn’t plan to let him off easily.

Blood spurted from the severed wrist, but he wouldn’t die easily, having a body trained by magic.

“...”

The scout leader, finally understanding the situation, swallowed hard.

It was strange that there were no guards to be dealt with, but that made him come down faster.

However, by then, things had gone wrong, and only they were left. What had happened?

The scout leader thought calmly.

‘It seems Bejeon’s plan was exposed. The Head mercenaries are better than expected.’

Still, there was no major worry.

After all, the Iron Lion mercenary leader and 21 comrades would arrive soon.

On second thought, it might have been a good thing.

Since the matter was sensitive, only the leader and close captains were brought. Still, there were many.

With 15 fewer, more would fall into his hands.

‘The situation is good too.’

There were only 7 people and slaves inside. The mercenaries even looked injured from the recent battle.

The scout leader drew his sword.

“Daring to touch the Iron Lion mercenaries... I’ll make you pay the price.”

Despite being a thief himself, he sounded so confident. Caelin barely suppressed a hollow laugh.

They were no match, but the tension had to be maintained.

And...

Thud- Stimulated by the recent battle, the slaves even stood behind Caelin, either gaining confidence or feeling compelled.

* * *

Phiri and the agents were hiding near the camp, observing the situation.

Some time had passed since sending the scouts. The reinforcements would arrive soon.

Soon, 22 Iron Lion mercenaries were seen riding towards the tunnel.

The bomb was planted inside the camp. It was almost time to end the situation.

And 7 seconds.

When the Iron Lion mercenaries reached the tunnel, Phiri clenched his fist silently.

Boom-!

It wasn’t a grand explosion, but it was enough to decimate the riding mercenaries.

At the same time, Phiri dashed like the wind.

He beheaded the leader in one strike and handled nearly 20 mercenaries in less than 20 seconds.

“Move quickly.”

Immediately, the agents changed clothes with the Iron Lion mercenaries, moved the bodies, and detonated the bombs.

Boom-! The bodies were unrecognizable, and the scene was set to make it look like a loss for the Head mercenaries.

‘This is enough.’

Phiri approached Head, with one of the pre-arranged agents beside him.

Phiri quickly moved his sword to create wounds on Head and the agent.

Blood seeped through the dirty clothes.

“Can you handle the rest?”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Head, nodding firmly, turned away as Phiri turned.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

“D, When did the leader...”

The Iron Lion scouts, only looking for reinforcements, fell one by one. The underground area was being cleared.

Many agents were injured, but not seriously. It was for show.

Boom-!

Then, a massive rumble came from above. The sound of the Iron Lion reinforcements being blown up.

Dust fell from above.

Everyone underground was shocked. Caelin and the agents pretended to be surprised.

In the thick dust, Caelin, suppressing his discomfort, tried to block the dust from entering his nose.

“What, what’s happening?”

Theodore’s voice, breaking the silence, trembled. The agents, panting, responded.

“Something seems to be happening above. They mentioned someone coming earlier...”

“We should go up and check.”

Boom-!

Again, a vibration and a massive cloud of dust rose in the tunnel.

“Theodore! Is this place collapsing?”

Sedric’s question made the already anxious Theodore quickly order the slaves to grab the boxes.

Caelin, taking the opportunity, grabbed Bejeon’s collar. His face was pale from continuous bleeding.

“What’s happening up there? Tell me the truth!”

“I, I don’t know.”

Bejeon, who seemed to be losing his mind from excessive blood loss, stuttered.

Boom-!

Another explosion, and more dust fell. Theodore shouted.

“Quickly, grab the boxes!”

“Head mercenaries! We’re going up to support!”

Amidst the frantic activity, Caelin still held Bejeon’s collar.

One of the agents, noticing this unusual action, tilted his head.

“Cael! We need to go!”

“Yes! I’ll finish and follow.”

Caelin, saying this, pulled the dagger from the dead mercenary’s forehead.

Seeing the final kill, the last agent turned and ran.

Caelin stabbed Bejeon’s vital point. The man would die slowly in agony.

Then, he quickly moved behind the statue.

When the stone chamber opened, Caelin swept the room with the wind.

He immediately noticed a small hidden space behind the statue.

‘I didn’t think Theodore would miss this.’

In a life-threatening situation, it was clear he had overlooked it. An unexpected gain.

This was the moment the item, which should have been found by the dying Sedric, fell into Caelin’s hands.

Caelin smiled.