Chapter 57: Plague (4)

Even at this early hour, the village, which was asleep, was so quiet that the sound of a mouse could be heard.

Kalin moved cautiously in the silence.

They are not easy opponents. There was no need to move hastily, as they might notice from the other side.

It was a matter of safely catching the devil worshippers from behind.

One has been dealt with, so it's 4 to 4. The plan hasn't changed; only the battlefield has moved outside the village.

Kalin thought it wasn't bad, as it would reduce unnecessary commotion.

'It might get a bit intense after a long time.'

It had been over half a year since he last encountered a proper strong opponent.

Although he often sparred with Tun Zaha, sparring could never surpass real combat.

That said, Kalin didn't think he would lose.

The opponents might be strong, but they weren't invincible.

There were three specialized field agents.

The term "specialized" wasn't given to mediocre agents, whether in the field or in intellect.

'They must be properly recognized within the intelligence agency.'

It wasn't given because one was better than the other, but because one was outstanding.

The operation was sincere about Kalin's life.

Basco and Toby, though they seemed a bit dim, were definitely skilled.

Tun was the same. Kalin was pondering how to capture them alive.

The devil worshippers had already left the village entrance, moving swiftly with their heads bowed under the moonlight.

However, they soon straightened their posture.

Tun Zaha was standing with a corpse at his feet, looking at them.

The bald man with a scar on his forehead muttered lowly.

"Damn it."

The atmosphere among the devil worshippers became tense. As their gazes met, the distance between the two groups narrowed.

Standing about ten meters apart, the man with the ponytail frowned.

"They're not ordinary guys."

Tun Zaha glared at the man silently, as he hadn't received the signal from Kalin yet.

He had no intention of talking from the beginning. The muscular bald man, unable to contain his anger, took a step forward.

"Who the hell are you guys?"

"Horlin, are you an idiot? Do you think they'll tell us?"

Seeing the bickering devil worshippers, Tun Zaha narrowed his eyes.

Was it confidence or arrogance?

They weren't agents. Agents would never act like that.

"Enough."

At the ponytailed man's words, the two fell silent and returned to their formation. Silence ensued.

However, their eyes were busy.

Both sides needed to prevent anyone from escaping, so they were searching for escape routes.

Suddenly, the wind began to blow.

Tun Zaha, knowing it was Kalin's wind, thought it was so skillfully done that it seemed natural.

People's hair gently fluttered.

'Now.'

Kalin was maintaining a distance from the devil worshippers. He needed time to close the gap.

He pushed off the ground with his powerful thighs.

At the same time, the wind that had been gently blowing around the people began to move in different directions.

The wind restrained the devil worshippers and assisted the Haisen agents.

"What the—!"

The muscular bald man, Horlin, was shocked. By the time he reacted, Tun and Toby Basco were already three meters away.

In a strong person's fight, a moment is the most precious thing.

The devil worshippers tried to dispel the wind with their magic, but it wasn't enough.

Kalin's wind required more than just a moderate amount of magic to resist.

If he had a higher level, it would be stronger, but that was all he could do now.

Still, it bought enough time.

"Behind! They're coming!"

The ponytailed man, the leader of the devil worshippers, deflected Tun Zaha's sword and shouted.

Kalin felt a sense of regret.

He wanted to send one of them, but the leader wasn't just anyone. Still, he thought it was enough to cause confusion.

However, no one turned to look behind.

"Horlin!"

At the ponytailed man's words, only Horlin turned to face Kalin. More organized than expected.

Kalin put aside his thoughts.

The man who had been scolded earlier was the muscular bald man. He seemed to act on impulse.

In a way, it meant that his lack of intelligence was compensated by his physical strength.

'Sly and cunning.'

Kalin needed to provoke the opponent to create an opening. He made his decision. The magic of the Moonlit Style accelerated.

A crescent moon appeared in his inner world.

Coincidentally, Horlin's weapon was also a crescent-shaped curved sword. Kalin smiled.

Kalin's left hand reached inside his coat and pulled out two daggers.

Six meters. The daggers, thrown with a slight delay, aimed at Horlin's right shoulder and left thigh in succession.

Seeing the first dagger, Horlin raised his curved sword halfway and gritted his teeth.

"Damn—!"

The timing of the second dagger was perfectly calculated.

Horlin suppressed the momentum of his raised curved sword with sheer strength and brought it back down.

His left side was left open.

Kalin simultaneously kicked and slashed diagonally. The sword, reflecting the moonlight, drew a half-moon.

Horlin pulled back his left foot, delayed his timing, and blocked with his curved sword in front of his chest.

Clang! The swords collided and trembled.

'Is he crazy?'

Kalin was genuinely surprised. Dodging was the right move.

In a normal situation, his sword would have pressed down on the opponent's strength and cut through the chest.

The speed and strength he had built up were clear.

That meant he had overcome everything with sheer strength. His fingertips tingled.

Reconsidering, he should avoid a direct confrontation. Kalin pushed away the sword and quickly increased the distance.

Due to the previous attack, the devil worshippers were now behind him.

'Not intentional, but—'

The sound of metal clashing echoed from all sides. Kalin threw daggers from his coat at the devil worshippers.

