Chapter 247

Chapter 247

Over a decade ago.

In the south-central part of the continent, near the Great Forest, within the woods of the Empire.

Thwack! Thud-!

Kurehas lightning-fast punch from the tree above found its mark on an imperial soldiers armor.

"Gah!"

"Ah!"

The dents in the armor made the soldiers cry out in pain, throwing them backward.

With his red ponytail spinning as he landed gracefully, Kureha swiftly hopped onto a branch and sprinted up the tree.

The imperial soldiers, in desperation, aimed their spears toward the tree, but Kureha was already out of sight.

"Why are you just standing there taking hits? Arent you on guard?"

"But hes so fast, and there are so many of them"

Crash! Bang!

It wasnt just Kureha. Other warriors from the beastmen tribe were launching surprise attacks from the trees.

Caught off guard by the sudden assault of these unknown beastmen warriors, the imperial soldiers began to fall one by one.

Eventually,

"Retreat! Fall back!"

Unable to hold their ground, the imperial commander shouted, and the soldiers turned tail and ran as if they had been waiting for the order.

Watching the retreating imperial soldiers, the beastmen warriors began to descend from the trees.

Catching their ragged breaths, the warriors exchanged high-fives soon after.

"We won!"

"We repelled them again!"

Despite their victory, the warriors expressions were far from jubilant.

The imperial army, with their overwhelming numbers, relentlessly advanced, undeterred by their losses.

In contrast, the beastmen warriors were limited in number, and their ranks were slowly being whittled down.

Though they had a favorable kill ratio in these forest battles, their frontlines were steadily being pushed back. They were close to fighting with their tribes village as the backdrop.

"You all fought hard! We won today!"

Commander Kureha announced in a deliberately cheerful voice.

"Check for the injured and fallen! Lets head back to the village."

Upon their return to the village, the beastmen residents greeted the warriors with cheers and applause.

Commander Kureha, in particular, was extremely popular. The villagers chanted his name in unison.

"Kureha! Kureha!"

"The miraculous Kureha! The undefeated warrior!"

"The imperial army is no match for our warriors!"

Kureha, with a tired face, waved appreciatively to the cheering crowd.

Since his first battle at eighteen, Kureha had never tasted defeat.

He either won or at the very least achieved a stalemate, always bringing his comrades back alive.

Hence, he earned his nickname.

The miraculous Kureha.

The undefeated warrior protecting the tribe.

"Youre still quite the celebrity, Kureha. But given your record, its almost legendary."

Among the villagers, his mother greeted him with a proud and warm smile.

After a light embrace with his mother, Kureha chuckled.

"Its all luck."

"Oh, my dear, its not luck. Its your skill."

"Its not a joke. I really am lucky. I have this incredible talisman."

Kureha glanced at the crude necklace around his neck. It was a necklace made from a coin of an ancient kingdom, no longer in circulation.

"My younger brother, Kuilan, is watching over me."

Kuilan was the name of his younger brother who had tragically passed away in an accident during their childhood.

The necklace had once belonged to Kuilan, a cherished memento their mother had draped around Kurehas neck.

His mother always reminded Kureha, "Kuilan watches over you. Never forget the name of the brother who protects you."

Kureha couldnt even remember Kuilans face, but every time fortune favored him on the battlefield, he believed it was due to the luck bestowed upon him by his brother.

"...

Watching her son with a silent gaze, his mother cracked a gentle smile.

"Youve been through a lot. Lets go home now. Your his father has been looking for you."

The village chief, the martial arts master for the village warriors, and the villages primary shaman - that was his father. He waited for his son at the chiefs mansion.

"Im back, his father."

"Hmm."

Despite his sons safe return, the his father didnt offer a smile.

However, the softness in his usually stern eyes conveyed everything. He was proud of his sons victory.

Kureha asked desperately,

"What happened to that child? What became of that child?"

"...Carrying the tribes entire wild nature, the curse, they would live their entire life as a monster."

With his usual emotionless, rigid tone, his father reached forward.

"Upon their death, the next child is chosen. One per generation, a vessel to carry on the curse..."

His fathers hand felt around the trunk of the Maple Tree, finding a groove and sliding it to the side.

With a resonant thud.

Then, a small door leading into the massive tree opened.

At the sight, one he had never witnessed before, Kurehas mouth dropped open in amazement.

Leading the way, his father stepped inside the Maple Leaf Tree.

And, the child who turned into a monster... will remain here until he dies, unseen by any tribe member and under the supervision of the villages head shaman."

Inside the hollow trunk of the Maple Leaf Tree, there was just enough space for a single person.

And within that space,

Hah... Hah...

A young boy was bound by chains around his neck, arms, and legs.

With wild, scattered red hair, his body was emaciated, resembling a mummy.

Barely skin and bones. And, sprouting all over his body, were tufts of hair resembling that of a wolf.

The boy, collapsed on the floor, paid no attention to anyone, his hazy eyes just staring blankly into space.

"This child is the cursed one."

His father said to Kureha, who was staring at the boy in horror.

Its Kuilan."

"Excuse me? Kuilan...?"

Kurehas hands trembled uncontrollably.

This child is... my brother?"

Yes."

"But I was told Kuilan died!"

"We had to let others believe so."

His fathers voice was, as always, even-tempered.

The ritual of transferring the curse from one vessel to another had to be conducted in secret. We couldnt use anothers child, so I had to choose between my two sons for the next vessel."

"...Then why was Kuilan chosen over me?"

Kureha, gazing down at his younger brothers parched lips that resembled drought-ridden soil, asked roughly.

"Why not me? Was there a reason?"

"You always say it yourself,"

His father pointed to Kurehas chest.

"You have good luck."

Kureha, taken aback, looked down.

Hanging from his neck was an ancient coin from the old kingdom. Kurehas eyes widened in shock.

"You cant mean..."

Yes."

His father nodded slowly.

I flipped the coin. It landed tails, and your brother was chosen as the vessel... Thats all there is to it."

"...!"

Kureha gritted his teeth.

A coin toss.

Such a trivial gamble had determined the fates of two brothers.

Due to good luck, Kureha lived, and due to bad luck, Kuilan died.

One became the tribes greatest warrior and a hero, and the other became a monster, his very existence erased.

How could you, how could you do this..."

Kneeling before the withered Kuilan, Kureha trembled violently.

How could you commit such a heinous act, father...!"

It was so that we could live as humans.

His father murmured, eyes on his two sons.

"If only one person becomes a monster in the tribe, then everyone else can live as humans."

Kureha clenched his teeth, turning around.

In the cold moonlight filtering into the wooden chamber, his father stood, as unyielding as ever.

On the face of a man who had willingly borne the weight of centuries of tribal history and the lives of thousands of tribe members,

"If only one person suffers, everyone else can find happiness."

There was not a hint of guilt.

"Thats all there is to it."