Everyone in the room went silent after hearing Seol say that he would be leaving to get Hamun back.

Shocked, Yeonhui asked back, Th-then does that mean

Well be chasing after them.

Its too late. It has already been a week since Nobira was ambushed.

They must have crossed the border by now.

Doesnt matter, responded Seol.

A-Are you planning on crossing the border? Why?

Just like how you guys plan on protecting Kongory, I plan on protecting whats mine. What else is there to do when your things have been stolen?

Slide.

Seol put on his hood once more. Karen, who was next to Seol, wore her hood as well and followed Seol outside.

You just have to take it back.

Creak.

Thud.

As there was no one holding the door, Seol left with a thud.

The people in the room were completely silent even after he left, like a storm had passed by.

Hes insane. He must think hes the main character or something.

Why? I thought he was cool.

Lets see if you can say that again when he comes back as a corpse? Well see.

Did you think that youd look cool saying that about someone else going into a dangerous situation while youre just comfy at home?

...What did you just say?

Huh? You heard that?

Are you trying to

Slam!

Yeonhui slammed the table, cracking it.

Haha was I too loud?

Quiet.

Yeonhui resolved herself once more before talking to Yeo-myeong.

It seems like I have done a discourtesy to you, Yeo-myeong.

......

It also seems like trying to recruit Snowman was too tall of a task. Please, blame me for acting rashly.

...Its fine. Noeul, lets go.

Uh, y-yeah

Yeo-myeong grabbed Noeuls hand and tried to lead her out of the room.

Oppa, it hurts

Sorry, can you go back to our lodging for now?

Yeah, alright.

Yeo-myeong, without realizing, was holding Noeuls hand tightly. He then let go.

And then, Yeo-myeong started running in the direction he expected Seol to go.

Han Yeo-myeong?

Isnt that Han Yeo-myeong?

There were more and more people who recognized him now.

Was it because of Seols advice? Or was it because of the powers hidden in his black hand?

Regardless, the rate at which he became stronger was overwhelmingly faster than the other transferees. Even the alliance members recognized that Yeo-myeong was exceptional, even among exceptional people.

And in an instant, he had become the symbol of Kongory.

Though something like this could have made anyone arrogant, that was not the case for Yeo-myeong.

He was happy simply to be able to protect his younger sister, Han Noeul, in a safer location and keep her alive.

After running through lifeless alley after lifeless alley, Yeo-myeong was finally able to reach Seol.

Gasp Gasp Hyung!

Did you chase after me?

Yes! I did! Hold on! Could you please just wait for a second?

Yeo-myeong was resolved to protect his younger sister, Noeul.

She was the only thing that he had left.

So why? Why did he call for Seol? What Yeo-myeong wanted was fixed in Kongory.

Seol simply looked at Yeo-myeong.

Hes changed a lot.

He was no longer the same immature person who asked for his help.

Not only was his equipment much better than before, probably due to clearing multiple difficult Adventures, but he also had a sharp air about him.

What is it?

About today Im sorry. It was my mistake. I knew you hated things like that, I just

Its fine. Its not like there was nothing to gain for me either. Thanks to you, my goals became much clearer.

Ah! Are you talking about how youre going to rescue Hamun?

Yes, and I plan to.

Yeo-myeong looked at Seol, directly into his golden eyes.

L-Let me help you too.

What?

Let me help you. After all, you saved my life.

Seol understood him.

Even so, he couldnt accept the request.

Yeo-myeong, you cant help me.

I I became stronger. Im not the same person I used to be.

Seol glanced at Karen.

Karen, understanding Seols intentions, stepped forth.

Look, uh I know that youre confident but Masters right. You wont be able to help him.

You can test me if you want.

Yeah, I'll test you.

Dash!

Karen disappeared into a blur and reappeared behind Yeo-myeong.

Hrgh!

Unsheathe!

Yeo-myeongs black hand quickly unsheathed his sword from his sheathe.

Hm?

Karen flinched for a second, surprised by the unnatural reaction speed, but she quickly pulled out her own sword as well.

Clang!

Thats a pretty fun ability.

Dont look down on me. Here I go!

Alright!

Clang!

Claaaang!

Clang!

In an instant, Yeo-myeong unleashed a combo that was able to push back Karen. In a fight between swordsmen, using a skill could result in death. As such, Yeo-myeong did not use any skills.

If its a pure fight like this without any skills, I can win!

Yeo-myeong was confident in his victory.

After all, his haunted black hand was something powerful that made him levels above any other swordsman he faced.

Claaang!

But after a while, there was a shadow cast over Yeo-myeongs face.

Rather, it was Karen who looked relaxed as she took on every attack.

Why? Why

Yeo-myeong continued swinging without realizing what was happening.

After all, all he had to do was just scratch her clothes with his swords. Even that would be enough to show his growth.

But

Kick!

Urgh

Karen found an opening to kick Yeo-myeongs chest.

Sorry, did it hurt?

Im alright. Lets go again. Hrah!

Claaang

Clang!

But no matter how many times Yeo-myeong tried, the results were the same.

His sword could not reach her at all.

It was like her body was a mirage and the only thing facing him there was her sword.

If he couldnt reach her, she was no different from a mirage anyway.

Kick!

With another loud sound, Yeo-myeong toppled over.

Urgh

Clatter

Karen had lightly kicked his lower body, toppling him over.

Youre done, right?

...I lost.

Youre quite fast, but the rest is a mess. Youve never learned swordsmanship, have you?

...I havent.

Your attacks are obvious and too light. Even if an attack is fast, its useless unless theres weight behind it.

Yeo-myeong did not have any swordsmanship skill and his Strength was low.

