Chapter 69

As they arrived in front of the village of Sebu, a head poked out from the top of the wooden fence. It was an old man with gray hair, aged by time.

“Huh! Are you the Zighart people?”

His triangular eyes, filled with suspicion, widened into circles when he saw the burning sword emblem on the chests of the trainees.

“Yes.”

Balen, who was at the front, nodded.

“Finally, you’ve come! Please wait a moment!”

After a loud clattering sound, the gate on the left side of the fence opened.

“I am Igaham, the village chief of Sebu! Welcome, Zighart knights!”

The old man with gray hair, who turned out to be the village chief, bowed first. Behind him, villagers holding spears and swords could be seen.

“We are not yet knights, but trainees.”

“Even so, you are from Zighart. Thank you for coming!”

Igaham and the villagers bowed deeply to the young-looking trainees, showing that the name of Zighart carried weight even here.

“Hmph.”

“Um...”

The trainees couldn’t hide their joy at the warm welcome, a typical reaction for newcomers.

Raon stood among the trainees, blending into the background. He observed the surroundings carefully, looking for the gaze he had felt in the forest, but it was gone.

-They must have fled.

‘That’s what it seems.’

Ras, unable to hold back his frustration, occasionally gave answers. He was quite useful, except for his sudden outbursts.

“After your long journey, please rest first.”

Chief Igaham raised his hand, offering to guide the trainees.

“No.”

Balen stopped in the middle of the village.

“First, I want to hear the situation. Tell me about the movements of the monsters.”

“Even if you are trainees, you are still from Zighart.”

The chief nodded, moved by Balen’s words.

“Hmm!”

Balen straightened his shoulders, feeling proud, but quickly returned to his usual self.

“Look over there.”

The chief pointed to the mountain on the right.

“That mountain is Sebu Mountain, named after our village. Every year, monsters appear, but in small numbers that we can handle. However, this year, the number of monsters has tripled, making it impossible for us to manage.”

“Triple the number?”

“Just the ones we’ve seen number over a hundred. Considering the ones we can’t see, it’s probably around two hundred.”

“Two hundred, I see.”

Balen nodded, looking at Sebu Mountain.

“Don’t worry. We will eliminate the monsters on that mountain.”

“Oh!”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you very much!”

The villagers bowed deeply to Balen and the trainees as if all the monsters were already dealt with.

“Stand up. Sebu is within Zighart’s jurisdiction. It’s our duty to help.”

Balen’s face turned red with excitement, but he didn’t show it and turned around.

“It’s late today, so we’ll head to the mountain at dawn tomorrow, before the monsters wake up.”

“Then, let us prepare for your rest...”

“Before that.”

The chief’s voice was interrupted by Balen again.

“Prepare someone who can move quickly to guide us up the mountain tomorrow.”

“Of course. This way, please.”

The chief, overwhelmed by Balen’s presence, nodded and led the trainees to the village hall.

‘Not bad.’

Raon nodded, watching the conversation between Balen and the chief.

-That’s right. I thought that kid would make them kneel as soon as they arrived.

Ras muttered, disappointed.

‘I thought so too.’

Honestly, Raon had similar thoughts. He expected Balen to bully the chief but focused on the mission and treated them well.

‘But that’s not the important part.’

Orcs, goblins, and kobolds could be handled by Balen and the trainees alone. The important thing was the gaze he felt as soon as they entered the village, which seemed to have disappeared towards the mountain.

‘We’ll know tomorrow.’

Whether it was a family test or another force preparing something, Raon scanned Sebu Mountain and entered the village hall last.

* * *

At the summit of Sebu Mountain, the snow-covered ground was dotted with the footprints of various monsters.

However, no monsters were in sight, and a young man sat on a rock.

Swoosh.

As the young man twirled an orc-shaped helmet with his fingers, a figure in a green mask sprang up from the ground.

“Who’s there?”

“Zighart.”

The green-masked figure bowed.

“Zighart? I didn’t sense that much power.”

“They’re not full-fledged knights, just trainees.”

“The instructor?”

“I didn’t see one.”

“Ah, the second mission.”

The young man tapped the helmet and chuckled.

“Did they notice you?”

“Of course not. They didn’t even know I was nearby.”

“Indeed. Trainees wouldn’t detect your stealth.”

He nodded, licking his lips.

“I’ve controlled the monsters well. Why did they come?”

“Villagers are sensitive to changes. They must have asked Zighart for help because the number of monsters increased. They were too confident that they would find the item quickly.”

The young man whistled, shaking his head.

“After searching the entire mountain, it seems the ‘mana stone’ is in the village.”

“That’s likely.”

“Should we attack now?”

The young man stopped twirling the helmet and shook his head.

“No.”

“Why? It’s a good opportunity to kill the Zighart trainees...”

“Killing them is easy, but if we interfere, Zighart might learn about the mana stone. It would be a loss to gain a small victory and lose a big one.”

“Then...”

“Let them handle the monsters. Let the young Zighart trainees complete their mission successfully.”

The young man put on the green helmet, which had orc-like fangs and fierce eyes, exuding a murderous aura.

“After they leave, attack Sebu Village. Destroy it completely.”

* * *

The next morning.

Raon waited near the entrance of Sebu Mountain with the trainees.

‘There it is.’

As they approached the mountain, the gaze he felt yesterday returned.

‘West, I think.’

