Chapter 75

### Chapter 75: The Return of the Doom-Grade Death Knight

#### Chapter 75: Treasure Hunt (3)

That night, Damian rented the best room in the Old Town inn.

With a guide now in his employ, he was ready to find the hiding place. Damian lay on the bed, organizing his thoughts.

‘What kind of items could they have hidden?’

The hiding place Damian was searching for was a location created by the black mages of Ulan to safely store the treasures they had obtained.

It was certain that there would be a large amount of wealth and various rare items piled up there.

‘What I need most are mana cultivation techniques and medicinal pills.’

Since it was a black mage's hiding place, it was unlikely to have mana cultivation techniques, but medicinal pills or the materials to make them were certainly worth hoping for.

‘Still... what about the mercenary group?’

What was more concerning to Damian now was Juan and the mercenary group.

‘They are just too weak.’

A fact he had noticed in his previous life, but the six people, including Juan, were not suited to be mercenaries.

Not only did they lack talent for fighting, but their personalities were not ruthless enough.

It was only thanks to the training methods Juan had learned during his time as a squire that they had managed to survive as mercenaries so far.

‘I can no longer stay with the mercenary group.’

Unlike in his previous life, Damian now had things he needed to do. No matter how precious the mercenary group was, he could not stay with them.

‘But if I leave them be... they will surely run into trouble someday.’

In his previous life, the number of times the mercenary group had been saved from crises thanks to Damian's efforts was too many to count on his fingers.

‘There's no choice. I'll have to put in some effort.’

If he was worried about their lack of skills, he could train them.

Fortunately, Damian's mind stored the techniques and realms of over dozens of masters.

‘It can't be too difficult. They won't be able to master it properly if it is.’

He couldn't just give them anything. If it was too difficult, they wouldn't be able to learn even a single move properly.

‘There's no choice. I'll have to create something new.’

He needed a simple yet effective martial technique that even a dullard could learn.

Damian went out and bought ink and paper.

Sitting at the table, he began to ponder the martial techniques he would pass on to his companions.

The night grew deep.

* * *

While pondering the martial techniques for his comrades, the day broke.

Damian packed his belongings and headed to the place where he was to meet the mercenary group.

"Ah, you're here early."

Juan greeted Damian with a cheerful face.

In just one day, many things had changed about Juan's mercenary group.

First, they were wearing sturdier armor than the day before, and their weapons had been replaced with new ones.

"Thanks to the generous payment, we finally got new equipment."

Juan explained, noticing Damian's gaze.

With a large sum of money, they chose to upgrade their equipment rather than waste it.

While it seemed obvious, most mercenaries would have squandered the money on alcohol and gambling.

Indeed, Juan was a man who excelled at everything except fighting.

"Trust us. We know the Longquist Mountains inside out! We also know many bandits, so we can avoid unnecessary fights!"

With that, the journey began.

"Be careful here. The ground suddenly drops, so you need to be cautious."

"That flower is poisonous. Don't touch it. Just brushing against it can cause poisoning."

"Eek, it's a venomous snake. Let's go around it."

As he boasted, Juan's guiding skills were impressive.

Following his instructions, they could avoid all dangers.

"That's the rock you mentioned."

Juan pointed to a strangely shaped rock precariously perched at the edge of a cliff.

Damian unfolded the map. A complex path was drawn starting from that rock.

"I want to move in the direction the rock is facing."

"It's towards the valley. That way is even more treacherous. You need to be well-prepared."

Juan turned to leave.

At that moment, Damian called out to him.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

"It's an ambush."

"An ambush? That's impossible. Bandits only attack deeper in..."

Damian picked up a stone and threw it into the forest. A loud thud was followed by a scream.

"Aaah!"

A man clutched his head and fell to the ground.

"Damn! We've been spotted!"

"Everyone, come out!"

Immediately, a group of people burst out of the forest.

Despite their shabby clothes, they all wielded menacing weapons.

They didn't look like people with normal jobs.

"Spotting an ambush! You're not just any guy!"

"So what? What can you do? One punch to the gut and you're done."

The bandits hurled threats at Damian and his group.

"Move. You useless hiding bastards."

Pushing through the bandits, a bald man walked out.

‘A formidable fighter, indeed.’

Surprisingly, the man was not an ordinary bandit. He exuded mana from his entire body.

"Hedgehog! What are you doing! We've been paying the toll every time!"

Juan frowned and shouted at the man.

Hedgehog, as he was called, dug his finger in his ear and replied.

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this. But I heard the person here has a lot of money."

Hedgehog's words made Juan's expression harden.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Where did I hear it? It just came to me. Juan, I heard you took a large commission, paying a gold coin per person."

Hedgehog's lips twisted.

"Someone with that kind of wealth would be better off robbing directly rather than collecting tolls, wouldn't they?"

"…You didn't hear the full story! The client here is a knight who can use aura!"

"Hahaha, aura? Aura, good. Very good."

Hedgehog picked up the axe hanging from his back. Crimson aura enveloped the axe.

"Did you forget? I'm a former knight. I just ended up in this backwater due to bad luck."

It wasn't for nothing that people avoided the Longquist Mountains.

Many of the criminals and bandits who flocked to the Longquist Mountains were former knights.

"Hey, friend. Just so you know, I'm a low-class fighter."

Hedgehog pointed to himself with his thumb, seemingly quite satisfied with his rank.

