CH 13

Boom… Boom… Boom… Boom…

The sound of the drums echoed across the battlefield, sending shivers down their spines.

As I turned my head, I could hear the sound of fists clenching tightly in response to the overwhelming sight of the thousands of soldiers marching forward.

Though each soldier’s attire, weapons, and stance varied, they all shared one thing in common: an unwavering focus on the front.

Who would dare mock them as mere mercenaries?

Those who had ridiculed them as lower-class citizens and slaves to money, sometimes even treating them like criminals and belittling them, were the very people who failed to recognize their true identity.

As each of them acted on their own, each with their own voice and behavior, they were often ignored and looked down upon even more.

It was his role to gather them together and unite their will.

That was the role of the Mercenary King, Baron!

Some of the mercenaries who were directly under his command or not couldn’t help but exchange glances and smirk.

Amidst their restrained demeanor, it was their boiling gazes that caught his attention.

“Hurry up! Right now!” they urged, shouting.

They were demanding to unfold the game.

He gave a brief chuckle and drew his sword, turning his gaze forward.

In front of him, there were more of the demon lord’s troops than his own.

‘Disgustingly many, aren’t there?’

I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh, thinking that the battlefield where other troops were fighting probably wouldn’t be any different from this.

The magic they were unleashing dyed even the sky with darkness.

My grip on the sword tightened.

It was the divine sword I had received directly from the bloated and arrogant pope of a kingdom with a swollen belly, after gaining fame and receiving the title of king.

Woowoowoo…

The sword let out a pleased howl, as if feeling his strength.

It used to be a troublemaker, but after being soaked in heads of several high-ranking demons and training it periodically for three nights and four days, it had become as gentle as a lamb.

It now emitted a powerful aura that perfectly matched the divine sword.

‘First with spiritual power!’

At that moment, as if the descent of a divine being, a radiant light emanated from the sword and shot up high into the sky, slicing through the darkened heavens.

‘And now magical power!’

The magical force within the sword added its strength.

His muscles swelled so much that his clothes were torn off.

“Rrrraaaaahhhh!”

With a thunderous roar, he leaped forward and slammed onto the ground.

“I’ll finish this!”

Rumbling…

At the same time, as if the wrath of a god had descended, a massive earthquake struck, splitting the earth and causing a huge explosion that blasted forward.

With all three powers combined, the strike shattered the ground for thousands of miles in front of him, reaching even the place where the demon king’s army was stationed, unleashing its wrathful explosion.

In an instant, their formation collapsed.

Baron laughed at their disarray and turned around to face the mercenaries waiting in the back, shouting the very command they wanted to hear.

“Kill them all!”

And he charged forward.

In that moment, as if waiting for a signal, the mercenaries began to charge forward behind him, screaming battle cries and shouts.

“Uwaaaaah!”

“Kill them all!”

“Euaaaaah!”

“Destroy them!”

The sound of their boots pounding against the ground echoed through the air as they ran headlong into the fray, their weapons raised high and their determination unwavering.

ΔΔΔ

“Kill…kill…kill…kill…”

At the moment when baron was muttering to himself, a voice suddenly flew beside him, causing him to open his eyes in a daze.

“Are you so desperate to die? Why do you keep talking about death?”

Baron, who had been sleep-talking for a while, realized that the situation was just a dream as soon as he heard the voice.

‘Was it just a dream?’

He then recognized that he was inside a dungeon.

‘Even though it’s eerie, it’s still a dungeon after all.’

The stench of blood that filled the area seemed to trigger memories from the past, and he realized that he had dreamt about old times after a long time.

As he laughed, the white-haired man turned his head and looked down at him.

“Hmm…Guide?”

“Come on, don’t call me that. I’m only in my fifties. You keep treating me like an old man.”

The man, commonly known as ‘The bottle,’ was an old acquaintance that Baron had found in Bukhansan the day before.

“Jambo, you never change.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you lie down, it becomes your bed.”

As he spoke, Baron remained lying on the ground, just as where he had fallen asleep.

“Keep doing that and you’ll ruin your liver. At least put a newspaper down and sleep on it.”

“Old man’s booze is so strong, it’s fine. It’s warm in my stomach, so the cold floor actually feels better.”

The day before, when they met for the first time in a while, they seemed to have planned it and had a drinking party. Since there were enough bottles of alcohol to go around, there was no shortage or any such situation.

Moreover, Baron had brought several bottles of liquor himself to share with him, so there was no reason to run out of alcohol.

“What are you doing here, anyway?”

Baron looked at him with a bewildered expression. “What do you mean? Isn’t that a question you should have asked when we met yesterday?”

“When you’re glad to see someone, you pour them a drink first. Greetings come after you’re sober,” the man replied.

“Oh…”

Shaking his head, he opened his mouth.

“I had something to do here, and while I was in the area, I thought I’d come and see your face, old man.”

“How did you know I’d be here?”

“As you know, I have a good sense of things.”

The three-body change, achieved through the Samshinki technique, had brought his body into the realm of a superhuman.

Even without intentionally exerting energy, one can demonstrate efficiency comparable to that of sensory-type ability users, solely by utilizing the five senses.

“Who else would emit such a strong smell of alcohol like old man in a place like this?”

“Are you a dog?”

“But old man is better at finding booze.”

Furthermore, if the he were just an ordinary person, baron might not have noticed, but even so, he were a person with the ability to be called an awakened one. Although his rank may be low, there was a difference between those who possessed abilities and ordinary people.

