Etranger

“The horror and terror you’ll feel will be beyond anything you can imagine. There’s a lot of ways to use what is used in horror films in guerilla warfare…” San muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, in the forest…

Heuk-Heuk-

Sedum, the regional leader of the ‘Sword’s Eye’ assassins clan, was breathing heavily. What was that? Was it a ghost? Sedum saw what happened in the camp and immediately withdrew. His judgment was quick.

Before taking a step back, he knew it was too late. A round, one-eyed monster was staring at him in the darkness. Its eyes were too bright. The monster’s gaze seemed to follow him wherever he went. A different type of nightmare began.

Sedum looked around. It was silent. All of his subordinates must have already been subdued. He took out his last remaining dagger.

His entire body was covered in bruises. Blood was dripping from his thighs and shoulders. It all happened within the last 10 minutes. The bright light that was following him from behind disappeared. The surrounding temperature dropped. He could vaguely make out the opponent’s silhouette. However, he hadn’t been able to see the enemy’s face. Based on her silhouette, he knew that his pursuer was a woman… other than a single sentence, his pursuer hadn’t asked a single question. Even the sentence she said didn’t make sense.

“Oh! I’m glad to make acquaintances with someone in the same line of work…”

Of course, he resisted as much as he could. As the leading figure of the dark works in the northern regions, he used his entire repertoire of dark skills to combat this foe. However, the other person was an incomprehensible monster. Even in the dark, she attacked at will, leaving him with only non-fatal injuries. However, she only picked and hit the most painful places.

He was chased like this for some time now, but he couldn’t decide how to escape.

They moved back and forth through the forest. His men, who were hiding in various places with specialized weapons, were meticulously suppressed, one by one.

He saw a light in the hazy fog up ahead. He didn’t know how he had gone through this mountain path. Sedum raised his eyes. He arrived in a small clearing.

The bonfire’s smoke was making his eyes water. He saw collapsed horses and people everywhere. Sedum felt despair again. A thoughtlessly fleeing rabbit would always run into a dead end. The man that he didn’t want to meet was right in front of him.

“Sit down… I have a lot to ask you. I’ve already heard your story. You faced a lot of hardships in the forest, right?”

The man’s voice was deep and firm. Sedum collapsed next to the fire, resigned to his fate. His whole body was sore from being tangled and scratched by all sorts of branches. His eyes were drained of life. His resistance was over.

The forest’s darkness seemed to consume all life, bringing silence. It was a silence that was comfortable as if nothing had ever happened.

***

Whack-

Another stone table was broken. The reception room was ruined as if a storm had just passed by. A burning candle was extinguished as if it blew itself out from surprise. The already dark interior bizarrely seemed to turn darker.

However, the eyes of the person in the center of the room were burning as bright as broad daylight.

The Marquis of Norian was angry.

Natin was waiting in front of him.

Blood was bleeding from the torn wounds on his head and shoulders.

“Now… Did you say he’s an Awakened Warrior? A second level Awakened at that?”

Norian’s sunken eyes looked at Natin. It wasn’t easy for him to get angry at this subordinate. Natin had a straightforward personality, and he was never going to hit the back of Norian’s head. He couldn’t even blame him if he lost out to an Awakened Warrior.

Viewing his injuries, one had to believe what he was saying, but Norian’s life experience and common sense made it difficult for him to accept this scenario. So, his temper exploded to the point of driving him crazy.

“That is correct, sir.”

“A small country Count hired an Awakened Warrior… Do you think this makes sense?”

“It doesn’t make any sense, sir.”

The Marquis breathed in deeply. His breathing was rough because he was holding back his anger.

“How many Awakened Warriors do you think there are in this kingdom, or in this entire empire?”

“I heard that there are no more than ten, sir.”

“So?”

“However, there were two second-level Awakened Warriors there, sir.”

“I’m going nuts. Okay, how many people do you think became an Awakened Warrior in their 30’s?”

“I haven't heard of anyone other than ‘Hanjung’ of the Han-Sung Clan, sir.”

“Then?”

“However, one of them was in his early 30’s and the other is unknown.”

“I must be going insane.” 

“I as well, sir.”

“Did you reach the peak level as a Dark Warrior? You’ve overcome pain, right?”

“Yes…”

“What would you say is the skill and power difference between you and an Awakened Warrior?”

“I’ve heard that it takes at least four Dark Warriors to even contend with one Awakened Warrior, sir.”

“So?”

Norian looked at Natin with a sour expression.

“Have you ever seen an Awakened Warrior battle?”

“I have seen the Marquis fight, sir.”

“Do you think I ever tried my best in battle?”

“…”

“How many ten-year-olds are needed to beat a warrior?”

“I don’t think that even ten would be enough against a single warrior, sir.”

“Exactly. There are things that just don’t match together.”

“…”

“That’s what it means to be an Awakened Warrior. An Awakened has a different level of combat power. Don’t trust what you see! Don’t be scammed… An Awakened… what bullshit!”

The Marquis of Norian plopped down into his chair. He felt annoyed. In his mind, Natin was telling him a clear lie due to shock or injury. However, eighty warrior soldiers, including special-ranked warriors, were taken down in this one operation, so there was a possibility that one opponent was an Awakened Warrior.

However, the problem was that he didn’t know their intentions. They must go through his territory, and when they return back, they’d have to pass through his territory once more.