During the battle, the devil worshippers' formation became disorganized.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this, Horlin thought he was being ignored. His eyes bulged, and he charged forward.

Stupid kid.

Absolutely not an act. He got excited more easily than expected. Kalin smiled inwardly.

He kicked up dirt and sand with the wind. The dirt and sand flew toward Horlin.

Two daggers remained.

Kalin kicked off the ground, threw both daggers simultaneously, and slid backward.

Swish! He slid through the sand and swung his sword like lightning.

"Argh!"

Horlin's heels were deeply cut. His Achilles tendons were severed simultaneously.

The wind pushed Horlin's upper body forward.

The giant, unable to withstand the momentum of running and the pain of the severed Achilles tendons, fell forward.

Kalin quickly stood up, stabbed a dagger into the wrist holding the sword, and forcefully struck Horlin's neck from behind.

'Why is he so tough?'

Perhaps because he was a mass of muscles, his head shook violently, but he didn't faint from the first strike.

Kalin struck his neck again and pulled out a cloth from his pocket, stuffing it into Horlin's mouth.

It ended faster than expected, but he didn't get complacent. This is why composure is important.

If the guy had been smarter, it would have been a tougher fight. No matter how strong, if you don't know how to fight, this is what happens.

When Kalin turned his gaze, the other devil worshippers had already assessed the situation.

Unlike before, there was no trace of a smile on their faces. They had seen the skills of the Haisen agents.

"Horlin, you idiot!"

The young wife of the village chief, who had been infatuated with Horlin, screamed.

Kalin moved forward again.

One was dealt with, so now only the rest remained. He planned to start with the weakest.

"Gather!"

At the ponytailed man's command, the devil worshippers, despite their injuries, huddled around him.

They formed a triangular formation, backs against each other.

Kalin thought it was a good decision. Though they were trapping themselves, it was better than being picked off one by one.

The limited space made it difficult for them to attack easily.

'Hmm?'

At that moment, the ponytailed man swiftly swung his sword and beheaded the comrades next to him.

Kalin tried to block with the wind, but it was too late. Tun, Toby, and Basco rushed in.

"Father of the darkest place..."

The ponytailed man muttered sinisterly and plunged the sword into his own neck. The long sword protruded from the back of his neck.

It happened in an instant.

While the Haisen agents were stunned, Kalin immediately turned around. He needed to save at least one.

* * *

"Are they really crazy?"

Toby's words after a cursory inspection of the bodies. I deeply agreed.

To choose suicide as soon as the situation turned bad.

Normally, wouldn't they try to escape first? If three of them fled, one might have a chance.

No, that's not it. The ponytailed man made a good judgment.

He must have recognized my wind from the beginning. He probably judged that attempting to escape would result in all of them being caught.

Not trusting his subordinates, he took care of it himself.

It's a pity for us, but it was the best choice for the ponytailed man.

Basco scolded Toby.

"Why are you saying such obvious things? Believing in demons already makes them crazy. Still, we did catch one, right?"

"Really? Does he know anything? That kid looked pretty stupid."

Basco fell silent. There was no real counterargument. I thought so too.

How much does this guy know about the situation?

We confirmed they were devil worshippers by searching the bodies. They had tattoos, and their last words confirmed it.

However, we didn't find any documents related to this incident.

We should search their residence in the village, but it's unlikely anything would be left.

They wouldn't leave such traces.

"Kalin."

Tun approached me.

"How did you figure it out? What's the story with the healing potion? It seemed effective from a distance."

"Half of it was a hunch. The situation just seemed off."

I had prepared my explanation in the village, so I answered calmly.

"When I saw the natives fleeing from the plague-infected village, I immediately used the wind to check the surroundings. That's when I noticed someone outside and deduced there was a mastermind."

Tun nodded. He probably thought the same up to that point. I had mentioned the person outside from the beginning.

"Then, while talking, I noticed someone inside reacting strangely and was sure there were more inside."

"You must have confirmed with the wind inside."

I nodded.

"What about the healing potion?"

"That was half a gamble."

"What?"

"If there were enemies inside, it made sense that they would have a healing potion."

Tun's expression darkened. I pretended to continue speaking quickly.

"Actually, I had some confidence..."

"Tell me."

"If there was a mastermind, the natives wouldn't have spread the plague. It meant they had overcome it, and I found the difference. They drank tea made from platinum grass every day..."

I trailed off, gauging Tun's reaction. He frowned but didn't seem suspicious.

"Amazing. Really amazing. But..."

Tun let out an uncomfortable sigh.

"Next time, don't do that. It's dangerous. You promised the operation leader to prioritize your life."

"Yes."

To avoid suspicion, I needed to show my shortcomings. I slightly bowed my head.

Still, it ended more easily than expected.

If the main story had already started, it would have been harder. With the devil's power spreading across the continent.

Dealing with a rampaging devil worshipper is not easy.

"Things went well, but how will you handle the rest?"

Worry was evident in Tun's eyes. He was concerned about the villagers and the natives.

The plague, the disciple of the famous doctor who cured it, the sudden deaths of the villagers, the devil worshippers...

The plague alone would spread rumors, and