"…"

Damian didn't know what to make of it.

"Hahaha, you're speechless, aren't you? I know your type. You just became a knight and came to the Longquist Mountains to make a name for yourself."

Hedgehog pointed at Damian and said.

"I've already taken down five guys like you! Now you'll be the sixth. Hahaha!"

Hedgehog shouted at Juan's mercenary group.

"Kill them all! No need for hostages!"

The bandits, weapons in hand, charged forward.

"Fall back!"

Juan pushed Damian towards a large tree and formed a defensive line with his back to the tree.

Juan, Bolt, and Leg held their shields, blocking the surroundings. Behind them, Bread, Fish, and Bob stood ready with their short swords.

"Charge! You dishonorable bastards!"

"I'll take your heads off!"

Juan, Bolt, and Leg swung their shields and one-handed swords, threatening the bandits.

With the shields in front, the bandits couldn't easily approach.

At that moment, Apple, Fish, and Bob stabbed the bandits with their short swords.

"Ah! Aaah! You really stabbed us!"

"You bastards! Do you really want to lose?"

The mercenary group's formation was so solid that the bandits couldn't easily get close.

‘Individually, they're not much, but in a group, they're different.’

While they had been defeated embarrassingly by the Griffin mercenaries, Juan's group was actually quite exceptional.

Thanks to Juan's relentless training, they had decent stamina and endurance, which set them apart from the lazy bandits.

‘Apart from that, they're a mess.’

From Damian's perspective, every move was terribly clumsy.

A slight change in movement could make them more efficient in dealing with enemies.

A different stabbing point could kill them instantly.

Such thoughts kept swirling in his mind.

‘At least their attitude towards their employer is commendable.’

Despite seeing Damian's skills, the mercenaries didn't ask for help. They were determined to handle the bandits on their own.

It meant they were willing to earn their pay.

‘I really found a good mercenary group.’

If it had been another group, they might have used Damian as a scapegoat and abandoned him.

"Damn! What are you doing? Hurry up and kill them!"

Hedgehog barked.

"If you keep this up, you'll end up dead by my hand!"

Hedgehog exuded a killing aura, causing fear to spread among the bandits.

Fear turned into determination. The bandits charged more fiercely.

"Ugh! Aaah!"

"Better to die here than face the wrath of the leader!"

The bandits charged recklessly. Some bandits, not blocked by the short swords, started pounding the shields.

"You bastards! Get lost!"

Juan slashed over the shield, but with the shield in one hand and comrades on either side, he couldn't swing his sword properly.

The same was true for Bolt and Leg.

"Juan, Bolt, Leg. Attacking upwards is inefficient. Lower your swords and stab their thighs."

Damian called out from behind. Juan shouted in urgency.

"What do you mean by that all of a sudden…"

"If we keep this up, the formation will be breached. Do as I say!"

Damian's stern voice made Juan, Bolt, and Fish act immediately.

They stabbed the thighs of the bandits who had approached. The bandits screamed as the swords pierced their thighs.

"Ugh! You bastards!"

"My leg! My leg!"

The thigh is crucial for movement and contains major arteries and veins.

If stabbed, it can not only impair movement but also sever the arteries and veins.

"Apple, Fish, Bob. You lack the strength to kill with a direct stab. Aim diagonally downwards."

Damian gave instructions to the other three. They followed his words without understanding.

"Choke! Gasp!"

The spears pierced the bandits' bodies. The bandits screamed in agony and died.

"Juan! Your shield technique is lacking! When you see an enemy, strike with the shield! Don't just stand there!"

"Bread! Get your head in the game! If you don't want to die, don't stop moving your hands!"

"Leg! What's with your grip on the spear? Hold it shorter!"

"Bob! What are you going to do with that big body? Look ahead and find the dangerous ones!"

As Damian gave orders, the situation began to change. Juan's mercenary group started to dominate the bandits.

In the blink of an eye, over ten bandits were killed or injured.

The remaining bandits hesitated to charge, surrounding the area with fear.

"You trash! I'll take care of this. Get out of the way!"

Hedgehog pushed the bandits aside and stepped forward. The bandits parted to make a path.

"You scrawny guy! You're a knight, right? Step forward! Let's see what you've got!"

Hedgehog summoned his mana. The overwhelming aura made Juan and his comrades pale.

"If you want to die that badly, I have no choice."

Damian stepped forward. Hedgehog looked at him curiously.

"Where's your weapon?"

"This is enough for someone like you."

Damian extended his middle finger. Hedgehog's eyes turned red with anger.

"You brat! I'll break every one of your fingers…"

Suddenly, Hedgehog's movements stopped. Despite Damian not approaching, Hedgehog began to tremble violently on the spot.

A moment later, zigzagging blood lines appeared from Hedgehog's head to his feet. His body split into pieces and collapsed.

Blood splattered the ground, and the smell of blood quickly spread.

In the spot where Hedgehog had stood, a woman now stood.

Her hair was disheveled like a homeless person, and her appearance was ragged.

"Hello?"

The woman smiled, her lips as red as if they were painted with blood, splitting to her ears.

‘…Why is she here?’

Damian knew exactly who she was.

A madwoman who had become a master in the art of killing.

A murderer that Dorgo had tried to recruit as an ally but failed, ultimately dying at Damian's hands.

The Murderous Ghost (殺望鬼).

She was standing right in front of him.