Why did they act so recklessly? Are they the same type of people as me? He felt dirty and angry. However, he couldn’t attack them now.

Since he didn’t know what additional traps and dangers lay in the forest, he had to wait until the following day to see who they were and what they were up to…

“They asked for compensation?” 

“Yes, sir.”

“How much did they say they wanted?”

“They said 20 Tongbo. And other items…”

“Crazy sons of bitches! They’re mad! Alright… let’s see them tomorrow. Tell everyone to get ready for battle! Gather all the warriors in the castle. Call all the mercenaries that are available!”

“Yes, sir.”

Natin stepped back. For the life of him, he couldn’t muster up the courage to say that they would take over the Marquis’ territory if the Marquis didn’t compensate them.

‘I don’t want to die yet…’ Natin thought, trying to comfort himself.

Episode 2. Book 3: Infiltration – Chapter 6

The next day’s morning arrived. The morning in the woods slowly awakened from its gloomy darkness with a white mist of fog.

No matter what humans did all night, the river’s waters flowed, and the trees planted nearby the flowing water were still green.

San sat with one knee up and stared ahead. He watched the rising and flowing mist with his clear eyes, which strangely fit well with his rugged face.

The scenery of fog rising in the early hours of dawn along the stream on a spring day was captivating. It was like he was having a dream, reminiscing on a distant memory, remembering an unfulfilled promise…

“Uem- are you already up?”

A small voice came from beside him. She spoke with half-opened eyes. She was like a little child who wasn’t able to fully shake off her sleepiness.

“Sleep a little more,” San said softly. 

He picked up his blanket and brushed it with his hand. The night dew that had formed on the blanket created mists of water. Folding the blanket on the dry side, he meticulously wrapped it around Biyeon’s neck and then looked at her from the front. It was late spring, but the dawn in the mountains was still cold.

“What do you see?” Biyeon mumbled.

“Fog.”

“It’ll be sunny today then.” 

“Sure…”

San swept Biyeon’s hair around her ears with his fingers. He seemed to be organizing her scattered hair. Her hair had grown out a lot. Now it flowed down to her neck and looked pretty.

His narrowed eyes were still staring off towards the mist that was making its way through the river’s rocks and forest tree’s leaves.

“What are you thinking?” Biyeon asked again. She put her arm underneath her head to use as a pillow and opened her now awakened eyes…

“Nothing special…”

“Don’t think about it.” 

“I’m trying not to.” 

“…”

San gently stroked Biyeon’s cheek with the back of his hand.

The feeling of her skin in this early morning spring weather was cold. He felt his heart tense with sadness.

Still, it was good to be out in the field, to feel something different.

“The day’s still early.” 

“I’ll sleep some more then.” 

“Okay…”

San glanced at Biyeon. She was crouching like a little bird, closing her eyes again and sleeping. San grinned and slowly rose up. He stretched his arms out wide.

He took a deep breath and held it in. Slowly, he exhaled. He seemed to feel a little better now.

The moisture that had formed around his eyes gradually dried up. Like the mist of water spreading into the distant space…

He shouted at the sky. However, he didn’t really put any energy into the shout… he just moved his lips.

‘Happy Birthday, Soo! I’m… I’m fine.’

Biyeon’s lips rose slightly as she fully closed her eyes to sleep.

***

The Marquis was spending his morning busily preparing for the day’s events. Everyone was on high alert all over the estate. Each captain was busy checking in with their personnel and organizing their equipment.

Fifty nobles and five hundred soldiers and special warriors, and three hundred full-time mercenaries were all mobilized. Travelers from all over the world, skilled craftsmen, and other powerful figures were all surprised at the sudden mobilization of forces.

The Marquis of Norian’s territory had two mines, an expansive forest five times the size of Count Essen’, a manor castle twice as large as the Count of Essen’s, and an open-air rock salt production area.

In the northern area of the Poran Kingdom, he was considered a powerful warlord who possessed strong military power and a robust independent economy. With a population of just over 3,000, and 3,000 slaves on top of that, practically one member of every household in his territory was either part of or closely related to the Marquis’ military. In his city, five major clans, including the Absolute Ki-Jang and Dong-Myung Clan, were running their own regional offices and businesses.

Norian, a former captain in the Ki-Jang Clan, gained a lot of profit from dealings with mercenaries. His business was war, and their product was constantly consumed on the battlefield.

War always offers many business opportunities. Among them, the most profitable opportunities weren’t the small spoils obtained through looting but the acquisition of war slaves. The number of slaves meant economic power, economic power meant the cultivation and production of weapons and force, and these weapons and forces opened more opportunities. The Marquis of Norian had always been a winner in this competitive market and in his wars.

When he reached the Awakened Warrior level five years ago, he possessed a personal military force that no one could easily surpass. His future looked bright and rosy.

Everyone in the north knew of this.

Such a person was nervous today. What happened last night wasn’t something he could take lightly. His opponent dared to openly provoke him and enter his territory in broad daylight.

Moreover, the subtle feeling that he felt at dawn before waking up still stuck with him. He had an uncomfortable fit of sleep. It was as if someone was looking at him throughout the night. Thanks to this weird feeling, he wasn’t able to sleep properly.

In a word, he felt horrible. The Marquis frowned.

“They are coming,” Natin said.

“I’m watching. They’re much weaker than I thought. Very weak and poor… Is there something I’m not seeing?”