Free Web Novel“I always watched those battles from within Master’s shadow.”
Because of that.
More than anyone here.
“I understand Master’s combat methods extremely well.”
Ariella.
Knew Shin Youngjun’s methods of battle very well.
In truth.
This battle had been something accidental for Sergeant Shin Youngjun.
He had not expected himself to attack the Legion.
Nor had he expected the beastkin to appear and stop him.
Because of that.
'When Master fought them this time...... he had no choice but to fight using only the ingredients he originally possessed.'
Garlic, chocolate, alcohol.
All of them were merely ingredients Shin Youngjun ordinarily handled.
Even with only that, the five beastkin had been forced into a difficult struggle.
But they had still managed to somehow drive him to the verge of being subdued by mobilizing every means available.
However.
“It will not work next time.”
Now, things were different.
Having already fought the beastkin once.
He would now begin preparing under the assumption that he might fight those five again.
And if that happened.
“If you fight Master again, you will probably be unable to defeat him.”
“......What?”
“What I mean is that you need not worry about being forced to fight Master. I am not the type to entrust others with something doomed to fail.”
At Ariella’s words.
Shin Jong and Sarin, who had been listening, narrowed their eyes sharply.
“The more I listen to that, the more irritated I get.”
“If your intention is to provoke us into fighting him again, then I can only say it is quite a clever strategy.”
With those words.
The snake woman lightly toyed with her sleeve.
“I realize this may sound like an excuse, but we were not truly fighting at full strength either.”
“Hoh?”
“We were merely restraining ourselves from killing him because he was our ‘benefactor.’ But...... if, as you say, he is unable to use that ominous energy again.”
From within her sleeve.
A strangely pleasant scent spread out.
“We are not entirely without methods worth attempting ourselves.”
At those words.
The unit members felt a strange chill run down their spines.
An instinctive certainty settled into their minds that her words were not empty bluffing.
However.
“Hah. So what?”
As if finding such behavior laughable.
Ariella let out a dry laugh.
“If we ask you to fight your ‘benefactor’ once more with that ability, will you gladly do so?”
“......That.”
There was no answer to that.
To begin with, they did not even know whether her claim that there was no need to fear that energy was true.
And after how difficult the battle had already been, they had no desire to fight that man again.
“......We will likely still require your help.”
Then.
Ariella smirked faintly and said.
“But that does not mean fighting Master. You need not fear that.”
“......We already said we intend to return to the martial hall.”
Then.
The one who spoke to them was Corporal Jeon Gwangil.
“About that...... we would like you to reconsider.”
“Reconsider? What reason do we have to remain here and continue taking risks?”
“As you know, the reason you were able to awaken was because of Sergeant Shin Youngjun.”
“We already repaid that debt.......”
“I am not asking you to repay a debt.”
They had learned martial arts from Seohwan and Miho.
And during that process, they had heard many stories from the two.
Stories about their homeland, and stories about the martial hall.
And.
“There are still fellow disciples who have yet to awaken, are there not?”
“.......”
Even stories about the instructors’ fellow disciples.
'I believe they said there were twelve disciples.......'
Cheonsan Martial Hall had not been a large martial hall.
But they knew there had once been more disciples than there were now.
At present, nine had awakened.
Which meant there were still three fellow disciples who had not yet awakened.
“In order for them to awaken, they will need Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s help.”
And.
That Sergeant Shin Youngjun had fallen into enemy hands.
No one knew what state their “benefactor” was in after falling into those people’s hands.
But the possibility that he still remained friendly toward them was not very high.
“......Haa.”
The beastkin exchanged glances and read one another’s expressions.
Then after a moment.
Shin Jong let out a sigh and spoke.
“If it is for Eldest Senior Brother...... then there is no helping it.”
To awaken the remaining fellow disciples.
They too needed Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s cooking.
***
“Thank you......!”
When the beastkin martial artists said they would cooperate once more.
Corporal Jeon Gwangil bowed his head with a delighted expression.
At the same time.
A somewhat strange thought rose in his mind.
'I’m fairly certain they said there was also a master at that martial hall......?'
He did not know why they were cooperating for the sake of someone called Eldest Senior Brother.
But regardless.
Good news was good news.
'We secured the beastkin’s cooperation.'
The objective they had in mind when coming to find the beastkin had effectively been achieved.
“However.”
If there was one problem.
“The condition is that we will not fight that benefactor.”
“Ah.......”
“You say there is no need to fear that energy, but...... we cannot easily trust those words. This may simply be a scheme to provoke us into fighting him again. We will cooperate in other matters, but we have no intention of taking such an enormous risk.”
Even the Legion members themselves had only met them today for the first time.
If even they felt that way.
Then there was no way they could easily trust Ariella, who wielded power tainted with ominous energy.
“I understand.”
If they pushed any further, the beastkin might refuse cooperation entirely.
They could not ignore that condition.
But if that happened.
'Then there is no way to deal with Sergeant Shin Youngjun.......'