‘Well… my sensory abilities are remarkable, but my combat abilities are a bit disappointing.’

Regardless, it made it easier to sense things thanks to that ability.

“By the way, looking at your face, it seems like you’re still living like a beggar?”

“I say, inspiration hasn’t changed.”

“You’re still young, so start over. Stop wasting your life. You’re a talented guy with good abilities. What’s the problem?”

In the past, they had encountered monsters together, and at that time, even though it was small, the Bottle had glimpsed Baron’s abilities. That’s why they were having this conversation.

“Have you seen that movie? With great power comes great responsibility.”

“So, you’re not going to use your power because you don’t want to take responsibility?”

“No, it’s because it’s bothersome.”

“….You’re a rotten person.”

“Hey, Then improve your abilities and live properly as an inspiration.”

“Improved hearing ability? What good is it if my hearing has improved? My only talent is sensing monster presence and avoiding it.”

“Well, to find a good drink, you need a keen sense of smell. And To think your sense of hearing has become heightened from searching for alcohol. It’s quite amusing when you think about it, even ‘inspiration’ is just a joke.”

“Ugh, finding a good drink is about following your heart.”

“Even poop comes from the heart.”

Thanks to his auditory abilities, the bottle could roam the area around Mt. Bukhan, known as the ghost city, as if it were his own home.

All the alcohol he poured was from there

The bottle stopped its puns, and refrained from speaking more. It was because he had caught a glimpse of a bitter smile on Baron’s face.

‘When are you going to stop living like this…’

Even Baron himself didn’t know.

He had returned to Earth, running away from the human war and disputes among his old comrades.

‘Still… now that I’m here, it doesn’t feel like the world I belong to. Is it appropriate to say so?’

That was the reality after 300 years.

“Like, I feel like I’ve become a stranger here.”

If he had a family, he would have attached himself to them and lived with affection, keeping his roots in mind. But since the possibility of that has already disappeared, what can he do?

“I’m just living like this. There’s nothing really uncomfortable about it.”

Baron said so and opened the cap of the bottle of liquor that he picked up from side.

‘Tsk…’

The bottle, who was shaking his head, asked, “Did you really just come to see my face?”

“Hehe… I thought I could get some information while I’m at it.”

“I thought so.”

As mentioned earlier, the ability that the bottle had awakened was of the sensory type, ‘hearing’, and thanks to that, he was able to hear various sounds and rumors.

Through this, he also played the role of an informant, and while Baron’s visit was partly due to their past relationship, it was also to obtain the information he had on Bukhansan.

The bottle reached out his hand.

“Why?”

“It’s a show of respect.”

“I gave you yesterday.”

At that moment, he remembered the bottles baron had brought with him.

“Damn it… Why did you bring so many of them?”

He has been lying on the ground with empty bottles on his side. Since they had already been consumed, it was difficult to get rid of them, and he opened his mouth as if to say that he couldn’t do anything.

“It’s supposed to be high-quality information, so listen carefully.”

Following that, the current situation in Bukhansan, as well as personally inferred information, were explained one by one.

As he listened, Baron’s expression began to sour.

ΔΔΔ

Jang Gil-sang, a professor of Hunter department at Haneul University, was a skilled expert who had built up his career up to an A-Rank in the past.

Although he had retired from the front line due to injury, he still boasted of having honed his senses to the point of being able to react to any changes faster than anyone else.

Perhaps that was why he periodically participated in practical training.

As a result, he was able to quickly react to the unusual changes in Bukhansan, sending him a sharp warning.

‘This vibration…doesn’t feel right!’

His keen senses sent an alert.

“I think we should postpone this training.”

Despite his insistence, he was unfortunately not as influential as he wanted to be due to his tendency to stay indoors.

“What are you talking about? Where else can we find such a good training opportunity like this? We can’t just step back now.”

Kim Sang-tae, a professor who regarded Jang Gil-sang as a thorn in his side, was hanging on to him like he had been waiting for this moment.

As a phenomenon arising from the power struggle within the Hunter department, he was also uncomfortable with Jang Gil-sang’s strict neutrality.

Especially, past of being stuck at a B-level might have made him even more uncomfortable.

“Even so, the number of hunters in Bukhansan has been increasing lately, and where else can we find a safe situation like this? Moreover, exposing ourselves to them during times like this would be advantageous for our students’ guild membership in the future.”

Jang Gil-sang looked at the other professors, but they seemed to agree with Kim Sang-tae’s opinion.

Admittedly, objectively speaking, Jang Gil-sang’s argument was not wrong. However, he was a hunter, and this was a field was full real battles and variables.

Sometimes, it was better to rely on your senses. But in the end, he had no choice but to step back.

ΔΔΔ

Recently, I’ve noticed that the neighborhood has been more lively than ever before. I wondered if there was a reason for it. Slowly, a feeling of discomfort in my sleep began to grow. It was as if my bed was shaking…

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and got up to stretch out. I knew I still needed more rest to absorb the ‘crystal’ inside me, but I couldn’t sleep properly with all the noise.

Fuuuuuuu…

As I took a deep breath to energize my body, I felt the ground tremble beneath me. Even the worms deep in the earth must have sensed my awakening. I couldn’t help but laugh at their tension.

Although my mood improved from the early awakening, I had no intention of going back to sleep. After all, it was time for breakfast.

Churup….

The thought of hot blood and a racing heart made my mouth water. I focused on waking up my body with even breathing and immersion in the task at hand.

The atmosphere near Bukhansan began to change slowly.