Thanks to the brief encounter yesterday, he had a rough idea of the location. It seemed to be to the west.

‘They don’t seem to want to show themselves now.’

Raon closed his eyes and expanded his senses, scanning the area around the mountain. He felt the movements of orcs, goblins, and kobolds, as the chief had said.

His assassin’s instincts didn’t sense any major danger, but he kept his senses open just in case.

“Observation results. Orcs, goblins, and kobolds confirmed.”

Balen turned to meet the eyes of all the trainees.

“The orcs are the strongest, but as we learned, goblins and kobolds use dirty tricks like poison needles and toxic smoke. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes.”

The trainees answered quietly, aware that monsters could appear at any moment.

“Moving in groups is best, but we lack combat experience. Move together to support each other.”

Balen then looked at Raon, seeking permission.

“...”

Raon nodded slightly. Balen acknowledged with a nod and turned back.

“Show the power of Zighart to the monsters threatening our land!”

Balen drew his sword and ran up the mountain.

“Let’s go!”

“Yaaah!”

The trainees roared and followed Balen.

Lunan and Martha confirmed the situation and entered the mountain with them.

-Idiots.

Ras snorted, watching the trainees.

-Preparing an ambush and then shouting like that, how pathetic.

‘They’re trying to shake off their tension with their roars. It’s more important not to be tense than to prepare an ambush.’

This is the first real combat for the trainees. Such mistakes are understandable.

-You’re also new to monster hunting, yet your heartbeat is so steady.

Ras’s voice was tinged with annoyance.

-It sounds like a veteran’s heartbeat. You’re seeing more than just this place. It’s a heavy, steady sound that’s annoying.

‘I’m special.’

Raon chuckled and drew his sword.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

The brown-haired young man, the village guide, nodded, trembling. His role was to protect the guide, not to fight.

“Grrr!”

“Kaaah!”

As they walked towards the sounds of screams, the battle was already in full swing.

“Block the orcs and deal with the goblins and kobolds first!”

Following Balen’s orders, the front-line trainees engaged the orcs, while the others rushed forward to cut down the goblins and kobolds.

The green wall of monsters crumbled instantly.

Among the trainees slaughtering the monsters like a storm, three stood out.

Balen, with wind energy around his sword, cut through an orc’s axe. Lunan, surrounded by cold air, controlled the approaching monsters and slit their throats.

Finally, Martha.

Boom!

With a terrifying aura, she shattered everything in front of her.

With this, the trainees could handle the monsters on the mountain without much difficulty.

“Grrr!”

As Raon spread his senses, two orcs broke through the trainees’ formation and charged with their axes.

“Eeeek!”

The guide, unable to control his trembling legs, collapsed at the smell of orc blood.

Swish!

Raon stood in front of him, drew his sword, and slashed.

“Gurgle...”

The red-tinged sword sliced through the air, and the orcs’ heads fell like fruit from a tree.

“Hmm.”

“...”

Balen swallowed hard, and Martha’s dark eyes gleamed.

“Don’t worry.”

Raon helped the guide, who was gaping, to his feet.

“I’ll make sure you return unharmed.”

* * *

Kanbar, 25 years old, faced the worst morning of his life. He had been chosen as the guide for the Zighart extermination team at the village meeting yesterday.

‘Will it be okay?’

He was worried.

He was grateful that the Zighart team had come to save the village, but they looked much younger than expected.

Worse, the knight assigned to protect him this morning was the youngest-looking of them all.

Though stunningly handsome, his small stature made it hard to trust him.

But what could he do?

The decision was made, and he had to follow it.

Kanbar, embarrassed to be led by a smaller child, climbed the mountain.

As soon as they entered the mountain, he saw the children’s blades cutting through the monsters.

Contrary to expectations, the orcs, goblins, and kobolds were swept away in an instant.

‘Crazy!’

He gasped.

The neck of an orc, which usually took five strong men to handle, snapped like a tree branch. Each trainee was a monster in itself.

‘That’s why...’

He understood why the chief had treated these young children with such respect. They were different from ordinary people.

Relaxing and feeling safe, two orcs suddenly charged from the left. The stench of their breath paralyzed his legs.

“Grrr!”

As he turned pale and fell to the ground, the quiet child stepped forward.

He drew his sword and slashed.

The orcs’ heads fell as if he was cutting through dead meat, a simple and swift movement.

“Huh...”

Kanbar’s eyes widened, and his teeth chattered.

‘What is this?’

The simple and light sword technique made him forget the overwhelming power of the children he had seen earlier. It felt like watching a veteran who had seen hundreds of battles.

Though ignorant of swordsmanship, he realized this child was different from the others.

As they continued up the mountain, the blonde child with red eyes stood beside him, observing the surroundings without much action but preemptively blocking any danger.

‘This child is the real deal...’

This could only be seen up close. Among the over 40 children, the youngest-looking one was the best.

“Your name is Kanbar, right?”

As he observed, the blonde child spoke.

“Yes! Yes, it is! Sir!”

He unconsciously used the most respectful form of address.

“Is there any legend about this mountain?”

“Legend?”

“Yes. Something about a great treasure or a special monster.”

“Oh, there is. A few hundred years ago, a goblin king and his knights fought on this mountain...”

“Hmm, any treasure?”

“There’s a story that the goblin king’s ring was never found...”

“I see.”

The child’s eyes flashed red for a moment.

That was it.

A chill ran down his spine when he heard the child’s low murmur.