The Legion’s current objective was to retrieve Sergeant Shin Youngjun even if it meant fighting the Church.
The problem was the object they had placed on him.
That thing called the “crown.”
They did not know the mechanism by which it operated.
If invading the enemy camp and destroying the crown would solve everything, then that would be fortunate.
But perhaps even if the crown were destroyed, the hypnosis affecting Sergeant Shin Youngjun would remain.
To remove that hypnosis, they would first need to bring him back to the Legion and search for a proper solution.
And even aside from that.
“Judging from the way he pursued you this time...... the moment we enter their territory, Master will likely respond as one of their military forces.”
“.......”
The moment they invaded the Church.
There was an overwhelmingly high probability they would engage in battle with Sergeant Shin Youngjun.
'Someone has to face him.'
The moment Ariella directly encountered him, a catastrophe would occur.
And the beastkin were refusing battle as well.
Which meant.
'......Is there no method at all?'
The Legion members remembered the sight of Sergeant Shin Youngjun chasing after them.
Strength far beyond anything from the early days after awakening.
No other means came to mind for defeating someone that powerful.
'This is absurd.'
But once again.
Whenever they had faced great crises.
The one who had always solved them had been Sergeant Shin Youngjun.
However.
Now that Sergeant Shin Youngjun himself was in danger.
They could not think of any way to resolve it.
'Incompetent to a ridiculous degree.'
Their own helplessness made their teeth grind.
And yet.
“There is.......”
As they drowned in those thoughts.
Mocking themselves and forcing bitter smiles.
“There is exactly one method.”
The queen.
Carefully opened her mouth.
***
“As I already said, Master gathers information about the opponents he will fight and prepares for them.”
If he entered battle after making those preparations.
Then there were almost no beings in this world capable of defeating him.
Even that grand duke, who had possessed such overwhelming strength.
Had ultimately been defeated by him in the end.
......However.
That did not mean.
That Sergeant Shin Youngjun had always achieved victory easily.
Even he had always struggled against certain opponents.
The reason was simple.
“Enemies whose information had not been identified.”
Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s own combat power was certainly excellent.
But compared to when he fought enemies he had fully analyzed and prepared against, it was lacking.
Most opponents who had pushed him into difficult battles had been enemies he was forced to engage without sufficient information.
If so.
Then there was only one way to face such a Shin Youngjun.
“You must exceed the information Master possesses.”
To engage him before his preparations were complete.
To prepare an opponent he possessed no information about.
In General Kim Hyeon-seok’s case.
He had grasped the enemy’s plan through the information available to him.
And to stop that plan, he had dispatched the beastkin as reinforcements.
However.
In the end, because he lacked information about Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s changes.
The beastkin’s operation as reinforcements could only end in half-success.
The same principle applied here.
“Certainly, Master’s abilities are exceptional. However...... if there exists a being powerful enough to defeat a Master who neither knows nor has prepared for them, then victory may still be possible.”
“That sounds easy to say.”
At her words.
The squad leaders frowned.
“The problem is that we lack such power.”
“Even if we combined all allied forces.......”
“Hm.”
Then.
Ariella looked at the squad leaders with a strange gaze.
“There is something I found strange earlier.”
“......?”
“Why do you keep mentioning only others?”
Question marks appeared on the Legion members’ faces.
And Ariella calmly continued.
“You attempted to seek help from the beastkin. Then you began thinking of other allies.”
“.......”
“Ordinarily, should you not have thought of another option first?”
And.
The unit members quickly realized what “other option” she meant.
It would have been stranger not to realize it.
'Us.'
Because they too.
Had constantly thought of that option first in their hearts.
However.
The reason they could not speak that option aloud...... was actually simple.
“Because it is impossible for us.”
Even those martial artists had struggled despite fighting Sergeant Shin Youngjun five against one.
And they themselves had said that if they fought again, they would likely be defeated without fail.
And the Legion members were weaker than those beastkin.
How could they say they would solve this themselves?
They could not utter such words even as a joke.
Still.......
'We kept thinking about it.'
They simply had not said it aloud.
Every time the conversation continued.
They kept thinking.
'If only we could solve this with our own strength.......'
That no matter the risk.
They were prepared to bear it.
“Impossible, is it.”
And.
Ariella looked at them and spoke.
“Master often said something.”
“......?”
“If there is something impossible.......”
As she said that.
Her hand reached toward empty air.
“Then simply make it possible.”
Swoosh.......
That hand sank into a shadow that appeared in midair.
“There is one method worth gambling on.”
“......?”
“Of course, it is nothing more than a gamble. There is no certainty of success anywhere, and the probability of failure is likely far higher.”
As Ariella pulled the object out.
“This is.......”
Not only the Legion members.
But even the beastkin listening from a distance frowned.
Because.
What she had taken out was.
“A human.......”
“A severed...... hand?”
A rotting human hand.
Horribly severed at the wrist.
And.
'A map?'
Clutched in that hand.
[Ascension Path]
A small fragment of a map.