Since they were on the game board, that might have been a better explanation for him.

You were right I dont think Ill be able to help you.

Didnt you say that you wanted to protect your sister? Why are you trying to follow me then?

I dont know either, I just Im just anxious.

Because youre worried about falling behind?

Yeah, probably.

As Yeo-myeong laid on the ground, he saw the clear sky and Seol.

You are precisely correct. Youre falling behind.

What?

What would you do if I said that I would kill your sister?

Well

He couldnt stop Seol.

He wouldnt be able to do anything other than watch as Seol killed Noeul right before his eyes.

Thats the truth behind the anxiety eating you away. The alliance a safe location all of it is useless unless you are strong yourself.

What should I What should I do then?

Staying here wont help you at all. I think it might be a good idea for you to travel far away from here.

But my sister would be alone here then.

That isnt something I can help you with. Well then

As Seol tried to leave, Yeo-myeong stood up to hand him something.

It was a small statue.

What is this?

Its an item that allows us to know where each other is. Its because I probably wont be staying in Kongory anymore, hyung.

Seol placed it into his inventory and said goodbye.

Ill see you again. You must stay alive until the next time we meet.

Yeah! I promise!

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Immediately after splitting with Yeo-myeong, Seol purchased two healthy horses.

What? Do you know how to ride a horse? Do you need me to teach you?

I didnt know it, but I had talent in it.

Where are you going to go then?

Well

Going to Nobira now would be fruitless as the only thing there would be the remains of a pillaged city.

Where should I go if I want to track them down?

Seol thought for a moment before picking a direction.

Were going to Fortress Gulia.

Are you talking about the fortress near Wiggleton?

You remember it?

Kibo told us, no? The bread was so tasty that I was shocked. Its easy to remember things that shock you.

That sounds like something my idiot brothers would have done to remember things, chimed Jamad from the Shadow Space.

Youre only able to say that because you didnt try any of the bread. Ah, do trolls even eat bread?

Trolls and humans have a similar diet. Except for the fact that we eat other races too.

Urgh gross.

Yeah, I dont like this part of my race either.

Since there werent any wagons headed to Gulia from Kongory, Karen and Seol had no other option but to go there on horseback.

Luckily for them though, the roads were well-maintained so it was unlikely that there would be any problems.

The two slowly reared their horses before heading north.

By the way, why are you interested in that Yeo-myeong guy?

I have a use for him later.

Even though hes that weak? His hand was special, though.

I was talking about his hand too.

Ah, I see. That makes sense, then. I was thinking that he talked way too much about his sister, for someone you were interested in. I dont really like people like that either.

Jamad chimed in once again.

Hes exactly like a certain somebody who talks about Karuna a lot, though.

This and that are two different things! Were twins!

I dont get what the difference is.

Regardless, Master. Is there something we can do if we go to Gulia?

Its the place closest to the trolls and we can look around Gulia to see if theres any plans we can join there something like that.

And if there isnt a plan to go fight the trolls? What are you going to do then?

What else? Go there alone.

Hahaha! Youre crazy, really.

Just then, Jamad coughed to catch Seols attention. It seemed like he was hesitating to say something.

Ahem Hm I have something to say.

About what?

About the current situation.

Like what happened in Nobira?

Yeah, that. I have an idea as to why that happened. I also have an idea about their current location.

...What are you talking about?

Jamad spoke as if he was rummaging through his memories.

Its a tribe that used to be allied with the Rock Molar Tribe. Well, we did have a conflict of opinion and I had to run away from there, though

And?

The tribe alliance is spread all over the continent. But in truth, its not like we talk to each other frequently. Like, what would two tribes, who exist on opposite sides of the continent, do if they talked to each other?

Seol was quite interested in what Jamad was talking about.

In fact, even for a troll, it was difficult not to be captivated by what Jamad was saying.

And thats why we created the Great Tribe Meeting.

The Great Tribe Meeting?

You can think of it as a meeting between the biggest tribe in the area and the other tribes in the area.

- Theyre talking about it like its some Homeowners Association meeting LMFAO

- Well be talking about someones tacky garden gnomes next

- Jamad, the HOA Chairman. LMFAO

Seol then asked Jamad a question.

The biggest tribe near Nevenia would be the Sulfur Skull Tribe?

Huh? You know about them?

Ah, its just because theyre well-known.

Yeah, theyre undoubtedly the strongest tribe near Nevenia. Regardless, what I was trying to say was this. There were discussions about what's happening now in the Great Tribe Meeting a long time ago..

What?

Its something that the young successor of the Sulfur Skull Tribe had proposed. Well, it was rejected then, though.

- Why are you only saying this now?

- Maybe his memory wasnt good because he didnt have tasty bread?

- Ah, that makes perfect sense then.

Open the map.

Unravel.

Seol followed Jamads instructions and opened the map. Jamad then continued to talk while looking at the map.

Right now, theyre probably here.

The Yognatun Volcano?

It was a volcano not too far from the kingdoms borders.

Yognatun was also an active volcano. It was the reason why no civilization had taken root in the area near Nevenias borders.

Isnt this where Purga is?

Yeah, its one of the places where Purga, the Old God, resides.

Purga, the Old God.

He was the god of fire and sulfur, and supposedly resembled a massive fire monkey.

His power, since ancient times, has been a calamity in and of itself.

Because of that, no one was bold enough to upset Purga, and the Yognatun Volcano continued to blaze, allowing no one to approach it.

However, Jamad then said something to Seol with absolute certainty.

The Sulfur Skull Tribe plans to use Purga by offering him the sacrifices theyve captured.